Nyte's Point of View
Clip clop! Clip clop! Nobody could take the spring out of her step today! The one women called the Spider Queen marched along happily in her knee-high black boots."I have a boyfriend! I have a boyfriend!" She hummed a cheerful tune. Let the rest of Stinger judge. Nyte didn't care one bit!
Having a boyfriend was so awesome. They'd even held hands the other day. She blushed at the memory. After football practice, second football practice, and cleaning up Mom's mess with Stinger, this girl finally had something resembling a social life.
Rich was such husband material, too. Her boyfriend's cooking was crazy good, and even matched the macros on the diet plan Mom paid a big-time nutritionist for. He made her and his sister lunch every day, told her all about coffee, and even knew girl stuff, like how to change the oil on a car. Watching her mollygirl boyfriend work on her car had Nyte thinking absolutely indecent thoughts! Rich was smart, and funny, and interesting, and so very very hot.
Senior year was going to be her year, Nyte knew. She'd take Rich to homecoming and prom, have him cheer for her at every game, and then they'd go to the same college together. She just needed to get this Stinger stuff squared away before then.
"Fufufu, bring forth Pudding Mutant Somno!" commanded Jellyfish Hitler.
Oh joy, another monster of the week. I'm sure this will be the one that finally defeats Future Hero, she thought sarcastically.
"Hey, hey, hey!" growled a creature that looked like an ogre made out of melting chocolate with a flan for a head.
"This one will charge the Apathy Engine for sure!" Hamburger Satan, Jellyfish Hitler's lieutenant, flattered.
Nyte still had no idea what the Apathy Engine even was, and she'd been here for going on three years now! Stinger was so disorganized.
"Fufufu, just so, faithful Hamburger Satan. Pudding Mutant Somno's special pudding will have the children of Plano acting energetic indeed!" Jellyfish Hitler preened in that drowning frog voice of hers.
Wait, "Somno" meant sleep, right? Did they want the kids energetic or did they want to put them to bed? None of this made any sense!
***
Walking side by side, their hands clasped and fingers weaved together in a natural little gesture of intimacy, his girlfriend walked him to his car after class. Yes, Rich and Julie were a couple now, and the whole school knew.
"Your sister is looking good lately," Julie said as the crowded high school hallway parted for their king and queen.
She really was. After two months of training, one month properly in the gym, Becca was coming together nicely. "Two-a-days start in July, right?" Rich inquired.
"Yep. You don't have to worry, though. The coach would let me have my way," Julie remarked casually.
Nepotism. Great. He hoped they wouldn't have to resort to that. "Rebecca will be blocking for you, Julie. I'm going to make sure she's up to the task."
Julie's smile was dazzling. "You want to protect me, huh?" Her goofy grin would be cute if it weren't so goofy.
Rich was saved from having to say something embarrassing when he saw Mrs. Fekete, Plano Liberty Union High's most fashionable teacher, walking through the parking lot with two children in tow. Each was holding a trophy larger than themselves and following like ducklings.
"Come along, you two," Mrs. Fekete said with a faint Eastern European accent. Idly, Rich wondered where she was from and how she got here. Most of the foreign-born people in Plano were from Asia. "Ah, if it isn't Mrs and Mr. PLUH," she said when she saw them. Julie dropped his hand at once.
"Good afternoon, Mrs. Fekete," his girlfriend greeted politely.
The teacher flashed them a sly grin. "The school day is over, Miss Cohen. Your public displays of affection are no affair of mine. Children!" she called out.
"Yes, mother?" they answered together creepily.
"This is Rebecca Rice's twin brother, our neighbor. What do you say?"
"Pleased to meet you!" they cried as one.
"I'm Katie!" said the little girl.
"I'm Wesley!" said the little boy.
"We're the Feketes!" they said together, like it was a routine they rehearsed, which it might've been.
"Cute kids," Rich said in a friendly tone.
Mrs. Fekete Smirked. "Quite. I've brought them from the science fair, another victory, quite routine. Meeting you here might save me a spot of trouble, Mr. Rice. You see, it's my husband Brad's and my anniversary tomorrow, and I'm in need of a babysitter for when we go out. Your father mentioned you have a job, so I didn't want to assume. Would you be available tomorrow night?"
Before he could answer, Rich noticed the band had set up a table in the parking lot, complete with a mascot in an elaborate costume. "Pudding, come get your pudding and support the PLUH Marching Pirates!"
The children looked up at Mrs. Fekete, their expressions a silent request. "Oh, very well. You two performed admirably and deserve some manner of reward. Put your trophies in the car, and then we can get pudding."
"Yay!" they cheered. Rich and Julie accompanied them as the Feketes went to buy snacks. As they approached, Rich got a faint whiff of corrupted energy, evidence of Stinger being up to something.
"Do you want pudding, too?" Julie asked.
He considered it, but decided not. "Rather not spoil my appetite. Some other time." Looking closer, the chocolate pudding mascot's costume was really good. How did they get it to look melty like that?
"Here you go, children!" the mascot handed Katie and Wesley plastic cups filled with the chocolate. It smelled good, but almost too good. Rich was in a suspicious kind of mood now. He knew something was up, but he just couldn't prove it.
"I'll be there, Mrs. Fekete," he told his neighbor.
***
"They're out of control!" Mrs. Fekete was half-dressed, chasing her two children around a messy living room when Rich arrived for an evening of babysitting, an evening he expected to be easy. High-pitched squeals and peals of uproarious child laughter filled the house. "Help!"
Rich tried to help. Those kids were fast, and they knew the terrain better than he did, ducking behind couches, under tables, and through little gaps whenever he got close. They chased and chased and never got close.
"What the hell happened?" he gasped.
"It's that damned pudding! Had something in it, sugar rush, caffeine, I don't know, but they had it yesterday! It should've worn off by now! They haven't been able to sit still since!"
"Where's your husband?" he asked, trying and failing to snatch a kid as he or she flew by.
"Oh, Brad's putting his face on right now. Hubbie doesn't usually wear makeup, but it is our anniversary, so..."
Men wore makeup in this world? Frankly, Rich hadn't noticed. Dad didn't, as far as he was aware. Was that something Julie would want? And this was a world where YouTube tutorials were at least a decade away. He'd have to investigate later.
"How about we set a trap?" Rich suggested reasonably. "You chase them into me."
"That works!" Mrs. Fekete agreed.
With a little coordination, adult planning was more than enough to counter youthful vigor. Mrs. Fekete pursued aggressively while he posted up in a corner with no obvious escape routes. When they got close, Rich managed to grab the boy while Mrs. Fekete got the girl. The little ones struggled with a strength that belied their size, but no tears came. It seemed like it was just a game to them.
"Okay." Mrs. Fekete was breathing hard. "I've got to put on my jacket and my nice shoes. Let's get these two in their room. You can put a movie on or something. There's money to order a pizza on the counter. Will you be okay from here?"
He honestly didn't know. These two feral creatures were completely different from the well-behaved children Rich had met the other day. The faint corruption he'd detected earlier felt stronger, if anything. Rich glanced down at his Pureheart Ring. The faint purple glow told him his fears weren't entirely unfounded.
"You absolutely must tell me about that ring sometime," Mrs. Fekete said as they confined the children in their room. As soon as they shut the door, Rich could hear them bouncing off the walls. Hopefully, they wouldn't hurt themselves.
Purely out of intellectual curiosity, Rich waited around to catch a glimpse of Mr. Fekete, Brad. What sort of clothing did an adult man wear for a night on the town? He busied himself by tidying up the living room, picking up toys off the floor, putting away books, and straightening out the couch cushions, among other things.
"Ready, honey?"
Brad Fekete had very short hair. It looked almost...regulation. He wore a sleeveless blouse that showed a bit of chest, just a hint, not enough to be slutty, and silk pants with cuffs above the ankle, revealing strappy heels, not very high heels, but still definitely heels. It wasn't quite the feminine clothing he'd been expecting in a reverse world, but it was definitely androgynous. To Rich's eyes, his makeup was light, just some eyeliner, blush, and a bit of lip gloss. What stood out most of all were Brad's tattoos.
"Were you in the Navy, Mr. Fekete?" he asked in surprise. This was just about the last place he expected to meet another Sailor.
"Twenty years, Navy Nuke," he said proudly. "It's how I put Reka through grad school."
No fucking way. "Subs?" he asked in interest.
Mr. Fekete laughed. "No, silly. Carriers. I was a surface nuke. They don't let men on submarines."
Well, shit. He had no idea. "You put Mrs. Fekete through grad school?"
"Quite so, Mr. Rice," Mrs. Fekete interjected. "We were high school sweethearts, not unlike yourself and Miss Cohen. Our plan was for me to go to college while Brad joined the military to start earning money right away. Now that she's retired, her pension is a nice bonus to the family, and her GI bill can pass to Katie or Wesley when the time comes."
"I wonder how you two met," Rich said curiously.
They both laughed. "A story for another time," Mrs. Fekete said. "Good luck with the kids."
Once they left, the kids' room went oddly quiet, setting off Rich's danger senses. "Katie, Wesley!" he called, but neither answered. Standing so as to block a fast break, Rich cracked the door. The window was open!
Fuck! Rich ran out of the house, furiously looking around for the missing twins. He found them, and more. All the neighborhood's children were following the mascot like some kind of chocolate pied piper.
"Follow me!" cried the marching band's pudding mascot. No, that was no mascot! Corrupt energy was everywhere, plain as day!
"Get away from the children!" he screamed. Rage filled rich then. The Pureheart Ring on his finger burned so bright it hurt to wear. Unconcerned with who was watching, he raised it high:
"From a future dark
To a post not set,
Stinger hasn't won just yet,
With Pureheart Power, a noble mission,
Come forth! Future Hero! Henshin!"
"That's far enough, monster!" Future Hero spoke sternly.
"Oh, it's you!" The pudding creature didn't sound concerned at all. "These young ones have been playing all day. Now it's time to rest. Come, children, and sleep forever in Pudding Mutant Somno's arms!"
The children...the children walked right into the Mutant's body! With every one that disappeared inside, the monster grew larger!
"Stop!" Future Hero rushed forward and slugged the Mutant with everything he had! The chocolate pudding's body deformed, but rapidly took the same shape again, as if nothing ever happened. "That tickles!" it taunted, and backhanded Future Hero with a thick, brown-dripping fist, sending him flying.
On the ground, Future Hero watched in horror as Somno ate more of the children. "NOOOOOOO!" The last time he destroyed one of those creatures, the body within died too! Were Plano's children already gone?
FUTURE HERO COULD NOT ACCEPT THAT! Protecting children is something Future Hero would never fail to do! Stinger wouldn't win!
"Come forth, Future Roller!" He raised his ring, sending a purple bolt of light in the direction of Tony the truck, transforming his vehicle into Future Foller. His faithful companion sped through the streets, and Future Hero leaped into the air, landing on the hood of Future Roller, riding it like a skateboard. "Let's rock!"
Speaking of rocks, they were suddenly in a quarry again.
"The children are tired, Future Hero! Why won't you let them sleep?" Pudding Mutant Somno was now three stories tall. All the neighborhood children were trapped inside the monster. From what he could tell, they were all in the midsection. He knew what to do!
"Future Roller, go!" Riding his truck until the last minute, they attacked together. Future Hero gathered Pureheart Power in his foot and Future Roller did the same in its tires.
"Future Kick!"
VROOM VROOM!
They both struck a leg, severing the member in a detonation of purple energy. Pudding Mutant Somno wobbled for a moment before toppling over. The monster struggled impotently, looking very much like a turtle on its back as the Mutant tried to right itself. Future Hero acted quickly, running around the side of the big lump of demon chocolate.
Now within reach, he went right for the flan-shaped head, pulling his fist back for the killing blow. "FUTURE PUNCH!"
The flan head disintegrated on contact with Future Hero's pure-energy-clad fist, sending bits of chocolate pudding flying in all directions, making an awful mess of this perfectly fine rock quarry. With nothing holding the mass together, the chocolate pudding body melted away, revealing Plano's children.
They were breathing! They were alive! With the power of the Pureheart Ring, he cleaned them off with a burst of pure energy and loaded every precious one into the back of Future Roller. Once they were secure, Future Hero dispelled the Endram Armor and became Rich Rice once again. He drove them back to Plano in his silver Tacoma, taking every kid back to their parents.
He saved the return of Katie and Wesley for last. They woke up just as the sun was setting.
"I'm hungry," Wesley said, sounding as if he had no memory of the event.
"Can we order pizza now?" Katie asked.
Rich laughed as they went back inside. "Of course we can!"