Damn he looked good. Real good.

He'd spent a lot of time working on this costume; making it look like something a super hero should wear, and he really had to hand it so himself, his hard work had paid off. The spandex was still a little tight in some areas, but putting the underwear over the spandex had really done the trick when it came to certain areas feeling too much of a breeze. He posed once more, looking in the bathroom mirror, a big grin plastered on his face. The older mutant winked at his reflection before sliding his mask on; it wasn't a ski mask this time, but a blue spandex face hugger with a big red M on it.

"Heh. Wearin this makes me feel like I could take on the whole damn mob... Ey! You ready in there? C'mon out already, I wanna see how you look!" Saph's face mask moved in such a way that you could tell there was a toothy grin beneath it as he turned and faced the bathroom stall. He had been sure to lock the door, so at least him and his trial-basis sidekick/ room mate could get suited up in private. While he waited for Chris to get out, he leaned against the stall, musing once more on the subject of Chris's sidekick name. "Wachu think of Kid Piranha? Wait, no... Kid Baracuda? Ohhh... that sounds BA. And when you graduate to full hero, you can just be... The Baracuda."

He turned to look in the mirror once more, leaning in to get a closer look at his mask... aww, there was a thread loose... He would fix it later. He swore, sewing was harder than fighting crime sometimes.

This was now officially the worst idea ever.

If his room mate wanted to keep doing all that vigilante stuff, then fine. It was none of Chris's problems, and, hey, he seemed happy enough about it even though he sometimes came back home with his face busted up or something.
Chris was definitely not a fighter - for him to actively seek out trouble was as rare as Steak Tartare. And still he'd let Saph talk him into this sidekick business. Even though Chris's teeth were not perfect he liked them where they were.

But the worst aspect of it all was definitely the suit. Chris looked down on the blue/black spandex that was currently covering him - the Spirit-styled mask that only covered the areas around his eyes did nothing to hide the horror in his face.
Sure, he used to wear a wet suit when he went out for a swim, and this shouldn't be so different. But somehow it was. It was so tight that he felt as if people would have been able to count the hairs on his legs through the fabric, had he had any hair growth to speak of.
He also remembered that he liked baggy clothes not only because they hid his mutation somewhat. They also hid the fact that he was about as ripped as Olive Oyl.
And Saph's creative suggestions for names didn't improve his mood. Kid Baracuda? Chris cringed.

It was time to put an end to this madness. He braced himself - Saph had put a lot of work into these suits and would probably be dissapointed. But it'd be the right thing to do - Chris would just be in the way.
He opened the door and went out of the stall.
"You're aware that this is a bad idea? Like, really bad?"
But one look at Saph told him it was hopeless. Saphirus, also dressed up in spandex for the occasion, apparently had his mind set on this, and it would be impossible talking him out of it. But Chris decided to give it a try anyway.
"I mean, I'll just be in the way. Seriously. I know nothing about heroic stuff, I'm a lousy fighter, and I'm not funny enought to shout puns or clever stuff in the middle of a battle. You should just... go ahead without me, I can stay here and solve Sudoku or something."
And wear pants, he thought hopefully.

A light went into Saph's eyes when the door opened. He looked his new sidekick over and grinned widely. "Hah! You look ready to kick some serious (insert three letter word here)!" He seemed too excited to pick up on Chris's pessimism right away, not that it would have changed his mind; Chris needed this as much as Saph needed a good side kick... He just didn't know it yet, was all. Something about spreading justice really boosted the confidence.

"You're aware that this is a bad idea? Like, really bad?" The young man chimed in, and without pause Saph responded; "All of the best ideas are!" Saph ignored Chris as he went on his little schpeal about how he wasn't going to be any help, and how he should just stay there; he was busy... He was getting something.

The now-veteran crime fighter walked over to the dark corner of the bathroom, and was digging behind the garbage can, a goofy grin on his face. Once Chris was done, he spun in place, and stepped forward, his arms behind his back. "I got you somethin." He then produced, from behind his back, a metal baseball bat with a weighted tip. "I know you don't have a lotta knockout potential with your fists, but a little girl could put someone into timeout with this. Here ya go." He held out the bat to his reluctant partner in crime, the handle first. Saph knew it would probably feel a bit too heavy at first, but the kid would get used to it; plus, using it would make him stronger as well; within a month the kid would be swinging it like it was nothing...

"Now c'mon, eh? Lets head out... I'll explain the situation to you once more, just in case you missed any details." He turned and headed for the door of the bathroom, unlocking and opening it as he spoke. "A group of vandals has been roaming the streets in this area at night, and busting up anything they can get their hands on. Since their crime is rather juvenile, I figure we show up, push em around a little bit, and let them go whimpering home, vowing that if we see them again, we'll turn them into some sort of unpleasant food item; I dunno which one I want to use yet.. chowder? nah... Hamburger usually works the best... You comin?" He held the door open for his friend, the lowly illuminated streets showing over his shoulder.

"You're aware that this is a bad idea? Like, really bad?"
"All of the best ideas are!"
Wait, what?

It was obvious that Saphirus wasn't listening to Chris' arguments, or if he was, he didn't care. Instead he went over to a garbage can and got something that had been hidden behind it. Then, grinning like a parent on Christmas eve giving his kid a gift he's sure the kid will go nuts over, he handed over a metal baseball bat.
"I know you don't have a lotta knockout potential with your fists, but a little girl could put someone into timeout with this. Here ya go."
Chris accepted the bat but hadn't anticipated the actual weight of the thing. The bat's metal tip hit the floor tiles with a low clanging noise. Chris lifted it with a resigned look on his face, realizing that he would have to drag this with him the rest of the evening. Also, he couldn't help the feeling that he somehow had been compared with a little girl in Saphirus' last statement.
"Gee, thanks," he said with a totally unenthusiastic voice. "Maybe I can place it in a strategic place and hope a thug trips on it."

Then Saphirus went over to the door, explaining the details about their plan. Chris followed after, carrying the metal bat carefully so it wouldn't drag against the floor or so he'd drop it.
Chris went out, still not understanding why he was doing this. Probably peer pressure. At least the street outside was empty.
He turned toward Saph who exited the bathroom after him.
"Is this even legal? We could get into so much trouble for this..."
Then he gave Saph a sharp glare.
"Don't. Don't you say what's the worst thing that can happen? I can think of, like, seven worst case scenarios, and if you say what's the worst thingf that can happen at least one of them will actually happen."

Saph laughed a little as the bat tip hit the ground, and Chris made another sarcastic comment. "Just lift it high and drop it on their heads. Maybe put some elbow into it as well... that should do the trick." As they left the bathroom, Chris asked a question that he seemed to find rather funny.

"Of course this isn't legal... but it's fine as long as they don't catch us. Besides, it's the right thing to do. If no one stops these guys, they'll move on to more and more dangerous things... Better to stop them while they think vandalizing is fun, rather than when they get board of it and decide to shoot people." He nodded confidently as Chris gave him the glare.

"Look, worst case scenario, one of them has a gun, he shoots us, we die... But honestly, I doubt that will happen... I mean, we will get shot at sooner or later, but not by vandals... If they had a gun, they wouldn't be vandalizing stuff... they would be shooting it." He looked down the street left and right, and took a deep breath of fresh air.

"I know you don't get it yet... but give it some time and you'll understand... There are people out there that are worth protecting; people better than you or me... That's why I do this... To give them a chance to live in peace while I bear the burden of violence. You may think you don't have it in you, but kid, " He turned to the fish boy, carefully holding his new weapon so's not to drop it, and grinned. "You don't give yourself enough credi-" Crash!

He looked off to the right. Crash! No, to the left! It sounded like a store window getting bashed in. "c'mon! This way!" The older hero bolted into action, heading toward the violent sounds.

"Look, worst case scenario, one of them has a gun, he shoots us, we die... But honestly, I doubt that will happen... I mean, we will get shot at sooner or later, but not by vandals... If they had a gun, they wouldn't be vandalizing stuff... they would be shooting it."
Was this really meant to encourage Chris? If so, it wasn't really working.

He'd never done something strictly illegal in his life. Mostly he just wanted to stay out of trouble, creating as little ripples on the water surface as possible. So he didn't quite agree with Saph's statement about protecting people - as noble as it sounded, Chris thought that everybody had to look out for themselves.

A loud crash cut Saph off just as he was saying that Chris didn't give himself enough credit. Chris immediatly flinched and turned his head toward the sound, trying to determine what it was.
Then Saphirus yelled "C'mon! This way!" and started to run toward the commotion.
Chris hesitated. He looked down at the metal bat, then at Saph's running shape, then back at the relative safety of the bathroom stalls. Then he sighed and started to run after Saphirus.

Saph noticed the kid hung back for a second, hesitating maybe. It made him frown. That frown turned into a smile, though, as he heard the echoing footsteps of his room mate behind him. Chris really was a good kid. Sure, he was a bit timid, and he definitely wasn't confident in himself at all, but those were things that he could fix. In all actuality, that was kinda why Saph had forced him to come along. Maybe experiencing something like this might make him feel more open.

At the very least it would make him appreciate life more... right? Saph knew one thing that had rung true above all for him... Being a hero felt good. It made you feel good about yourself.

As they neared the crime scene, the crashes got louder, and five distinct voices could be heard.

"This'll teach that little %#^#@ to call the cops on us!"

"Wait till she sees this in the morning! She'll freak!"

"Break that Vase! She likes that one!"

"Hah, Yeah!" Craaash!

"Yeah! My Turn!" Crash!

Saph rounded the corner, skidding to a stop outside of a flower shop with a broken in window. Six shadowy figures stood inside; five with bats and planks, breaking what ever was in reach, and another leaning against the counter in silence. They were all young, maybe 16-18 years old respectively... Stupid punks.

"Play time is over, Kids. Your punishment starts now"

The shop went silent, and the figures froze in place, not sure what to do... Had they been caught by a cop? They all slowly looked out into the street to see the source of the voice. Saph stood his tallest, his hands on his hips in sturdy confidence.

"...Tch... heh.... HAHAHAHA! Look at this guy! He's wearing spandex! Freaking spandex!" The first kid nearly fell over laughing, while the others looked about nervously. Another one joined in after a second. "Are those... underwear? Like... over his pants? Jesus you can't write this s@&%!" Saph shrunk down a little for a barely noticable moment, and then stood tall again.

"Laugh it up, punks. I;m about to make you all regret being born." Clearly these little idiots didn't have a good sense of what was cool and what was not... He looked awesome... right? He clenched his fists, and then pulled his crowbar from the belt loop he had installed... Smacking it in his hands. The kids got another laugh as Chris showed up, but Saph cut them off by stepping forward menacingly.

The five kids looked to the silent sixth one, who gave a short nod. They then all took up their weapons, and walked forward as well. Saph prepared himself as four of them moved toward him, and the last decided he would take on the smaller spandex clad crazy, that being Chris.

"Alright, kid, this is it... Right into the pool for you. Sink or swim." Saph then jumped into action. This was going to be a good battle.

((Looong post...^^'))

Chris followed Saph and the sound of shattering glass and loud voices. He slowed down a little further down the street than Saphirus, walking toward the bashed flower shop in a clearly cautious way.

"Play time is over, Kids. Your punishment starts now"
Saphirus said this in a stern voice that made it clear that absolutely no foolishnesses would be accepted. The punks were quiet for a couple of seconds... before they started to laugh. Loudly.
But Saph just seemed to shake away their scorn - for a moment Chris wished he could be like his friend, to be able to just ignore other people's comments and stay focused. But then he remembered that his friend was wearing underwear over a spandex suit and changed his mind.

Saph started to walk towards the thugs - Chris was now close enough to see that there was six of them, but he couldn't make out any details at all - smacking his crowbar to his hand in a menacing way. Chris was confident that Saph would be able to handle all of them, this vigilante business wasn't new to him. Perhaps Chris should just try to hide until it was over? He could take notes or something. You had to learn to crawl before you walk, right?
But then a shower of laughter, interrupted by Saph, told him that it was too late. They'd already seen him. Chris stood with his shoulders hunched, trying to make himself as small as possible. His urge to hide had never been greater than now.

Then the punks started to walk menacingly toward the spandex-clad heroes. Four of them moved toward Saph, and the fifth one walked toward Chris. His heart suddenly started to pump adrenaline through his system like crazy - but Chris wasn't an adrenaline junkie who enjoyed the danger; his instincts were screaming Flee! Flee! Flee! and it was really hard not to do just that.

The guy walked closer, and now Chris could make out some details - he was taller than the mutant, wore a grey thick jacket with yellow patches and his head was covered by a hood. And he had a switchblade in his right hand.
Chris squeezed the handle of the metal bat, trying his best to steady himself. He had to wait until the right moment if this was going to work... and it had to. This was his chance to prove to himself that he wasn't an entirely good-for-nothing... maybe he didn't want to be here, but now he was and he might as well make Saphirus proud. The guy in the grey jacket suddenly made a leap forward and swiped at Chris with his switchblade, but Chris's sharp reflexes helped him to dance out of the way for the blade. He spun around with the metal bat ready, and...
...dropped the bat, which flew four feet before it landed in the gutter with a loud metallic clanging noise.

Chris looked at the dropped metal bat.
The hooded guy looked at the metal bat.
Chris looked up at the hooded guy.
The hooded guy looked up at Chris.
Chris turned around quickly as a viper and started to run away from there. The hooded guy started to chase after him.

For a moment, he was where he belonged. The world, in all of it's harsh reality, drifted away, and became nothing more than shapes and sounds. They blurred together as he lashed out with his crowbar, smacking a plank from the hands of one of his opponents, who danced back clutching his wrist. Saph didn't see it; he was already turned toward his next opponent. He felt it, though. He felt everything. The person charging him from behind with a bat in his hand, the punk right in front of him with a knife. He felt them both. He reached his right hand back to meet the face of the charger while sending a kick to the chest of the guy in front of him. As the one in front stumbled back in surprise, he pivoted on his grounded foot to face the man behind him, sending his right fist into the boy's rib cage in a fluid motion with enough force to send him to the ground.

The fourth one was coming from his right side, he let the attack, a heavy swing with a bat, come through, and it did nothing. While the vandal was confused, Saph turned and sent a hearty kick to his groin, placing him on his knees. He turned to the first guy, who was still clutching his wrist. He was pretty sure they weren't going to attack again. It was easy to break a group's spirit; you just had to be a little harsh.

Saph turned, confident that he would see his faithful sidekick standing over a ko'ed punk. Instead he saw him running, the bat in the gutter beside them. "Awww damnit!" He quickly ran to the gutter, grabbing the bat, and flinging it after him. He put just about enough force to have the bat land a few yards ahead of Chris. "DAMNIT KID, BE BRAVE!"

While he was distracted he missed one of the punks sneaking up behind him, too slow for his extra sense to pick up. He felt the bat as it rushed down toward the back of his left knee, and knew he couldn't prevent it. Thuck! "AAAGH!" He fell to his knee, and spun on it, stopping the next blow destined for his face with his open right hand. He then swung his crowbar with enough force to shatter the kid's wrist.

As the kid fell screaming obscenities, Saph took a measure of his surroundings. The one he'd punched in the ribs wasn't getting up, and the kid whose wrist he'd broken was out for the count... The other two didn't seem to like the idea of attacking him again. They looked to the young man who had stayed behind in the shop. The man let out a sigh as he leaned forward from his rest on the counter, and walked out of the shop slowly, speaking in a lazy tone. "You pricks are some kinda heroes, then? Well, you really messed up by showing up here. Now I gotta get my hands dirty. I don't like working. You'll die for that." The kid then reached into his pocket, and pulled out something small. Saph squinted a little bit... A pill? The kid popped it into his mouth, swallowed, and then stood there for a second.

Saph broke the silence that followed. "So... what? You're just gonna pop some drugs and stare me to death?"

The kid didn't respond. He didn't feel the need to. Suddenly Saph felt a harsh, impossibly loud noise in his head. It was like nails against a chalk board, combined with a lions roar in heavy traffic. "AHHH!" His screams were drowned out by the noise. He tried to cover his ears, but the sound wasn't physical, it was mental. Only he could hear it.

Oh god, this kid must have been some kinda telepath! It was too much.. he couldn't think! He fell to his knees clutching his head as the sound overwhelmed him. The sound cut off abruptly, and Saph took a deep breath, gasping for air... He'd clenched all of his muscles during the mental assault, and they were as tense as he ever remembered them being... This wasn't any fun at all... The kid let out a cruel laugh as he paced over to Saph slowly. "See? You barked up the wrong tree... And now, I'm gonna turn your brain into scrambled eggs." He laughed again, and as Saph started to reach for him, the sound started up once more. Before he knew it he was in the fetal position.

Chris suddenly halted when the metal bat suddenly fell down from the skies and landed just a few feet before him. But how... ?!
"DAMNIT KID, BE BRAVE!"
So Saph clearly didn't like the idea of his sidekick quitting on him in the middle of a brawl. Well, that's easy for him to say, Chris thought and clenched his jaw. He had a mutation that actually was useful in a fight, and now Chris made his choice. He was not going to be slashed to ribbons in a fight that Saph didn't need any help with, anyway. And if that meant being a coward, then so be it. Saph could ask him to be a sidekick another time, if he needed help getting into some underwater hideout or something.

All this passed through his head in the few seconds it took him to start running again. But then he made the mistake to look back and see how close the thug with the knife was behind him - and stepped on the metal bat which immediately rolled away from under him. He landed on his stomach and lost his breath.
As quickly as he could, he turned around so that he was laying on his back while he was ready to get up - but it was too late. The swithblade guy was almost over him. Reacting instinctly, Chris put his feet into the young man's stomach and used the guys momentum to kind of throw him - he'd never been able to do it with sheer force alone, but since the guy had jumped at him with such a high speed this was more a matter of just keeping him going.
The switchblade guy sailed over Chris and out of his point of view - his confused yell was abruptly ended when he hit the street with a chrashing sound. Chris quickly got up on his feet and turned around to see if the guy would contínue to be a threat, but it seemed that this was not the case - he was bleeding profusely from his face and was clutching a leg that looked busted. Chris couldn't help but grimace in sympathy, and his knees were supposed to bend that way.

But before he could feel any actual pride over taking down an actual armored foe, a loud scream cut through the air.
"AHHH!"
Saph!
Chris whirled around and squinted, trying to make out what was happening. The last guy was slowly strolling over to Saph, who was down on his knees and clutching his head. Chris' jaw dropped. He'd never seen Saph down on his knees, and had for some reason not been able to imagine that it was possible.
But now it was happening. Chris lifted up the metal bat and tried to sneak closer, without drawing any attention to himself. What had the guy done to him?
"See? You barked up the wrong tree... And now, I'm gonna turn your brain into scrambled eggs."
The guy... did something. And Saph collapsed. Chris heart sank - the other kid was clearly some kind of mutant, and he'd never been attacked by another mutant before, leats of all a telepath. Just the thought of fighting against someone who had the power to smash your brain by sheer force of will was... not pleasant.

But he had to do something. Saph was in fetal position and the new mutant was lauhging - it really looked as if he were going to keep his word about turning Saph's brains into the dish that was such a vital part of a decent continental breakfast. Chris quickly looked around to see if something was laying around that he could throw - but nothing, not even an empty bottle or beer can. And the bat was much to heavy to throw, it would probably just serve as a diversion.
So there was only on thing to do.

Bracing himself and trying not to think about what he was going to do, he started with the good old "run screaming toward your enemy and hope that the surprise moment will take care of everything"-technique.
"AAAHHHHH!!"
Chris ran as fast as he could toward the telepath with his metal bat lifted - he didn't have the strength to lift it very high, but if the telepath didn't move out of the way quickly enough his kneecaps would eb in great danger.

Each moment blurred into the next as he was reduced from a dashing super hero down to a helpless victim in seconds. As he writhed on the ground in pain, his whole body burning as a result of the unfathomable mental noise, he tried to put thoughts together. He failed miserably.

He felt like he was going to snap. It was as if throwing away his sanity would somehow lessen the pain; if he just let the noise take over, he could lose himself in it, and there would be no more pain... Yeah... that's what he would do...

"AAAHHHHH!" the screaming in his head was suddenly replaced by a much more tolerable real screaming as the boy standing above him blinked, and turned to see what was coming his way... "What the- Heh... I'll just get you t-ahh!" Saph took his one and only chance, lunging forward to push his torturer as hard as he could toward his sidekick. He let out a ragged scream, his eyes filled with lots of pain, and very little sanity.

"DO IT!" He then flopped down to the ground and watched as the two forces, one a stumbling psychic, and the other, a stumbling sidekick, met.

While Chris was still some distance away the psychic looked at him. And smirked. Okay, so maybe screaming hadn't been such a great idea after all, it had actually destroyed the crucial surprise moment and it didn't look as if the psychic was feeling intimidated. On the contrary, he had a look of anticipation and was probably looking forward to squashing another insipid little brain. Still running, Chris tried to mentally brace himself.

But before his mind hit the mental equivalent of a wall, Saph screamed and gave the psychic a hard shove toward Chris. This broke the new mutant's concentration, and gave Chris a chance he hadn't anticipated but didn't let go to waste. The psychic mutant tried to regain his composure, but Chris withdrew his bat and then swung it.
THWACK!
As stated, Chris wasn't strong enough to swing the bat very hard, but since he hadn't stopped running his momentum and the weighted metal tip did most of the job. The psychic fell to the ground, and Chris almost did the same but managed to catch his balance in the last second.

For a moment or two he just looked at the downed psychic, breathing hard. But since the psychic didn't move and Chris' brain didn't implode he guessed the other mutant was unconscious... or worse. But Chris didn't have time to think about that now.
Instead he cautiously turned toward Saphirus, not really sure what to expect. Was his brain still mostly intact or had the other mutant done any lasting damage?
"How... how are you, Saph?"

With an ungraceful flop, the teen terror fell to the ground, knocked out colder than a Texan in Canada. Saph watched with a blank smile on his face. Canada was nice this time of year, wasn't it? Snowy... His eyes went completely hollow for a moment.

He liked snow. Penguins. DO A BARREL ROLL!

"How... how are you, Saph?"

"Cheese... It's dangerous to go alone, take th-" He blinked a few times, pausing in speech, and then looked up to Chris. He then reached up to place a hand against his eyes. "Jesus... I'm... I'm fine... That was just... f#%@ed..." He slowly climbed to his feet, and looked around for a moment.

The KO'd kid came into view. "Heh... You got im... Good job, kid. I knew you had it in you. We ain't done yet, though." Saph turned to one of the kids who hadn't been able to run off. One was still stirring. "Come with me." He turned to walk toward the kid, stumbling a little at first, and then pausing to shake off the mental haziness.

"You're good cop." He said under his breath before walking up to the kid, and hoisting him up off his feet, and slamming him up against a wall. "That pill the kid took. What was it, and where did he get it?"

"Ahh!.... I I ain't sayin nuthin!" Saph grimaced, and then threw the kid onto a nearby bench, standing above him with his crowbar in hand. "I'll crack you're stupid skull right open if you don't tell me what I want to know, punk. Ask my friend here, he's seen me do it hundreds of times."

Saph's gaze was unfocused and it didn't seem like he was... there. Chris felt a pang of fear - he's broken - and for a brief moment considered how it would be to have a roommate who'd need help tying his shoelaces, but then Saph seemed to snap out of it. After muttering something incoherent about cheese.
"Jesus... I'm... I'm fine... That was just... f#%@ed..."
At least he didn't need any help getting up on his feet. It seemed like whatever the psychic had done hadn't done any lasting damage.

"Heh... You got im... Good job, kid. I knew you had it in you. We ain't done yet, though."
"I didn't," Chris said quietly. Now that he had confirmed that Saph was okay his thoughts went back to the downed kid, who still wasn't moving. Not even stirring. The sound of the bat hitting the other mutant's head still echoed in his thougths, and Chris shivered. Then he followed Saph, who went after one of the punks who wasn't unconscious or had run away yet.

"You're good cop."
"Huh, what? ...Alright," Chris said nervously. Although he'd more likely be Somewhat Concerned Cop.
Somewhat Concerned Cop frowned when Saph slammed the kid against the wall.
"That pill the kid took. What was it, and where did he get it?"
Wait, what pill?

"Ahh!.... I I ain't sayin nuthin!"
"I'll crack you're stupid skull right open if you don't tell me what I want to know, punk. Ask my friend here, he's seen me do it hundreds of times."
Chris realized that this was his line.
"...oh, right. He does that all of the time. It's quite a mess, really."
He wasn't a very good actor, but hopefully the kid would be to terrified to notice. And Saph was very convincing when he waved around his crowbar like that.

Saph had a hard time not laughing when Chris chipped into the conversation; he held himself back, knowing it would totally ruin the situation. The kid looked from him to his sidekick, and then back again, and Saph grabbed his collar and gave a harsh shake.

"O-okay! Alright! I dunno what it's called, but it's expensive. He was the only one who had the money for it."

"I don't care about that... What was it for?! Did it make his powers stronger?!" Saph shook again. If there was a drug out there that could make his powers stronger than they were now... He might have to find some himself. He could already save a lot of people as is... If he was even stronger... maybe... maybe he could save even more. The kid spoke up, but Saph realized he was still shaking him too hard to understand what he was saying... He stopped, and the kid stuttered wildly.

"n-n-n-no! It- it gave him powers, man. I mean... He's human." Saph paused, and let go of the kid, looking at him as he regathered his wits. "...what? You mean... this stuff can give human's powers?"

"Yeah... Only for a little bit, but... yeah. And you always have the same power when you take it. Mikey has been taking it all week."

Mikey. Musta been the one Chris knocked out. He looked over to the ring leader. He was still out. Saph looked to Chris. "Watch him. Don't let him run away."

The older hero then turned and walked over to the kid, searching his pockets. While he did that, The kid they were interrogating made a break for it. Saph ignored it. Chris would catch him, or he wouldn't. Either way, it didn't make a huge difference. All they needed was to take out the guy in charge, and here he was. Saph pulled his hand from one of the kid's pocket, and examined a little pill...The last one. He would only need one, though. He placed it into his own pocket.