Wild Parade

Lita and Todd stood before an immense animatronic toucan that fired laser beams from its eyes, which glowed like burning embers. But they weren't alone against this creature—suddenly, more animatronics began emerging from the rubble, accompanied by parade floats that now resembled a mechanical nightmare.

"Look, Todd," said Lita, pointing around them with concern. "All those animatronics have gone berserk, just like the logging machines."

The small robots slowly surrounded them while the giant toucan advanced with resonant metallic steps.

"It's time to act," announced Todd, who sprinted toward a line of robots. With agility and speed, he phased through each one, extracting the central chips that kept them operational. The robots instantly shut down, collapsing to the ground with a loud crash.

"Not bad at all," commented Lita, observing his handiwork. Without wasting a moment, she made thorny roots burst from the ground, trapping the remaining robots in midair and squeezing them until they fell apart into pieces.

"Hey, that's cheating," protested Todd, reappearing next to another robot he had just deactivated. "I don't have powers like yours."

"I'd lend you a hand to help you finish faster, but… well, you know, I don't have any," replied Lita sarcastically, raising her branch-and-leaf hands.

"Ha-ha, very funny," retorted Todd with an ironic smile.

"Alright, now let's deal with that overgrown toucan," instructed Todd, turning his attention back to the colossal mechanical bird.

The toucan fired a powerful laser beam directly at Todd. "Todd, watch out!" shouted Lita, alarmed. But he didn't even flinch. He stepped right into the path of the attack, letting the rays pass through him without causing any harm.

"It's my ability," he explained calmly, turning to her. "Did you forget I can phase through anything?"

"Oh, right, I forgot," admitted Lita, touching her head with an apologetic expression.

"That's it for you, oversized bird. Now it's my turn," declared Todd with determination. He ran toward the Toucan and vanished into thin air. A moment later, the colossal mechanical bird collapsed onto the street with a deafening roar.

"That was way too easy," boasted Todd, crossing his arms triumphantly. "Another victory for Ninja-11," he added, using the title he loved so much.

But before they could celebrate their success against the animatronics, the desperate cries of several people echoed in the distance. The two agents exchanged a quick glance before deciding to head toward the source of the noise.

In one of the streets blocked by debris, they saw a group of people running in panic. Some wore elaborate costumes, likely part of the parade, while others were spectators caught in the chaos. The streets were ablaze, buildings crumbled into pieces, and fear reigned everywhere.

Suddenly, even more gigantic animatronics appeared, far more menacing than the toucan. One was a fire-breathing dragon, another a merciless mechanical serpent devouring some of the fleeing victims, and a giant train with a cartoonish face that chased everything in sight, crushing everything in its path. These three mechanical monsters were led by a robot shaped like a woman, whose legs were bird talons and whose lower body resembled that of a lion.

Both agents stood frozen for a moment, taking in the magnitude of the disaster before them. It was then that Todd broke the silence: "No time to think about the situation. It's time to protect the citizens." And, as was his habit, he vanished on the spot.

"Typical of you to disappear without warning," muttered Lita, a mix of exasperation and admiration in her voice.

A second later, Todd briefly reappeared beside her. "I'll handle the train and the serpent," he announced quickly.

"In that case, the dragon and that thing are mine," said Lita, pointing at the feminine robot with the animal-like lower body. Before she could say anything else, Todd disappeared into thin air again.

The girl summoned her nature magic, conjuring a bush shaped like a frog with a flower bud on its back. "Let's see if this battle is within your understanding," Lita said to the animatronic dragon, as if the colossal robot could comprehend her. A faint laugh escaped her lips at the thought. "It's like a fight from that anime—plant type versus fire type… or something like that, but in giant form."

The frog-bush sprang to life, moving with unexpected agility toward the dragon, which moved as though it were a living creature. The plant-frog skillfully dodged the fire attacks launched by the dragon, following its creator's commands precisely.

"Show it that plants are better than fire," murmured Lita with determination. Root whips emerged from the frog-bush's limbs, firmly wrapping around the dragon's tail and snout. Despite being immobilized, the mechanical dragon continued to resist, trying to break free from the relentless grip.

"Now, launch your rose cannon," Lita ordered. The bud on the frog-bush slowly opened, revealing rose petals that began to float in the air before embedding themselves into the dragon's metallic body.

"Roses, grow," whispered Lita, then shouted with force: "DRAIN ROSE!" Quickly, the delicate petals transformed into full-blown roses, their long, thorny stems piercing through the dragon's body. The flowers grew uncontrollably, devouring the robot from within until it was completely destroyed.

"That's one of my magical tricks," said Lita proudly, boasting about her power as she surveyed the dragon's remains. "If you'd been alive, I would've drained your energy. But since you're not, the roses just grew, destroying everything in their path."

With a determined look, Lita turned to her next target: the feminine robot with bird talons and a lion's body. "Now it's your turn, bird-lion woman," she murmured, preparing for the confrontation.

Meanwhile, Todd raced toward the people fleeing in panic. A massive chunk of debris broke loose from a nearby building and plummeted directly toward a girl and her mother. Without a second thought, Todd touched both of them just before the debris could crush them. To everyone's astonishment, when the dust settled, Todd emerged unscathed from beneath the rubble, the girl and her mother safe by his side.

"How is that even possible?" someone in the crowd murmured, having stopped to watch the scene unfold, like eager gossipers witnessing something extraordinary. Some even instinctively reached for their phones to record the moment, driven by the habit of documenting anything out of the ordinary. However, they soon remembered with frustration that those devices were no longer in their hands—they had been transformed into lethal machines during the initial chaos.

"Damn it! It's true we don't have our phones anymore," one of them said, scratching their head in resignation.

"Habit," another replied with a shrug, as if that simple gesture could explain their automatic reaction.

Disappointed, they could only watch the scene in awe, unable to capture or upload it to social media. It was ironic: they lived in an era where capturing moments was almost more important than living them, but now, faced with something truly extraordinary, they had no way to immortalize it.

Some sighed in frustration, others simply crossed their arms, accepting their role as passive spectators amidst a disaster that seemed ripped straight from a science fiction movie.

No one noticed that the animatronic train was roaring toward them, ready to crush everything in its path. Alert, Todd turned to the crowd. "Give me your hand, quick!" he shouted. Without hesitation, the people extended their hands toward him.

The train, with a cartoonish face reminiscent of the animated shows your siblings used to—or still do—watch, roared like an enraged metallic tornado as it barreled toward the group at full speed. Its thunderous roar echoed between the ruined buildings. When it finally came to a stop, Todd felt a knot in his stomach, fearing for a moment that he had failed.

But then, as he looked around, he realized no one had been hurt. He had used his ability to make all the nearby people intangible for a few moments, shielding them from the deadly impact. The crowd, incredulous, began looking at one another, astonished to find themselves unharmed.

"What just happened?" someone murmured, still dazed.

Todd smiled to himself, satisfied with his success, though his expression remained serious. He knew there was no time for celebration—the danger wasn't over yet.

"Thank you!" several voices exclaimed in unison. Todd smiled modestly. "Don't forget to tell everyone that your friend Ninja-11 saved you," he joked, dramatically pointing to himself.

"Well, the show's over," he announced, but his expression changed as he saw the train returning, angrier than ever. "Everyone, take cover. I'll handle this," he said with determination before sprinting toward the train at full speed—or rather, vanishing on the spot.

The train came to an abrupt halt as it lost sight of its target, as if confused by Todd's sudden disappearance. But then, something unexpected happened. A strange tingling sensation began to course through its metallic structure, like an electric tremor spreading from its wheels to its cartoonish face.

Slowly, the colossal vehicle started to wobble, its lights flickering weakly as its powerful engine emitted a final metallic groan. It was as if it were fighting against the inevitable, but in the end, it couldn't resist Todd's stealthy ability. With a dull thud, the train collapsed onto the tracks, a victim of its own defeat.

Its face, once full of mechanical energy and determination, now bore an almost melancholic expression as it shut down completely. The lights in its eyes dimmed slowly, leaving a lingering sense of sadness in the air, as though even a machine could feel the weight of its end.

Todd observed the scene while still invisible, satisfied but with a hint of reflection in his gaze. He knew he had done what was necessary, but something about that final expression on the train made him wonder how much humanity remained in those rogue machines.

Todd reappeared in front of the inactive train, a satisfied smile on his face. "Well, that's one down, one to go," he declared before vanishing into thin air once more.

Meanwhile, the mechanical serpent continued its relentless advance, swallowing fleeing people as if it were an old mobile game where a snake devours blocks—in this case, humans. Todd ran invisibly until he positioned himself near the head of the robotic reptile. Just meters before reaching it, he reappeared, making an exaggerated gesture to attract its attention. The serpent, without hesitation, opened its metallic jaws and swallowed him whole.

Inside the belly of the machine, Todd quickly searched for the trapped people. When he found them, he gathered them in a safe space. The survivors looked at him in astonishment, noticing the mask covering half of his face.

"Don't worry! Here's your savior: Ninja-11!" he announced proudly. "Line up and give me your hand if you want to get out of here."

The people looked at him skeptically. Some whispered among themselves: "Is he crazy?" But others, resigned, thought: "What the heck… If we've already been eaten by a robotic snake, what's the harm?" Slowly, everyone extended their hands toward him.

When Todd confirmed that everyone had given him their hand, he said with determination: "Alright, walk with me." He approached one of the inner walls of the serpent.

"What now? Should we trust this lunatic?" someone asked nervously. "It's solid. How are we supposed to pass through?"

"Just trust me," Todd replied calmly. Then, to prove his point, he placed a hand on the wall and phased through it as if it were water.

Everyone stood there, mouths agape. Without wasting time, they followed him. Some closed their eyes in fear, while others watched in awe as they passed through the metallic wall like ghosts. One by one, they emerged outside the robot-serpent, blinking under the sunlight.

"Thank you, Ninja-11!" several voices exclaimed. Excited children ran up to him. "Thank you, Ninja-11!"

"Hey! That's my name—don't use it as a joke," Todd warned with mock severity, though his eyes sparkled with amusement.

"Alright, go hide. I'll handle this 'robo-problem,'" he said, crossing his arms. "'Robo-problem'? Because it's problems with robots," he explained with a grin, looking at everyone he had just saved. It was a pun.

No one laughed.

"Fine, just go," Todd sighed, shaking his head. "What a tough crowd."

With the people safe, Todd threw a rock at the serpent's head to get its attention. "Hey, you, snake! Time to meet the junkman!" he shouted.

The serpent turned its massive body toward him, but Todd was already inside it, moving like a ghost among its circuits. He located the central chip and destroyed it with surgical precision.

The gigantic mechanical reptile collapsed to the ground with a metallic crash.

Todd emerged from the wreckage just in time to see Lita finishing her battle. She had created a giant tree, resembling a flyswatter, which crushed the strange bird-legged, lion-bodied robot.

"Well, I'm done with whatever that thing was," Lita said, walking over to Todd as she surveyed the remains of the robot. "Who was the genius who made this thing?" she asked, pointing at the destroyed animatronic.

"It's a sphinx," replied a young man dressed in sequins, who appeared to have been part of the parade. "It was supposed to be the highlight of the contest, but everything turned into chaos. The machines went berserk, some fused together and created these giant things that destroyed buildings and wreaked havoc everywhere."

"Oops!" Lita said, feeling guilty for destroying the animatronic. "Sorry about your sphinx."

"No problem," the young man replied with a tired smile. "Thanks for helping us. I can see you're strong. Please, we need your support from the people trapped under the rubble. There are many injured, and some friends are still over there."

Lita and Todd nodded without hesitation. For a while, both agents worked tirelessly to rescue the people trapped under the debris. Once they finished helping, a tall, muscular man dressed in military uniform approached them. It was a general.

"Thank you for your help," he said in a deep but sincere voice. "If you could continue assisting us in other cities, it would be greatly appreciated. This doesn't seem to be ending anytime soon."

Lita shrugged. "Since I don't have anything better to do than scare off illegal loggers—and for now, that's under control—I'll help," she replied with a mischievous smile.

"And I, Ninja-11, am also ready to help," Todd added, striking a dramatic pose.

The general nodded gratefully. "Then, get ready. More battles await."

In a bustling city in Mexico, a young man waited patiently at a famous street stall known for its tacos, enchiladas, and other delicious treats. The aroma of chili, cilantro, and grilled meat wafted through the air, making his stomach growl in anticipation. Finally, he received his order: a steaming plate of enchiladas drenched in spicy sauce, accompanied by fresh sides. He was just about to take his first bite when, suddenly, everything changed.

The lights flickered, and electrical appliances began shutting down one by one. The ovens, refrigerators, and even the small fans are transformed into heavily armed malicious robots. The machines sprang to life, firing randomly at the terrified crowd. Amid the chaos, the young man's food fell to the ground, crushed by the commotion.

The vendor ran off in a panic, shouting something about saving his life, but the young man stayed rooted in place, annoyed. His stomach growled in frustration, but what truly infuriated him was not getting to enjoy even a single bite of that mouthwatering spicy enchilada.

"Seriously? You're taking my food away right now?" he muttered, crossing his arms. His furrowed brow made his displeasure clear.

Suddenly, his body began to glow with electric sparks. Small bursts of energy leaped from his hands and hair, illuminating the area as if a storm were contained within his skin. The nearby robots turned toward him, aiming their lethal weapons. However, the young man didn't seem intimidated. If anything, he was enraged.

"Listen up," he said in a firm voice, charged with static electricity. "You're going to pay dearly for not letting me savor that spicy enchilada I ordered here at Don Pepe's, the best place for these delicacies."

The robots emitted a metallic hum, as if assessing the young man before them. But before they could react, he raised his hands, and a massive electrical discharge erupted from his body, lighting up the entire street.