Chapter Text
Sure enough, the lights went out within a minute of Lillie, Gladion and Sunne finishing their conversation. Rattling and screams followed after as the weli audibly began to make his way through the school.
Thankfully, however, that minute was all Lillie needed. “Keep going, Gladion,” she instructed. “I’ll take care of him. Sunne, Rise!”
And yet, Gladion knew he needed to help his sister… and to make up for the trouble he’d caused in the first place.
Sunlight had made it to the end of the hall, following the scorch marks that the new weli had left behind. “Didn’t Sophocles play a character with electric powers…?” she wondered as she tracked down the weli.
“Sunlight?”
Sunlight eeped and whipped around, sword pointing at the speaker instantly.
“Moonwing! Uh, glad you could make it?”
“What, did you really think I’d miss the scorch-marks on the walls?” Moonwing asked. Grinning, she leaned in and added, “Not to mention I’m always batty for the chance to see you again.”
Sunlight giggled, flattered. “Th-Thank you…”
“I try my best-”
An object, crackling with electricity, came flying through the air, and the girls had to jolt away from each other to dodge it. It bounced off of a column, nearly sliced Sunlight’s ponytail off, and returned to a short yet sturdy-looking figure with spiky armor and electricity surrounding his body.
Moonwing tried not to cringe at the sight of the weli. “… hiya, Sophocles.”
“So you’re Moonlight and Sunwing?” the supervillain mused. “I’m Electrogue. I know it probably sounds weird coming from me, but it’s nice to meet you.”
“It’s Moonwing and Sunlight!” Moonwing huffed. “If you’re gonna try and beat us up, at least get it right!”
“… these two are the ones giving you all this trouble, Parasite?” the weli simply deadpanned. “I doubt they’ll make a dent in me.”
Moonwing grinned. “We’ll see about that!”
Readying her tonfas, she lunged for Electrogue, but the moment she connected with his raised shield, her body was rocked as the tonfas clanked right off of his fortified body.
“Nice try, but I’m stronger than that now!”
“You’re gonna wanna keep that shield close to you…” Moonwing commented as she got up. “At the very least, it’ll keep him at bay for a moment.”
“I don’t think that’ll help you!” Snickering, Electrogue thrust out his palm, which was crackling with electricity. “Guess who’s got projectiles?”
Sunlight jumped in front of Moonwing and took the brunt of the ball of electricity that he threw at them, getting pushed back by the electric energy sphere before charging back once it dissipated.
As the weli cackled at Sunlight’s recoil, she told Moonwing, “Okay, so it’s very durable… and it’s electric…”
“Well, is the whole thing durable, or just the part with the spikes on it?” Moonwing wondered.
“Uh… I don’t know.” Sunlight let her guard down when she responded, and was struck by another lightning ball, shaking and stunned as sparks flew off of her and her hair stood on end.
“Trained American sniper, over seven-hundred confirmed kills!” Electrogue cackled.
“Find cover!”
Another bolt of electricity nearly clipped Sunlight. At the sound of her yelp, Moonwing glowered at the weli. “Lucky shot!”
“You know what would be even luckier? If you’d surrender your Nebulouses!”
“Never!” Sunlight retorted. “Illuminate!”
Into her hands fell…
You know that myth that twins share psychic connections?
Gladion was beginning to think it might be true, because the second his sister constructed a gold and white box of matches, he knew what needed to be done.
“Li-gah!” Gladion’s hand shook from the static near Sunlight. “Do you know what to do with that?”
“No…” Sunlight mumbled. “Fire isn’t going to stop electricity…”
While Moonwing tried to hold off the weli as he attacked her, he looked to his sister and asked, “I’ve got an idea. Can you fight Sophocles while I use this?”
After a moment of deliberation, Sunlight handed him the matchbox.
“In one minute, I want you to close your ears, okay?” Gladion ordered her. “It’s going to get loud.”
Sunlight’s heart warmed (pun not intended) at his consideration. “Big brother… go! Do what you have to do!” She and Moonwing continued evacuating students and to prevent the weli from doing as much damage as possible, mentally counting in her head before covering her ears and telling Moonwing to keep going for her with only a few seconds to spare.
Sunlight wasn’t prepared for just how loud the fire-alarms Gladion set off was. It was a good thing Ashdance had come outside, because he would have been able to neutralize her with more aplomb than he would ever know he could have.
And to make matters even more discomforting for her, the sprinklers went off, eliciting a shriek from all three superpowered parties.
Moonwing saw Sunlight cowering in the makeshift rain, and knew immediately she needed to cover for her. Before she could move to her, though, Electrogue screamed in pain as his own electricity overwhelmed him. The enarmes of his shield fried, and when they fritzed out, Moonwing immediately caught her opportunity. “There it is!”
While the weli was stunned, she got right up to its chest, swinging both of her tonfas out to strike its weak point, causing the welified jellyfish to fly out, ready for capture.
Problem was, the only one who could capture it was in the middle of a meltdown.
“Sunlight, hey!” Moonwing whispered, trying to sound more kind than frantic. “In for four, out for four, okay?”
“H-Huh?”
“You don’t know what th-” That could come later. “Breathe in and hold it for four seconds for me, okay? Then exhale for four seconds? I’m gonna go get the alarms turned off, then we’ll go get the weli-”
As if on cue, the fire alarms shut off. Sunlight stumbled to her feet, and when her eyes locked on to the fleeing weli, she and Moonwing gave chase; within a minute, she’d managed to catch it and fix the damages with Synthesis.
With the weli purified, Sophocles reverted to his normal form. “Uggghhh… what happened?”
Moonwing lent Sophocles a hand to help him up. “Parasite got to you. But everything’s okay now.”
“The same person who transformed Kiawe earlier?” Sophocles inquired.
“Yeah… o-oh, and that reminds me. I ran into your classmate, Selene. She said she wanted to apologize to you for… something? Whatever got you welified, I’m guessing?”
“I see…” Sophocles murmured. “I shouldn’t have given in to her words so easily…”
“Sounds like it was your friends’ fault,” Moonwing conceded. “It’s up to you if you still wanna be friends. Right, Sunlight?”
But when she turned around, the other heroine had already left. “Awww…”
Gladion: I took Lillie home for today.
Gladion: Thanks for apologizing on my behalf.
Selene: No problem, Gladion.
Selene: The Māmanes said they want to give Sophocles some mental health days, so the gaming club isn’t gonna be meeting for a bit.
…
Gladion: Lillie asked if you’d like to come over to Guzma’s some time? She wants to keep learning Sakurai Strike.
Selene: Tell her say when!
Gladion: I will. Thanks.
Putting her phone away at the call of Melissa, Selene headed downstairs to the dining room, where the woman had finished cooking breakfast for dinner.
When Rory sat down, she mumbled, “Thanks, uncle.”
Rory raised an eyebrow curiously. “For what?”
“You shut off the fire alarms, didn’t you? Nice timing!”
“… you’re getting too smart for your own, kid,” Rory laughed, ruffling her hair. “Now, come on - let’s eat.”
As Selene tucked in, Melissa whispered, “Did you really do that, or was it a coincidence?” to her husband.
“Yeah, actually.” Rory whispered. “The timing was a coincidence, though.”
Melissa laughed, and the two joined Selene in the meal. They did make sure to pass Moone and the other ultrakuas some peppers and other foods.