AAOOOSC! Junior Powers!

The blue energy reappears in the front of the main room, dropping Matteo, Kailer, and Jeremy into sight.

Once the energy disappears, the three peer around the massive room: It is empty with no one in sight and the furniture still in place.

"Well, it seems like everyone’s busy…," Matteo points out as he steps deeper into the room.

Kailer follows him. "Yes, yes, aren’t we all?" He then whips out his head mirror from a zap of energy and snaps it over his head. "Now, I shall check on Howden and Oettinger." He brushes by him. "Excuse me." With another step, he vanishes in a streak of blue energy, leaving the two members behind.

The energy blasts into sight in Kailer’s laboratory, immediately bringing Kailer into sight, his back facing the hospital bed.

"Oh, Howden! Oettinger…!" He turns around to face the bed. "How are you all doin—?" He immediately halts his question, his jaw dropping with massive eyes.

An empty hospital bed is staring back at him.

"What?" he spits out under his breath.

He begins spinning around in all directions with darting eyes, attempting to find the two partners in his room. "THEY’RE GONE! THEY’RE GONE!" In an instant, he emerges himself in a portal of blue energy.

He reappears in front of his rooms, still in his panicked state. "HOWDEN AND OETTINGER ARE—!"

He holds himself still with eyes as wide as pucks staring ahead in pure terror.

On the other side of the room, most of the members are lined up in a terrible situation: Matteo has dark waters spinning around him in a taut restraint; a brick construct is built all around Jeremy, only having his eyes shown through a slit between two bricks; Brett, who appears to be awaken, is tied up in cylinder-shaped pieces of metal from shoulder to toe; Jake has a red dog collar with no clasp around his neck, which is hooked onto a leash tied underneath the ground, between the tile flooring.

And right in front of them, facing them, is the man feared by the whole society: the Rink Destroyer.

Fury grows on Kailer’s face. "What in the wild supernatural universe is going on?!"

Instantly, the Rink Destroyer spins around to face the scientist. His glare-covered visor is staring down at him ominously with a frown below it.

Kailer conjures a blue ergokinetic bow in his left hand, holding it up to the masked man with a similar arrow loaded in the bow with his right hand. "Release them!"

He launches the arrow, which instantly morphs into multiple arrows, now having a band of energy-made arrows raining down at the masked man.

The man stays still, appearing unfazed by the attack.

Suddenly, the arrows smoothly spin around, pointing at their creator. They begin racing at him.

Kailer’s eyes fly open at the sight. "What? No, no, no, no, no, no, nooo!"

The arrows spin around the small teenager, leaving a trail of wispy ribbons behind them, binding him up in his own attack. Then a force blows against him, sending him across the room and next to the Master.

"Ugh!" Kailer wiggles in his restraints with a fuming expression. He snaps his eyes at the captor. "Release me too!"

The Rink Destroyer responds by turning around and stepping back with a smirk etched below his visor.

Between the bricks, Jeremy’s eyes dart to his left, where the Master is. "Does he speak?" he asks, referring to the Rink Destroyer.

"I don’t know," Matteo tells him with an unsure expression. "But he’s taking the 'actions speak louder than words’ quote literally."

"We’re doomed!" Jake cries out at the ceiling, tears building up in his eyes. "We’re doomed!"


Brett turns to his wailing friend with a weary expression. "At least we’re doomed together…"

The goalie turns to him, softening his features. "And I’m with you…" He gives him sweet, wide eyes. "I’m so glad you’re awake."

"Yeah," he huffs out, his eyes half-closed. "It was nice waking up to this."

Kailer cranes his head to Brett. "Is this the scoundrel?" He nods to the Rink Destroyer, who is still admiring his handiwork.

He slowly turns his head to the small man. "Yeah, that’s him."

Kailer lowers his eyes at the captor. "Figures. He has a grudge toward us for a reason we are clueless about. And now we’re paying for it." He peers at the others to his right. "Who knew our powers could go against us?"

"What is he going to do now?" Jeremy asks from behind his wall.

"No idea." Matteo purses his lips in place for a shrug. "Not psychic here."

Jake yanks himself against the collar, his leash becoming taut, yet not snapping. "Is there any way to get out of this?"

Brett lets out a pathetic groan as he attempts to break from his tough restraints. "Ugh… My powers are too strong since these are it." A small smile appears on his face. "I guess that’s good…"

"At least he’s not destroying us yet," Jeremy points out with wide eyes at the Rink Destroyer. "I hope."

Then another member saunters into the room, stepping down from the nearby staircase to their right: Kale.

The rest of the members’ eyes fly open at the opportunity of being set free.

"WHEAT EATER!" Jake shouts at him. "KALE!"

Kale halts in his tracks, staring at his society with a bewildered expression.

"Kale!" Matteo hollers. "Kale, Kale, Kale!"

"Clague, save us!" Kailer yells as a command.

"Kings, we’re stuck!" Fear is evident in Jeremy’s eyes. "Get that guy!"

"I’m sorry for mocking you!" Brett tells him pleadingly. "Please rescue us! I’ll never make fun of you again!"

Without saying a single word, Kale slowly turns to his right, catching sight of the captor.

The Rink Destroyer faces the other member. He stands still with a slight frown and his visor staring at him.

Kale steps up to him with his round eyes filled with tentative trepidation. He halts inches from him, face-to-face, not tearing his eyes away from him.

The Rink Destroyer smoothly extends his arm from his side, conjuring a matte, black-coloured arming sword into view. He wields it behind him and thrusts it straight into Kale.

Gasps fly around the room as the restrained members’ eyes fly open to the size of pucks.

"Oh my goodness," Jeremy breathes out.

The Rink Destroyer sharply withdraws the sword from Kale. Instantly, Kale blasts into curling, black smoke, disappearing from view.

All their jaws are dropped at the sight of their fallen member.

"Wheat Eater…," Jake murmurs sadly.

"Shoot," Matteo whispers.

Then the Rink Destroyer makes a move: With his free hand, he presses the side of the visor over his ear.

Instantly, the visor glitches with flickering pixels. It then zaps out of sight, revealing the face behind the visor.

"I’m still here," Kale tells them with a smirk.

Shock spreads all across the members’ faces with massive eyes and mouths.

"Kale?" Matteo spits out, eyeing his member in the suit of the captor.

Brett lowers his eyebrows at him as a scowl comes across his face.

"You’ve been the scoundrel all this time?" Kailer states firmly with disbelief written over his face.

"But your powers…," Jeremy squeaks out from the bricks, "they’re not—"

"Those powers?" Kale rolls his eyes with a scoff. "They’re gone, I got new ones. That’s how I was able to deceive you guys—" He begins stepping up to him in a haughty fashion. "—destroy your home ice, make your life a living nightmare." He halts inches from them, his hands clasped behind his back. "Just how you made mine."

"But—"

"Don’t talk," he snaps, cutting into the Master’s objection. "Any of you guys."

Matteo stays silence with anxious eyes. The others also do not say a single word.

Then Kale begins to pace across them as he launches into his explanation: “I was chosen in this group with some hope of being included, but of course with my original pathetic powers, I was outcasted" —he halts in front of Brett, sticking his glowering face into his— "mocked" —he pulls away from him, continuing his striding— "and put aside because I was practically useless. Go ahead—" He aimlessly waves his hand in the air. "—sugarcoat it, but at least I’m not stupid enough to fall for some lie.

"Since my situation wasn’t getting any better, I ran away. I’m glad I did, because with that, I found new powers. Not just better powers than mine or any of your guys’—I got powers better than all of yours, and I will say, all of the power players in this world combined. I fooled you guys so hard, I could laugh. But I won’t because I hate being laughed at and it’d be hypocritical to do the same.

"I did what I did, becoming what you’d call a ‘villain,’ even though that term doesn’t bother me, for the better. I weakened you guys by destroying your rinks, adding that" —he stops in front of Jake with a glare— "sadness" —he resumes marching in front of them— "and setting up to wipe out the GJHP. Because it’s better to have someone with a sense of compassion than a group who won’t include everyone. And the supernatural side of major junior hockey will be grateful."

Kale spins around in the middle, having all five members in his sight. "I have the power to destroy." He holds his hands up from his sides, perpendicular to him, with black energy building up in his palms.

He begins stepping back with an arrogant expression. "So sit back, relax, and I’ll just say what I have to say to complete this task."

The perilous energy continues building in his hands as he pulls them behind his ears, ready to launch them.

"NOOOOOO!!!"

Suddenly, a man lunges at Kale from above, tackling him onto the ground. The two roll around to the momentum, halting with Kale lying on his back, staring up at the attacker.

"What are you—?"

Michael holds down the defenceman with the aid of his golden energy. "You’re not going to hurt them. You are not going to destroy them. If you want to get them, you gotta get by me."

"Oh look—" A small smile appears on his face. "—my other member of the powerless club."

"More like 'powerless-gone-powerful'!" Michael then shoves him against his chest.

Kale is instantly thrown across the ground, leaving a trail of crushed flooring behind him, and slams into the wall on the other side of the room, creating cracks on it.

The imprisoned members stare at the sight in shock.

"I’m okay," Kale grumbles. He quickly scrambles to his feet and faces the forward with determination.

Michael gives him a serious expression with a hint of cockiness. "Let’s see who has the best powers." He builds up his golden and white energy from his hands.

"Sounds good," Kale replies, unshaken. "Because I have—"

Michael instantly unleashes a thick blast of ribbons, striking Kale’s arm.

Right on contact, Kale’s left arm shatters into a million of pieces as if it is made out of glass.

Michael retracts his hand quickly, gritting his teeth at his terrible aim. "Shoot!"

Kale has his eyes widen at the horrifying sight of his jagged stub. "What the—?"

"Haha—" Michael nods to his masterpiece. "—nice arm there!" He then swipes his hands across himself, toward the other side of the room.

Kale is suddenly thrown across the room in the same direction, crashing into the table.

The table crumbles underneath his weight like a blanket, giving him a softer landing as he collides with the ground on his stomach.

Kale lifts his mad eyes at his opponent. "I have energy powers!" He emits bullets of golden energy at him.

Michael swaggers up to him coolly, snappily holding his hand out and catching each bullet effortlessly without looking. Each bullet instantly turns into a marble, creating a handful of marbles in his hand.

Kale halts his emission, gaping at the sight with bewildered eyes.

Michael then throws the marbles by the edge of the blanket on the floor. The marbles hit the ground, splattering against its surface as if they were paintballs.

Kale rushes to his feet. "I have wind!" He swings his hand out from his side, generating wind around him and expanding it.

Their hair and clothing flutter into the gales as it brushes against their skin with a bitter touch.

Lowering his eyebrows and face to defend himself from the increasing breeze, Michael slowly closes his hands into fists.

In a snap, the wind is sucked away, leaving the atmosphere stale and taut.

Kale becomes still, sweat forming on his blueing face as he is struggling to receive oxygen from the vacuum Michael has created.

Michael then relaxes his hands.

The air floods throughout the room once again, elevating the atmosphere.

Kale drops to his hand and knees, taking in heaving deep breaths with his shoulders shaking.

Michael slowly steps up to him with stern eyes on him.

Kale senses his attacker approaching him. He raises his eyes up at him, giving him a scowl. "I can make you—"

Michael snaps his fingers.

Kale continues moving his mouth, having no sound coming out from it. He quickly halts his movements, peering down with a perplexed expression coming across his face as he continues to attempt talking.

"I think I figured you out," Michael tells him lowly. "You speak your powers. That sounds hard at first to defeat, yet it was so easy."

Kale slowly peers up at him, fear becoming evident in his eyes.

Behind him, the room begins tearing apart as if it is made out of paper, revealing a black, warping portal.

"You thought you were alone," Michael tells him with a cocked eyebrow. "Now you’re gonna feel like how you’re really like alone."

With that, the floor rips underneath Kale, causing him to drop through the expanding opening of the portal. He plummets into the never-ending space of total darkness, falling, falling, falling, sensing himself letting go of everything he knew.

Then he wakes up.

Notes