Jazik stood by the frozen merry-go-round, the cold seeping through his clothes. He told himself Ladybug and Cat Noir would handle Stormy Weather. That was their job, not his. His task was to remain hidden from G.O.D. That was the most important thing. If he revealed himself too often, GOD would surely notice. They hadn't shown up for a few days, which meant Jazik was currently out of danger.
Inside the ice, Alya calmly told Manon a story. Her voice, though muffled, reached Jazik, a soft, comforting hum.
"You're good with her," Jazik observed, his voice quiet.
"Thanks," Alya replied, a faint smile touching her lips. "You worried about us?"
"A little," he admitted, his gaze falling to the slick ice. "Are you cold?"
"Just a bit," she said, shrugging. "But we'll be fine."
Suddenly, sharp ice picks began to grow from the ceiling of their icy prison. The points descended slowly, ominously. Jazik reacted, his fist pounding against the solid ice, a hollow thump filling the air. He needed to make an opening, a way out, but the ice held firm, unyielding.
"Stop that, you'll hurt yourself!" Alya called out, her voice now edged with concern. "Ladybug will figure it out, she always does."
Jazik pulled his hand back, the impact vibrating through his arm. He knew better than to rely on others. In G.O.D., every moment of reliance was a moment of weakness, a vulnerability exploited. Self-reliance was the only truth, a harsh lesson etched into his very being. The only way to survive, to protect, was to do it himself.
"I'll go get some help," Jazik announced, his voice carrying a soft reassurance. He turned, walking away from the frozen carousel.
As he rounded the corner of a snack stand, a small Poppingummy Gochizo scrambled onto his shoulder. ( ๑ ˃̵ᴗ˂̵)و The creature mumbled, a soft, encouraging sound, reminding him of its loyalty. Jazik acknowledged the unspoken question with a faint nod. He gently took the small gummy creature in his palm. The smooth surface felt cool against his skin.
He held the Gochizo over the Gavv organ on his abdomen. The organ pulsed, anticipating. With a decisive motion, Jazik inserted the Gochizo into the waiting mouth of the Gavv.
[GUMMY!]
Click-whirr!
[EAT GUMMY! EAT GUMMY!]
Jazik's body was enveloped in a translucent, blue light that solidified into armor. He felt the familiar weight, the surge of power.
[POPPINGUMMY! JUICY!]
He stepped back around the corner, now clad in the vibrant blue and magenta armor of Kamen Rider Gavv. His helmet's golden eyes settled on Alya and Manon inside their icy prison. They looked at him with wide, curious eyes. Alya's surprised expression quickly shifted to an eager, hopeful one.
"Who are you?" she called out, her voice slightly muffled by the ice. "What's your name?"
"Call me Kamen Rider," he replied, his voice resonating with a deeper, more confident tone through the helmet.
"Everyone, stand back," Gavv instructed, his voice firm, though the armor muffled some of its usual softness.
The Gavv belt squelched as a long, red blade, the Gavvgablade, emerged from the belt. It flew into his waiting hand.
clatter
The weapon felt lighter than it looked, a candy-cane sword with an almost playful gleam. He braced his feet, the gummy armor flexing with the movement. He swung the Gavvgablade, the translucent red edge cutting through the air.
whoosh
He slammed the blade against the ice.
CRACK
He struck again.
THWACK
Small fissures spread across the surface. He repeated the motion, the impact ringing against the ice with each strike.
SHATTER
A section of the ice splintered, creating a jagged opening. Cold air rushed from the newly formed gap.
"Wow!" Manon exclaimed, her eyes wide as she pressed her face against the remaining ice. She clearly had not been listening to Gavv's instruction.
Alya quickly pulled Manon away from the opening.
"You're free now," Gavv said, his voice quiet. He began to turn away, his task complete.
"Wait, where are you going?" Alya called out, scrambling through the opening, Manon held safely in her arms. "Aren't you going to help Ladybug? You're a hero, right?"
Gavv paused. The question hung in the chilled air, a gentle weight.
"Ladybug and Cat Noir have it handled," he replied, his gaze drifting towards the distant flashes of light that marked the other hero's struggle. "It is not my problem."
"But you're a superhero, aren't you?" Alya pressed, a reporter's curiosity sharpening her tone.
Gavv hesitated, the question from Alya hanging in the cool air. He understood her curiosity, the need to label, to categorize. He had seen it often enough.
"I am not a hero," he stated, the words even through the vocoder of his helmet. "I only helped because you were in danger."
He had helped because Alya was Marinette's friend, and Marinette was family. That was the only truth that mattered. To extend his protection beyond that intimate circle was to invite disaster, to draw the gaze of those he desperately sought to avoid. G.O.D. would not hesitate to destroy everything he had come to care for. The thought alone sent a quiet tremor through him.
"But you have powers," Manon chimed in, her small voice full of innocent logic. "You fight the bad guys!"
The little girl's observation was both simple and painfully direct. Gavv knew that to the world, such actions made him a hero. To G.O.D., they made him a target, a valuable piece of escaped property to be reclaimed. He was not a hero.
Manon, however, had other ideas. She wrapped her small arms around Gavv's armored legs, a surprising strength in her grip. Her wide, innocent eyes, those "baby doll eyes" that always seemed to work on Marinette, fixed on his helmet.
"Please," she whispered, her voice soft but clear. "Ladybug needs help."
Gavv sighed, a soft, almost inaudible sound that escaped the helmet's filters. The child's innocent plea was a simple thing, yet it held a weight he had not expected. It was a request he found himself unable to dismiss. He knelt, bringing himself to her level.
"Okay," he said, his voice gentle. "I will help Ladybug."
Manon cheered, a bright, joyous sound. She clapped her hands, her excitement a small, warm thing in the cold air. At that moment, a small, round Gochizo, shaped like a hard candy with tiny nubs for arms, waddled into view from behind a fallen lamppost. (✧ω✧) It shuffled towards Gavv, its colorful shell gleaming. Manon gasped, her eyes widening at the sight of the tiny creature.
Gavy gently picked up the Candy Gochizo. The smooth, hard shell felt cool against his armored palm. He brought it to the Gavv organ. The mouth opened, revealing its blocky teeth.
[CANDY!]
The organ swallowed the Gochizo. Gears whirred and clicked.
[EAT CANDY! EAT CANDY!]
CLICK-WHIRR-CLACK!
[VROCAN!]
Suddenly, with a shimmer of pink light, a vehicle materialized beside Gavv. It was a bold, hot pink Vrocanbuggy, its metallic chassis gleaming under the overcast sky. The vehicle's front featured specialized blue orb-like sensors, like a stylized face, and its massive tires, a gradient of blue and pink, had silver exhaust-like ports on their rims. This buggy was powered by the Vrocan Gochizo, a candy-themed creature that gave it a fizzy, carbonated boost of speed. The vehicle was designed for high-speed pursuits, capable of navigating diverse urban terrains, its oversized tires absorbing impacts with ease.
"Whoa!" Alya exclaimed, her journalistic curiosity momentarily eclipsing her concern for Ladybug. "What is that thing?"
Gavv offered no explanation. He mounted the Vrocanbuggy, the pink chassis shifting slightly beneath his weight. The engine hummed to life.
[VROOM!]
He sped away, the tires kicking up small chunks of ice. The Vrocanbuggy tore through the streets, its vibrant colors a stark contrast to the deepening gloom of the sky. Dark storm clouds gathered ominously over the distant KIDZ+ building, where Stormy Weather continued her assault.
***
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