ic Pavo's Response (IC)

[Poncho]

(Golden Star Post)

 

November, 2024

 

Doom Room, Claremont High

 

Baz and Michael had been practicing in the Doom Room on one day. Michael had recently learned how to shoot his own type of laser beams, similar to Baz, and he had been getting help from the Insectoid student to learn more about how to use them, since he hadn't figured it out. As always, Michael was willing to ask for help when he needed it, and he'd paid for Baz's time in pizza and soda for the bug kid to eat while he tutored Michael in how to shoot laser beams. He had helped with studying too, but he knew when he needed to pay someone actual things for their help, and this was one of those kinds.

 

His beams were golden blasts of light that erupted from his eyes or fingers, and while he had first few had been quite inaccurate, under Baz's help he was slowly becoming more and more accurate with them. He at least wasn't scorching the walls or floors as he was trying to practice. When a handful of new targets came down, floating on little drones, he focused his energy, making a glowing star on his index and middle finger.

 

With his index finger extended, he took careful aim and blasted through a handful of targets one after the other while Baz watched. When he finished, he brought a smoking finger to his lips and blew it out like a candle with a grin to him.

 

"...Like that, right?" he asked Baz, checking for confirmation. "You're way better at this then me, so I'm hoping I can figure this out."

[Supercape]

Gamma Buzz

 

"Yah! The best thing about laser beams is they are cool. Lasers are cool, right? And beams, too. So Laser Beams are doubly cool!"

 

"Gamma Buzz, Baby!"

 

Baltazar focussed on the ground of the doom room and carved "GBB" into the floor with pin point accuracy. 

 

"Err... well I hope that's just a hologram of carbon burns and smoke... and not something important like nuclear power cells underneath the doom room. In any case, its super cool, right?"

 

"You just need something cool as you tag. Like GS, or G-Star! Then you can tag anything! Like trees, or gas tanks, or innocent bystanders, whoops, I meant evil ninja robots!"

Edited November 2 by Supercape

[Poncho]

(Golden Star)

 

"A tag?" He asked, frowning. "Huh. I mean, GBB is so cisan. What could I make as mine?" He mumbled to himself.

 

"And let's not mention blowing up any trees huh? They're still mad at me about the one in the quad even thought ot got fixed and I explained I was fighting an evil video game dictator." He laughed at it, but he was still clearly a bit put out over the whole situation. But after a bit more thought he pointed his fingers towards the ground next to Baz's signature and drew a little starburst like the one under his costume.

 

"How about something like that?"

[Supercape]

Gamma Buzz

 

"Fantastico! A Star, like you! Hey can you do that with your energy powers? Create a star of energy? Then you could throw it like a laser ninja! Hi---Yaaaa!"

 

Baz flipped in the air, landed in a cool pose (like how, purely for instance, an ex Soviet - Superspy female agent named after a poisonous arachnid would), and threw an imaginary laser shuriken. 

 

He was not particularly trained as a martial artist, bar some of the basics by Crimson tiger. But he was fast and agile and strong, and was learning how to leverage those abilities into a reflexive and effective fighting scale. With laser beams, too. Because laser beams are cool. 

 

Pose completed, he stood up and dusted himself off. "I mean, maybe its not that effective, but it is pretty cool, right? And thats the important thing. And staying alive, too I suppose. But mainly looking cool."

[Poncho]

(Golden Star)

 

"Throwing a Star? Uhh..." he thought about it, watching Baz flip through the air with great skill and agility. "I mean...I guess I don't know why I couldn't, so sure, hang on." He looked down at his palm and gripped his wrist with his other hand, focusing on it. It was a little different then summoning a beam, and it started as a little tiny spark of light that he kept feeding into, slowly expanding. 

 

It pulsed like the sun in minature as it reached the size of a baseball, lashing out with streaks like solar flares and writhing tendrils of flame like those on the sun. 

 

"...Wh...whew. Okay. This is pretty tou-." There was a loud pop as the baseball sized sun exploded in his hand, covering him in choking dust as he coughed, waving it away. 

 

"Okay...alright maybe I need to work on that more." He said, shaking his hand to try and get some feeling back into it. "That hurt."

[Supercape]

Gamma Buzz

 

Cockroach eyes widened at the exploding star. 

 

"Wow! That was a... an actual star, right? All hot and round and stuff? Probably fusion. Or something...."

 

Although Baz hadn't felt any radiation on his antannae. 

 

"I mean a ninja star though, like what those ninja throw. Bruce Lee. Jackie Chan. That kind of stuff? I used to watch Kung Fu reruns with my sister back in Mexico."

 

They didn't have much money. Or any money. But they liked playing Kung Fu. 

 

"It was so cool. Not enough Kung Fu in them, but still. Kept us going to till we could watch Bruce Lee. And all those Ninja films. You know, the shuriken? Can you throw a laser shuriken?"

[Poncho]

(Golden Star)

 

"I...think so, yeah. I'm not exactly sure. I'm still figuring out my powers, you know. I wish I had your control over radiation over my own powers. But I think it's not wrong to say I've got uh...that I'm like a star. Hrmm. I guess that's a little vague. Don't ask me questions I don't know the answer to, Baz!" he said with a laugh. "I have no idea what I am!" he said, shaking his hand out again. "Let's try again, though."

 

He frowned and swung his hand out. It wasn't really Shuriken, so much as just an echo of his fingers that flew across the room and exploded. "...Yeah, I'm not sure about making it into shapes. I'd rather not keep blowing up my hand. It did hurt."

 

He thought a bit about the question of movies.

 

"Yeah, I watched some. Like Five Venoms, Ip Man, that sort of stuff. Oh or Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Those are all classics, right? I don't really know any of the moves, but I remember watching them. I only know the stuff Crimson Tiger showed us. That's Muay Thai though, right? There's movies about Muay Thai too, I just don't know that I've watched any of them. We should schedule a movie night on the dorm floor, that'd be fun."

[Supercape]

Gamma Buzz

 

"Sure! I know everything about all of that stuff that I pretended to know about!" said Baz, mouth jabbering. 

 

Truth was, he did know a thing or two. About the only thing he could do well was name obscure movies and bands. By most standards, he was a smart kid, but this was Claremont. He was bottom of the class in most things. He certainly didn't have the brains of his chums, and was no genius or savant.

 

"They sure are the classics. You know, for me, the best movies are the old ones, with silly stuff in, played straight. Modern ones look a bit to realistic to me..."

 

He shrugged. 

 

"As for laser shuriken, maybe another day. When you get your fingers under your control, huh? Maybe practice card tricks or something?"

[Poncho]

(Golden Star)

 

"I guess that makes sense. Stuff gets super violent these days, especially when we have to deal with that sort of violence normally. Rather watch some people jumping around on strings rather than doing lreal moves that look like they could kill someone or seriously injure them." he agreed. "I'll have to work on control a bit."

 

Around this time, he frowned and turned his head to his backpack. "Ah...hang on." he mumbled, floating over to his backpack and opening it, producing a ringing phone that he put to his ear. 

 

"Hello?" he asked in confusion, he frowned as he listened, his face turning serious as he heard whatever he was being told about

 

[Supercape]

Gamma Buzz

 

Baltazar hopped from foot to foot. He had really hoped he could see some laser shuriken. 

 

I mean... laser shuriken... how cool would that be?

 

The ringing phone was mildly irritating, but his irritation melted away as he saw Michael's face turn to stone. 

 

"What is it? What is it?" said Baz, antannea quivering. "Something serious? Someone died?"

 

Some sixth sense shot his spine full of ice. Baltazar had a hunch something bad had happening. Or worse, was coming...

[Poncho]

(Golden Star)

 

"No one's dead yet." Michael said as he closed the phone. "Someone does need our help though." 

 

"Do you remember those girls from last year? The ones with the weird powers, the kid that wouldn't shut up, the two monsters, all that stuff? The Dragon we didn't see, all that stuff." he gestured a little off handedly.

 

"That was one of those girls; Zoe. They've been trying to do better, you know, be on the up and up ever since that whole issue got resolved, but it sounds like there's been a problem with something involving those powers of theirs and that evil queen lady that wants the powers back." he scratched his head, thinking about it a bit.

 

"So what do you say, wanna go give her a hand? It sounded like there might be a bit of a scrap she needs a hand with."

[Supercape]

Gamma Buzz

 

"Sure," said Baz. "Weird powers, weird girls. Nothing wrong with a kid that wont shut up, though. In my opinion."

 

Baz's huge insectoid eyes flew left, flew right, and then danced to his awkward shuffling feat. 

 

"Nothing wrong about that kind of kid, at all."

 

"Anyway, if there is a problem, yo, we can solve it. Lets check out the beat whilst the dj revolves it!"

 

He spun around an elegant 720 and came to rest hugging himself in an antique hip hop pose.

 

"It time for a hit with a capital S! Its time for rap with a capital C! Lets go!"

[Poncho]

(Golden Star)

 

"...Y..yeah." Michael said in a little bit of confusion. Sometimes he had no idea what Baz was talking about when he started referencing stuff from like 20 years before he was born. He had no idea how Baz knew all that stuff, but it did often leave him with nothing to do but just go with it. Baz had that kind of pull to him.

 

"...Anyway, let's get on our way then." he picked up his bag and made his way out.

 

It was a little while later that the pair of them, changed into Superhero costumes as appropriate, made their way to an abandoned corner store where a heavy-set linebacker like teen was sitting outside the abandoned store, playing on a bass.

 

Zoe was taller and thicker than even Michael, even after a full year at Claremont and training with Superpowers, and the two had somewhat known each other before becoming Superpowered, so while they weren't necessarily friends, they were at least close acquaintances. Zoe was a peaceful sort despite her size, and as she put down her bass as Michael and Baz approached, she looked between them with pure relief on her face.

 

"Hey Mikey. And uh...you're...Gamma Buzz, right? The Cockroach kid. Thanks for coming to see me...I guess we should stay in contact more when it's not an emergency, but, well..." she looked to the side. "I mean, Me and Estelle try, but the other three are kind of figuring it out on their own. We're still really helpful for you helping us with Felix and Ashley Two, but trusting people comes slow, you know." she sighed.

"But I mean, obviously I get it. You guys helped us, you want to help us and the city, and...well we need help." she finished. "...We're having issues with Sola again, she and her people were silent for awhile, but I guess they're aware of the Umbra Star breaking up now." She looked between the two.

 

"...You remember who Sola is, right? The evil alien witch queen from another dimension who wants to rule all the universe, the Umbra Star is the magical wellspring of her universe, taken away before it could be corrupted...all that stuff?"

[Supercape]

Gamma Buzz

 

"That's me, baby! the Cockroach Kid! I can do anything a cockroach can! But will laser beams too!"
 

For a brief moment, Baltazar felt a flush of attraction to Zoe. Strong, powerful, strange. Then he remembered he was a disgusting half-cockroach and had about as much chance with girls as Multi-Girls singing fish, Treble. 

 

It made his throat sour and acidic at that same time. 

 

"Yeah we remember everything. I have Cockroach-memory, after all!" boasted Baltazar, pointing one of his fingers to his skull and giving a smile. "Umbra star, stuff, evil alien witch queen, etc, corruption, blah blah. Michael might need a refresher, of course, as he doesn't have Cockroach-memory, but me? I recall everything perfectlyish. Well, the important parts anyway. Or some of the important parts, anyway."

 

"As Michael is practicing making laser shuriken, this would be an excellent time for him to come up with a plan. Coming up with plans is an excellent way to practice laser shuriken. Particularly if it involves Laser Shuriken!"

 

Once again, Baltazar flipped in the air and mimed throwing a shuriken. 

[Poncho]

(GM Post)

 

Zoe looked at Baz and then laughed a little as he did his tricks.

 

"Cockroach-memory? I didn't realize they had good memories." she said with a cheerful smile. "Do you also throw 'laser shuriken', Baz? I don't think we've ever had the chance to meet, so...yeah." she was clearly a little confused at him being a giant roach kid, but Zoe was trans, so maybe that was helping her sort of 'get' it a bit more.

 

"Uh, well, anyway...So we get our powers from the Umbra Star, the beating magical heart of another dimension. It was ripped out by our mentor, though he died recently. The Star gives us the power to become Starbrights, but if Sola gets it, she will turn her world into a Netherworld, a nexus of dark magical energy that would slowly reach out to other worlds. She can't come here herself, so she sends evil members of her army to try to attack us. The army is lead by her 5 Commanders; they don't really get along, since each one wants to be the favorite." She paused to take a breath.

 

"If you remember, after Ashley and your friend broke the Umbra Star then put it back together, the powers sort of...leaked out. So people started getting chosen by the Starbright powers all over the area; last we checked as far as New York. Your sorcery teachers hoped that by letting the Star exercise some of the negative energy from Sola and Ashley it would be able to come back together and purify itself. Which maybe was working. But now Sola and her commanders seem to be aware that this is happening, and now her commanders are hunting down people who have the powers and collecting them; and with each one they get, more of the Umbra Star's power is coming back to Sola." she sighed.

 

"Some of those powers were my old friends from school...back before I was...before I was Zoe." she said awkwardly. Michael looked awkward here too, aware of what Zoe was talking about. "...There's a few of our old friends who got powers; based on constellations. And Pavo, maybe the strongest of all five of Sola's Commanders, has been hunting them all down. He's too strong for me- or the rest of us- to take out by ourselves, especially now that he's been gathering powers. I don't know how to stop him, but maybe you two can?"

[Supercape]

Gamma Buzz

 

Cockroach Memory! She is mocking my amazing Cockroach powers! was Baltazars initial response. Damn! She is mocking my big mouth! She can see right through me!

 

That was annoying. Especially as Baltazar half-fancied her. He was, for once, grateful for the green armour plates over his head. At least he didn't blush. 

 

"Thanks for the refresher," he said. " Michael is very grateful! And, er... I am too. And I am sure we can stop him together, right? We are a team. Michael and I have been working on a special ninja tactic called... err... the laser cock. I mean the laser cockroach. Because, errr... the Japanese totally had laser beams when the ninja were around. I am sure of it, quite sure that is possibly true."

 

He hopped from foot to foot, just to check his feet were actually on the ground instead of in his mouth. 

 

"Anyway, how do we find Pavo?"

[Poncho]

(GM Post)

 

Zoe offered a little smile and another chuckle at Baz.

 

"You're pretty funny, huh? You don't know how to be quiet at all. You should try stand up comedy or something." She reached into her pocket and produced a pink crystal. Shimmering inside it was the constellation of Taurus, and she handed it to Baz.

 

"Here. This is my Crystal. I can't transform without it, but I've been a bit beat up recently anyway, so you take it. It'll help lead you to someone else whose gotten powers, and with two of them together I'm sure Pavo will show up. Be careful, okay? None of us have ever even put a scratch on him...he might really be invulnerable."

[Poncho]

(Golden Star)

 

Michael kept himself neutral and at the edges of the conversation between Baz and Zoe. He still felt a little weird about Zoe; he remembered her when she was sacking him on the football field, and she was still a giant ox of s woman- or maybe a bull-. He liked her, but he was adjusting. 

 

Plus Baz seemed to be working his magic on Zoe, and he was just going to wingman it. Maybe he could find someone who didn't reject him outright fornhis cockroach looks. But it was difficult to say how any interaction ess going to play out.

 

"We can handle it. I think. We're stronger than we were last year. I'd be surprised if someone could shrug us off."

[Supercape]

Gamma Buzz

 

Baltazar nodded - for once, he half understood. And, paradoxically, he talked less. That was the thing about pretending to know; you didn't have to be right as you were clueless in the first place. Knowing was disturbing, as it gave responsibility. 

 

"Yeah, we can handle it. I have mastered my numerous Cockroach powers, and Michael has almost mastered laser shuriken, so we are sure to be get the upper hand. And - well, I guess thankyou for your cystal compass."

 

He peered at it closely, antennae wobbling. 

 

"How does it work?"

[Poncho]

(Golden Star)

 

"Hang on, I got it." Michael said, extending a finger. "...Stuff like this just needs a little...push." His finger glowed gold momentarily, then he touched it to the stone.

 

It began to pulse in Baz's hand, a bit like one of those stones in old Video games where the controller would vibrate as you got closer to the hidden point the stone was trying to show you.

 

"Got it working?" he asked Baz as he watched him. "Something we can follow maybe?"

[Supercape]

Gamma Buzz

 

"I mean obviously I got it working... thanks to my amazing Cockroach abilities. Wait... no.... no I can't feel anything. Must be busted. No! Wait... I can feel it! Buzzing! Aha! They don't call me Gamma Buzz for nothing. eh?"

 

Baltazar held the crystal in both hands and swung it left, right, up, down. The slight change in buzzing was there. Faint, but there. 

 

"I think we got it! Like, hot and cold thing? So all we have to do is walk!"

 

And off he strode, holding the crystal, fascinated by its prismatic and tactile qualities. He was no thief, but he had a little voice in his head that he should have something as cool and beautiful as this!

[Poncho]

(Golden Star)

 

"Yup, looks like it's working." Michael agreed as he followed Baz, momentarily pausing to change into his costume before they started heading off to follow the stone. He had no issue following Baz, trusting him to figure out where he was going, but he stayed on the ground with him, instead of flying up in the air or around and away; it made more sense for them to stick close to each other, after all.

 

"So, Baz, you were even more wordy than usual there, weren't you? What was up with that?" 

[Supercape]

Gamma Buzz

 

"What do you mean, more wordy than normal?" said Baz, antennae trembling and glowing. "I am not wordy, not at all. Futhermore, wordy is something I am not. I pride myself on being able to say something in a manner that is both efficient and clear, as well as clear and efficient. And without waste, too. Wasteless, you might say!"
 

He sniffed the air. 

 

"It is, I think all down to make amazing Cockroach-powers. Yes, hombre! There is no limit to my limitless Cockroach-abilities. And my radiation ones, too!"

 

"Anyway I do not wish to swell on it. I mean dwell on it!"

[Poncho]

(Golden Star)

 

"You got it, no problem." Michael said easily to Baz. He wasn't going to push it.

 

The Stone's vibrations grew heavier and heavier. When the pair reached a busy intersection, the stone was vibrating rapidly in Baz's hand. But there was no visible Starbright around.

 

"...I don't see anyone." Michael stated the obvious, looking around. "...Wait." his enhanced hearing caught it, turning his head. Baz heard it not long after. The horn of an 18 wheeler rumbling down the hill.

 

"NO BRAKES, NO BRAKES, GET OUT OF THE WAY!" yelled the driver as he leapt from the cab, prioritizing his own safety.

 

It took a moment for Michael to realize what was happening, and someone took the spot before him; A flash of golden-white light and a Sentry leapt in front of the rampaging truck, raising her hands up in a blocking position. A golden shield of light- the Scutum constellation- covered the road, with the constellation itself in the shining light, and the Truck crashed into it at full speed and pancaked, unable to break through the shield held up.

 

"...Think we found our Sentry. That's...Scutum, the Constellation of the Shield." he noted to Baz. "...Let's go say hi?" he suggested as he floated over.

[Supercape]

Gamma Buzz

 

"Sure, sure. I just want to make it clear that I wasn't scared, it was merely my amazing cockroach-reflexes and cockroach-senses!" said Baz, clinging to the side of a building. 

 

Whilst he had been startled and scared, he was not completely lying. His antennae had picked up the tremors on the road, and he had leapt to safety, almost by pure reflex, thirty feet up, to the wall of a nearby building. 

 

He leapt down again, with a cool backflip, and dusted himself off. 

 

"Yeah, lets go and say hi. And hope Scutum doesn't have a Constellation of very sharp spear, right?" 

 

He cracked his cockroach knuckles and marched forward. Fortunately, one of his many amazing cockroach-powers was the ability to cockroach-crack his cockroach-kunckles that had plenty of cockroach armour-plates. Which meant the crack was loud. 

 

"Hey, mister! I am Gamma Buzz and this is Golden Star! How ya doing?"