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The Dynamoe paced around his lair, frustrated. It was a dark and stormy night outside- the perfect weather to go out and commit some crimes. However, he was stumped with exactly what he wanted to do. It was rare for the Dynamoe to lack any ideas for his criminal acts, but tonight nothing seemed to come to mind. Most of his usual MO wouldn't work with the bad weather, and he wasn't really feeling up to any robbery tonight.
The Dynamoe sighed and flung back dramatically into his chair. This sucks. He had gotten all dressed up and ready to go- and now he had no plan. He couldn't just go out and perform his duties half-heartedly. He needed style, he needed action, and he needed to top that stupid Ninjoy in both of those.
On top of it all, he needed an idea.
Just as he was about to turn to his computer for help, he heard the faint sound of barking from above him. He frowned. What on earth is she barking about? His dog wasn't one to be worried about storms. And besides, it was late. His pup should be fast asleep by now.
Suddenly, he got a great idea. He flung himself out of his chair and made his way back up to his apartment. Taking the chute out of his lair, he found himself back in his bedroom in no time. He slammed his bedroom door open dramatically to see his Pomeranian dog, standing in the hallway. He grinned.
"Mai-Mai! I have a surprise for you!"
His dog, Mai, immediately ran over to him, tail wagging excessively. She was wide awake, much to his joy. The Dynamoe picked her up, holding her up close to his face.
"I have a surprise for you tonight! I'm going to turn you into the greatest supervillain sidekick that this city has ever seen!"
Mai barked gently back at him in response. Still holding onto her, the Dynamoe made his way into his study, now on the lookout for materials. Putting his dog down for now, he snatched up some scrap fabric from the floor (the remnants of a Halloween costume, courtesy of Joy). He rummaged through his drawers and found a spare collar for Mai- he had intended on it being a birthday gift, but it was too late for that. The rest of his materials were already in the lair.
This was perhaps his greatest idea in a long time. Ninjoy didn't have a sidekick. Let alone a very cute, very smart and very cunning sidekick. He was going to show her up so hard tonight. He grinned. He couldn't wait to see the stupid look on her face when he showed up with Mai.
"Alright Mai," The Dynamoe scooped his dog back up again. "Time to turn you into the world’s greatest sidekick!"
===
The rain was still coming down, but neither Dynamoe or Mai were bothered by it. The duo were crouched in the bushes behind a Fluffmart, assessing the building. Although not a traditional target for him, the Dynamoe felt that a smaller, less secure location would be a better place to take his new sidekick.
"Alright Mai-Mai," The Dynamoe turned to his dog. "What do you think?"
The Dynamoe had decked up his pup in full supervillain gear. She was dressed up in her new collar; the Dynamoe had painted spots all over it to match his own look. Her cape was a dark red, keeping her relatively warm in the rain. On her collar was a name tag, reading 'PROPERTY OF THE DYNAMOE' in engraved lettering.
Mai barked back at him.
"Hush now Mai, we don't know if there's anyone around here." The Dynamoe looked around the corners of the buildings. There were cameras scanning most of the outside. They’ve really stepped up their security, huh. He'd have to disable them to get inside.
Next to him, Mai sniffed at a large rock.
"Excellent idea Mai-Mai!" The Dynamoe picked up the rock, inspecting it. "We can disable the cameras through sheer strength. I knew I made a good choice to bring you along tonight."
Taking aim, the Dynamoe threw the rock at the camera in front of them. It immediately broke on impact. He raced out of the bushes and grabbed the rock. It was still in great condition.
"Perfect!" The Dynamoe turned to see his sidekick had followed him. "Let's take out the rest of them together."
The dynamic duo made their way around the building. The Dynamoe threw rocks at each camera, disabling them one by one. Mai simply followed behind him. Once the cameras were all out, the supervillain and his sidekick made their way to the back of the store.
"Alright Mai, watch this." The Dynamoe pulled out a tool from his belt- a retractable crowbar. He went up to the back door and began to pry it open.
"Some people… say that… using one of these… is old fashioned…" The Dynamoe spoke between breaths as he pried the door open. There was a snapping sound, and the door flung open. He huffed, catching his breath.
"...But they are extremely reliable."
Mai made her way inside. The Dynamoe retracted the crowbar and placed it back on his belt. Making his way inside, he scanned the building for anyone. So far, there was no sign of anyone else. Only Mai, who was already halfway across the store. He whispered to her from the shadows.
"Psst! Mai-Mai! Come here girl!"
Mai stopped, but was too distracted by the array of dog toys to turn her attention back to the Dynamoe. The Dynamoe sighed. Rookies. Always distracted. He made his way into the full store to see what his dog was looking at. He sighed again.
"Oh Mai-Mai, these aren't what we're here for," He crouched down and turned his dog around to face him. "Those are cat toys! When we rob something, we can't just take everything we see. We need to be sly, and take what'll benefit us the most. And these," the Dynamoe chucked one of the toys to the side. "Are worthless. We can't take these with us."
Mai seemed to ignore the Dynamoe's speech, and continued to paw at the arrangement of toys. During her attempt, she accidentally tore down a few toys to the ground. He watched her, frowning.
"Mai-Mai, what did I just say? They're not for-"
A lightbulb lit up in his brain.
"Mai-Mai, you're a genius! Instead of stealing them, we can leave a disaster in our wake! You're so smart!"
Mai barked in response. The Dynamoe gave her a strong pat on the head.
"You begin our destruction, and I shall pick out what we will run off with."
The Dynamoe sneaked over to an isle a few metres away. It was a dog-exclusive aisle, filled with toys, treats, and even little outfits. It was a goldmine of things for Mai. He began snatching things off of the shelves- Mai's favourite treats, a new collar in her size, a handful of new toys. These would be rewards for her great contribution to his heist. Throughout his heist, he left chaos in his wake, pushing over standees and making the store a general mess.
He held back a laugh hearing Mai run throughout the store. No doubt that she was causing mayhem. She wasn't usually this destructive at home- but the Dynamoe knew that sometimes you just had to give into those cravings. He'd have to bring her on more low-stakes outings like this.
Mai suddenly stopped. The Dynamoe frowned. He listened out in case she was simply distracted again. That was the thing about Mai- she was such a smart dog, but also distracted by the smallest things. But no, she had gone dead silent. Not even the sound of her paws on the tile floor.
He heard the sound of footsteps right where Mai was. He froze. He had no idea who else was in here, but he wasn't going to let Mai get hurt.
The Dynamoe ran around the corner to confront whoever had entered. He scowled upon seeing who it was.
"You! What are you doing here?!"
Ninjoy, his arch-nemesis, was standing right where Mai was. How she had gotten in without him noticing, he had no idea. Despite not wanting her here, the Dynamoe was a bit relieved. Ninjoy was much more predictable than some random crook.
"What do you think I'm doing here?" Ninjoy's voice sounded annoyed. She eyed Mai. "Nice dog."
"Don't you touch her!" The Dynamoe hissed. Although he was glad it wasn't some random thug coming to take his dog, he still wasn't happy with Ninjoy being around.
"You know, bringing a dog to a 'heist' is a low blow, even for you," Ninjoy scowled. "You're lucky it's me that showed up and not the police."
"She is my sidekick, thank you very much! Now unhand her you fiend!"
"I'm not even touching her," Ninjoy eyed the dog again. "What's her name?"
"That is confidential and none of your business!"
"You couldn't even come up with a name for your so-called sidekick?" Ninjoy chuckled. "I thought you were better than that."
"Shut up!"
Mai seemed completely unbothered by the situation unfolding. She hesitantly sniffed Ninjoy's boots. Suddenly, her tail began wagging like crazy. She began jumping around and whining at the vigilante's feet.
"H-Hey!" The Dynamoe had to force himself not to call Mai out by name. "Stop that! That's our nemesis!"
Ninjoy raised an eyebrow. "'Our' nemesis, huh?"
"I told you, she's my supervillain sidekick! Now step away from her right now!"
Ninjoy seemed to not know how to respond to the dog whining at her feet. Suddenly, she scooped Mai up into her arms. The dog happily accepted being picked up.
The Dynamoe gasped.
"What have you done to her?! Put her down!" The Dynamoe yelled out, stepping closer.
"I'm not going to hurt her," Ninjoy's voice was as grating as ever, but she did not seem to mind the dog being all over her. "Do you really think I'd stoop low enough to hurt your pet? Even if I think what you're doing with her is incomprehensibly stupid."
"You've clearly brainwashed her! She'd never approach a stranger like that, especially you!"
"...Do you actually think before you speak, or is your brain just rotating in there with no purpose?"
"Put her down right now before I hurt you!"
"Alright look," Ninjoy held Mai out in front of her. "I'm not going to let you guys fool around in here any longer. Empty your pockets and get the hell out of here, and I'll hand her back. If you don't, I'll kick your ass and then hand her back over. Take your pick."
The Dynamoe squinted at her.
"Why are you even offering this to me, huh? Is this some sort of trap?"
"Because I am above torturing pets by beating up their owners up in front of them," Ninjoy scowled. "I am being very generous here. Take her and get out before the police realise you're in here."
Throughout the entire exchange, Mai sat in Ninjoy's hands, calm and content.
The Dynamoe frowned as he thought. In any other situation, he would pull out his taser and engage in a fight. But this was too risky. For one, he could accidentally hurt Mai in the crossfire, and he would never forgive himself for it. And second, engaging with Ninjoy right now was a bit of a lost cause. She had leverage over him. And really, the stuff he had stolen wasn't worth that much.
He groaned.
"Fine. I shall bend to your wishes. But you better put her down immediately."
The Dynamoe began emptying his pockets of stolen Fluffmart merchandise. To be fair, he hadn't taken much at all- just a few things here and there for Mai to have. As soon as he emptied his pockets, he held his hands out to show he had nothing left to hide.
"There. All done. Now can you give her back already?!"
Ninjoy frowned, scanning him. "You didn't take much."
"Yeah, because I didn't have the time! Now give her back!"
Ninjoy sighed. "Alright fine. Here's your dog back."
She placed Mai down gently on the ground. Mai immediately ran back to the Dynamoe. He crouched down and began investigating her over; she was, thankfully, completely unharmed.
"Now both of you get out of here. I need to get this place cleaned up."
The Dynamoe hesitated. The thought of just taking Ninjoy out now that he had Mai back did cross his mind. However, the sound of yawning changed his mind. Mai was clearly getting tired. He didn't want to keep her out here for too long.
Deciding to just leave, he stood up. He turned to look back at Ninjoy and pointed at her.
"Don't think that you've won this battle!" He yelled. "I shall take my revenge one of these nights!
"...Don't make me repeat myself."
The Dynamoe flung his cape dramatically around him and fled the scene. He exited out the back again, and quickly jumped into a bush to recuperate his thoughts. The rain had slowed to a slight sprinkle now. Thank god. He really didn't want to walk back home in the rain with a tired dog.