CHAPTER 16 : HOPE

"There's nothing unusual on the CCTV footage from the front of Mikael's house. His wife returned at 2 PM, and his daughter came home later in the afternoon. Nothing out of the ordinary. No one else entered." Several police officers were analyzing the CCTV footage from Mikael's house, with Rose and Shaurya present. Rose's expression showed she was deeply disturbed, while Shaurya looked uncertain."A monster... that's the only answer. Some monster killed my wife," Mikael said as he entered the room, his eyes red and swollen."Mikael... Why are you here?" Rose asked."The funeral went smoothly. No time to waste. We need to find that monster and get justice for my family... My daughter is still missing." Mikael spoke quickly, stumbling toward the other officers."You need rest. That's what you need," Rose said, stepping in front of him."Shut up!" Mikael grabbed Rose's shirt and shoved her back. Shaurya immediately gripped Mikael's hand, and the other officers moved in around him."Mikael... calm down," Rose said softly. Mikael glared at her with fury but eventually let go of Rose's shirt and pulled his arm from Shaurya's grasp."Sir, what Sister Rose said is right. You need time to process everything that's happened," Shaurya added."Shut up, you dog. Don't repeat what your master says to me. I have the right to be part of this investigation... I'll find that monster myself and kill it, no matter what or who it is." Mikael shot a deadly glare at both Rose and Shaurya."Do what you want. I tried to help," Rose sighed."Our identities need to be hidden, but at the same time, people need to know that there are powerful individuals out there protecting them. So, there's only one solution: we need to wear costumes," Khalid suggested, raising his index finger with a grin. Khairul looked at him with confusion, but Nasuha seemed excited."Ta-da..." Kyoko suddenly appeared, showing off her costume—a purple jacket and a custom-modified helmet with unique designs."Wow. Your costume is awesome, Kyoko!" Nasuha complimented."Haha, thanks." Kyoko lifted her helmet visor and smiled."My mutant power gives me a full-body shield, so that counts as my costume. As for the two of you, we've prepared something. Kyoko and Mei made these for you..." Khalid explained as two plastic bags suddenly fell, landing on Khairul's head and Nasuha's shoulder."Go ahead and try them on," Mei chimed in, descending the stairs. She was dressed in loose black clothing with a mask covering the lower half of her face and goggles emitting a red glow."Alright!" Nasuha quickly entered one of the rooms in Mei's house, while Khairul just watched her go before pulling out his costume from the plastic bag."A costume like Mantis, huh?" Khairul commented as he looked at the brown jacket inside the bag."This is the Ms. Star costume from Season 1. Feels nostalgic to wear it," Nasuha said, clearly enjoying her costume, while Khairul seemed less enthusiastic."I'm not used to this kind of stuff at all," Khairul muttered as he put on the mask that came with the costume. It was a black mask with antenas at the back and red-tinted glasses covering the eyes. Nasuha, on the other hand, examined her white masquerade mask with curiosity."Does this... really hide my identity?" Nasuha asked, offering a wry smile as she showed her masquerade mask."Khalid told us he wanted your costumes to match exactly like Ms. Star's cartoon," Kyoko sighed."We need to embody the hero we're bringing to life. Besides, when Nasuha's powers are activated, her glowing hair will be so bright that it'll hide her face even if someone records her," Khalid explained."Whatever," Kyoko gave in, but Nasuha just giggled and put on her masquerade mask. She turned to Khairul."Your costume... looks badass.""Badass?," Khairul grumbled."It means it looks awesome. What about me? Do I look okay in this costume?" Nasuha asked, showing off her outfit to Khairul."It suits you. Definitely," Khairul smiled awkwardly."Huh? What do you mean by that?" Nasuha asked, a bit confused."Alright, everyone. I've divided our patrol teams into two. Team one is me, Mei, and Kyoko. Team two is Khairul, Nasuha, and Chyou." Khalid raised two fingers just as Chyou appeared behind him."Huh? Why am I grouped with them?" he whispered."Ch-You... You startled me," Khalid jumped, taking a step back. Chyou's hair shifted slightly, revealing his right eye."Answer me," Chyou said sternly."Chyou, I put you with Khairul and Nasuha because I want you to learn to make friends. They're around your age. Try it out. Besides, you've always joined me and Mei on patrols. You can teach them," Khalid reasoned. Chyou sighed deeply, then disappeared, only to reappear behind Khairul and Nasuha, startling them for a moment."Whatever..." Chyou muttered quietly."Tactics for the two groups are simple. I and Khairul will be the frontliners; we will fight head-on, while Mei and Nasuha will back us up from behind. Kyoko and Chyou can help us reposition if we get into trouble," Khalid explained, and everyone nodded in understanding."Nasuha, I've sent you the location for your patrol on your phone. We'll be in one area for at least 30 minutes. Our patrol ends at 9 PM, and we'll regroup here at 10. If there's an emergency and you need our help, break this," Mei said as she handed Nasuha a ball with a red eye design, a red aura emanating from it."I created this with my power. If you're in danger, break it. If my group is in danger, it will break. It's a kind of fail-safe system," Mei instructed."Got it, Mei. Understood," Nasuha replied."Vehicle Change! Furioswheels!" Khalid used his powers to transform the car into an armored and invulnerable vehicle with a tiger design around it."Good luck, everyone. Let's eliminate the Strays." Khalid transformed into his Beast Tiger form, placing his hand forward. Mei and Kyoko placed their hands on top of his, followed by Nasuha and Khairul."Chyou?" Khalid turned to Chyou."Hah..." Chyou placed his hand on Khairul's hand."You know, I haven't thought of a name for our group yet..." Khalid said."Sorry... I'm not that nerdy, so I don't have any ideas," Kyoko replied."I forgot," Nasuha sighed."Whatever, we can think of it later," Khairul said."We need to be a beacon of hope. Our powers are not a curse. We use them to do what's right. We are HOPE." Mei looked at all her team members with a small smile."HOPE," Nasuha smiled too."That's the best I can think of," Mei said, lowering her head slightly."I like it. It's simple and conveys the message we want to send: Don't stop hoping," Khalid praised."Same here. I agree with whatever," Kyoko gave a thumbs up."Alright, HOPE members. Let's do our best!" They all raised their hands in the air.Khalid and Mei sped off in their vehicle, with Kyoko following them swiftly in the air. Nasuha watched them leave, and Khairul drew out his two arms blades, examining them before sheathing them again after a moment."So? Are we just going to follow the route they gave us earlier?" Khairul asked, as Nasuha pulled out her phone."We're going cover from Klang to Ampang Jaya. It's quite a big area; they're coming from here to Batu Caves..." Nasuha said as she pulled out her phone to check the location Mei had given. Khairul stood beside her while Chyou watched them from a distance.Nasuha's phone rang, displaying the name 'Dad.'"Let me answer this real quick," she said, stepping away from Khairul."Yes, Dad?" Nasuha replied to Ehsan's call."Hey, Nasuha, I'm at work. Are you doing your... patrols now?" Ehsan asked."Yes, just about to start.""Nasuha. Take care of yourself, and remember... Uhmm, I love you. Please run if you can't face those monsters," Ehsan urged, bringing to mind the time she informed her father and Rose about her responsibilities."Don't even think about letting me go! It's dangerous, you know? It doesn't matter if you have powers or not... The monsters out there are dangerous!" My father scolded. I was exhausted from hearing his warnings and snapped back at him. My father fell silent, seemingly conceding.This power is a responsibility.I have to use it for good; otherwise, I'm just like those monsters. Just like those people...Nasuha soared into the air, encasing Khairul and Chyou in a sphere of light. With speed, she flew, a smile bright on her face."Wuuuuhuuuu!" Nasuha shouted excitedly."N-Nasuha! Slow down a bit!" Khairul pleaded, feeling unsteady in the light sphere as if he might fall at any moment. Chyou, however, lay inside his bubble, reading a small book."Are we really going to leave them without one of us?" Kyoko asked, communicating with Khalid and Mei through telepathy. She was following Khalid and Mei in the Furioswheels car, making short flights and leaping from building to building using her lightning powers."They'll be okay... I know this sounds cliché, but we have to trust them," Khalid replied."Besides, I want Chyou to start making friends with people his age. Nasuha and Khairul are just like Chyou. They're outsiders and bullied. Chyou needs friends who understand that struggle," Mei explained. Kyoko sighed deeply."Alright, I understand."The second HOPE group was on the rooftop of a skyscraper. Khairul focused, using his enhanced senses to hear distant sounds while observing, not wanting to lose concentration."Everything looks small from here, huh, Chyou?" Nasuha tried to engage Chyou, but he just looked at her blankly and then sighed."Yeah..."Wow... I don't know what to say to him."Your hand... Have you ever tried to cut?" Chyou remarked, noticing the scar on Nasuha's wrist."Huh?" Nasuha quickly hid her hand, and Chyou turned his gaze away."I just noticed. I don't really care what happened to you before," Chyou replied, standing up slowly."Ah..." Nasuha felt uncomfortable, and Chyou closed his book, putting it in his pocket."You shouldn't bring up stuff like that if you don't want to care," Khairul admonished Chyou, standing directly facing him after hearing what he said."Sorry...I...don't really know...how to talk...to people..." Chyou sighed, turning his gaze away from the two of them. Khairul looked at him quizzically."Nothing seems out of place here. I can hear a lot, but not too far. We should try another location," Khairul said, ignoring Chyou and moving towards Nasuha."Alright, let's continue patrolling!"They resumed flying in the air. Khairul glanced at Chyou a few times, but Chyou remained engrossed in his book."Hey, look at that," Nasuha said. In the distance, they saw a group of police officers fighting against a Stray—a creature resembling a human but with multiple arms that had spikes growing from its palms."Sister Rose said... not to interfere when the police are fighting Strays, but look at that. Many are injured; they can't get close. That creature isn't going down, even after being shot multiple times," Nasuha lamented."The police can't distinguish between Mutants and Strays. It's not worth taking the risk," Khairul advised."We can help..." Chyou suggested."How?" Nasuha asked."Don't you remember my powers?" Chyou shot back."Get back!" shouted a mustachioed police officer to his team as they continued to fire. However, the Stray remained standing. Most of their bullets didn't even penetrate its body."PPPAAAYYY PPAAAYYY YOOUURRR DEEEEBTTT" the Stray yelled. The police halted their fire and kept their distance."How did this guy become a monster?" one officer groaned."Isn't it obvious? He went insane because someone didn't pay their debts. He killed his friend who owed him after he became a monster," another police officer replied as the Stray approached them with a fierce expression.Khairul dove down with Chyou holding onto the back of his shirt. Khairul appeared hesitant and scared, unsure of Chyou's abilities. Using his powers, Chyou made them invisible. Nasuha watched from afar, preparing her hand to unleash a Star Beam if anything went wrong.Teleport.Chyou and Khairul entered another realm that allowed them to move quickly. Suddenly, they found themselves in front of the Stray. Khairul was still confused but quickly drew his sword.To onlookers, they were invisible. Khairul swiftly decapitated the Stray. The police officers present were shocked by what they witnessed. Chyou used his powers again, and they were back in the air, but this time they were visible again."Got you both," Nasuha caught them with her powers."Done..." Chyou said. The police approached the Stray's body to examine it, visibly relieved."Good job, you guys," Nasuha praised."I think I'm going to vomit..." Khairul covered his mouth, looking nauseated."You... have to get used to my powers..." Chyou replied, noticing the scars on Khairul's face and neck."I heard... you guys are just like me... bullied... I have scars too," Chyou said, brushing his hair aside. His left eye was scarred and nearly blind, and Nasuha and Khairul just stared at him."What I said earlier... I didn't mean to make you guys... angry. I'm sorry... I just noticed you both have scars like me..." Chyou averted his gaze to the side."Alright, it's okay; we understand. Right, Khai?" Nasuha smiled, then looked back at Khairul."Uh, yeah... Whatever," Khairul replied. The three of them fell silent for a moment, then in their hearts, they simultaneously thought..."Awkward...""Super awkward.""Awk...ward..."