Chapter 23: *BOOM*

{Zira}

"Niki you know this bug?" June asked. Niki was just staring wide eyed until she responded "Nova.... Yeah! We've met before!". The now named Nova said "Niki.... How times have changed. I'm surprised you even managed to get out of your own kingdom.". June and Zira both felt that this was an encounter left unquestioned. Nova grabbed her bag and said "See you.... Whenever, fish stick.".

She walked away and Niki looks over to them and says "You good? Nothing broken?". June nods and Zira says "What was that?! She could have blown us up!". Niki sighs and says "That was Nova. Her insect is a Bombardier Beetle.". June looks at her puzzled and says "I thought bombs only shot out boiling hot chemicals?!". Niki looks away and says "She's.... Special. Normally bombardier's have to eat or drink something to get an acidic or chemical effect.".

"But when she was born there was a unique mutation with her power. So she naturally produces a nitroglycerin like substance all over her body that she can ignite at will, causing mass explosions. She's also pretty hot tempered and thinks she can control everything! I don't get why she can be so difficult-". She looked up to see Zira and June shocked. "I've never seen you pissed off before.... I'm impressed." June said.

Niki stormed off muttering curses to herself. Zira looked to June to see him just staring. "June! We've got to go see Carter!".

.

{Cater}

"Oh! Hey guys!" He said as they ran over. Zira then said "ARE YOU OKAY?!?!?! We saw you pass out and-". Carter reassured her saying "Yeah I'm fine! I think that I just overdid it with the teleporting. I didn't make a portal this time so yeah, my bad!". He looked over to June to see him staring mindlessly into the city ahead of them. He made a small portal and poked him through it.

"You good bro?" He said. "Y- yeah! I'm good. I've just been thinking.... What do we do after this is all over?". Everyone heard that and then walked over. "I just- after we get the gauntlets, that's it! There's no need to keep traveling, and things will be.... NORMAL! I don't want to just forget everything, and what does Darren even want the weapons for?!". Zira patted him on his shoulder and said "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.".

They all then whip around hearing a loud boom. "What the hell was that?!" May asked. They all ran over to see what would be fire and smoke. "Zira, what can you see?" June asked her. "It's Darren, he's got his gang with him too. But none of his group mates, so I think he's going solo for this one-". *BOOM*. They all look over to see Darren fighting. "Who's pissed off Darren now?!" Niki asked.

They all rush over and see Darren fighting.... Nova. "YOU CHEAP RED FEATHERED BASTARDS!!!!!!!" She said firing explosives. How is he even alive? "Why don't you just go home and cry to your mommy and daddy?!" He yelled at her. Her attacks stopped. her eyes then turned a more crimson color and she fired an incredibly strong blast of explosive power at him.

She knocked Darren to the ground and then boost herself over to him and grabbed his neck. "Let me tell you something. I don't talk about my parents, and for good reason. And at least I'm not some cheap criminal!". Darren held out his hands and her antennae perked up. "I'm going to make you regret that!". He axes then burst through a tree towards his hands.

But before they could hit her she whipped around and punched the weapons away. ".... Go for a fly, would ya?". She then picked him up and then- *BOOM*. He was launched away. She took a breath and her eyes changed back to their normal color. "Damn vultures.".

.

(Darren POV)

.... "SHIT!" I yelled feeling another prick. I had somehow gotten to the meetup point.... But damn that bitch hit hard. Ace's sister was now stitching up one of my wings. "Oh stop whining. If you didn't want this you shouldn't have done.... Whatever you did. Which you still need to explain by the way!" Emerald said to me. I should punch that bitch. "I swear it wasn't my fault!" I said trying to lie.

Ace looked towards me and said "Then what happened?". I sat up straight and said "First, I was minding my own business-". His sister squeezed on my wing and said "Bullshit!". I continued saying "I was walking around when I ran into a.... Very old 'buddy' of mine. Nova Sharp-Shot.". Emerald then said to me "Wait wait wait.... Sharp-Shot?! As in the incident 11 years ago?!".

I nodded and said "Yeah.... I might have sorta brought up her.... Parents.". Ace went over to me and stood there for a second. "What are you-". He then punched me in the wings and we all heard a crack. "SON OF A B-"

.

{Carter}

"-Itchy. I know we're in insects but do there have to be mosquitoes?" Carter asked. At the moment they were all helping to clear away any wreckage from the attack. "Just come on! If we're going to stop Darren we can't just sit around and do nothing, so we'll have to pull our share of weight in the lands we've been to!" May told him. She flung her scythe into a rock, breaking it into smaller more manageable pieces.

"So.... Back to the current question. How do we find the gauntlets? This is the biggest land yet!" Niki said. They all thought about that and Zira said "June, you're rich right? Can't you just bribe someone to tell us, make this easy?". June sighed rubbing the white part of his hair and said "HA! I wish. The only thing we have is Carters contacts and-". He stops talking and smiles at Niki.

"No.... NO! JUNE I SWEAR TO GOD! I'LL FEED YOU TO MY DRAGON-". "How could we talk to Nova?".