SRMTHFG The Novelization: Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Birth of a Hero


After running roughly a mile away from the school grounds, Chiro stopped and looked back. He had expected to have seen BT and Glenny pursuing him, but there were no signs of the two bullies.

"Whoa...what was that?" he breathed. He could have sworn that, within the depths of the water, there was something else. Something that slowly made him sick to his stomach. It felt…strangely similar to the feeling he had during the climax of his nightmare. Almost as if the water was going to crush him once he was in, like the gooey substance did.

Then, someone saved him from a dip in the pool… but he had been in so much of a panic that he didn't even think of looking at his rescuer, let alone thank him or her. Who could have possibly stood up for him? He didn't have any idea.

He stared back for a little while, almost anticipating the sight of someone from his school following him. Someone other than BT and Glenny. But when it became apparent that no one was coming, he resumed his trek down the sidewalk even though his pace was now that of a power-walk.

As he was doing so, he panted and forced himself to calm down. "I'd better get home. Don't want Aunt Zia to worry about me again."

It didn't take Chiro long after that to arrive at his apartment. Although he was still a little shaken up, he wasn't going to let the experience ruin an outing with his favorite person in the world.

Well, at least, the favorite person that he knew personally; what he'd give to actually meet the Sun Riders…

Unlocking the door, he came through the entrance into his home. "Aunt Zia?" he called. "I'm home!"

It was not quite a minute before he received his reply. Coming down the stairs was Zia, wearing an outfit consisting of a bright pink T-shirt, dark blue jeans, and white tennis shoes. The strap of a red purse was slung casually over one shoulder. A very light amount of make-up accented the natural beauty of her freckled face and brown eyes.

"Great timing as usual, Chiro!" she beamed, pushing back her blue bangs. With a little smile, she took out a comb from her purse and gently began to work with the slight mess of Chiro's hair, the result of his sudden flight from BT and Glenny. "How was school?"

"Oh…it was okay," Chiro said. Not really a lie. His science class was intriguing as always and math wasn't so bad this time, but he couldn't quite shake off what happened at the pool's edge.

For some odd reason, he just couldn't stop thinking about that sickening feeling in his stomach. It just won't go away…

Then, his expression brightened. "Ready for our day together? I was thinking, since the weather's perfect today, maybe we could go out to the park and just relax. Maybe sit in the shade with a couple of holographic ice cream cones."

Chiro knew that it wasn't often that Aunt Zia had a day off, and he was going to make sure that every minute of it was spent in well-earned relaxation.

Zia sighed happily at the suggestion. "Oh, it's been ages since I had a holographic ice cream cone…not that I'm that old, mind you. Still…no time like the present! We'd better get going before it gets too busy."

Chiro grinned as he set down his backpack for the weekend. Then, he made sure to lock the door behind him as the pair left the apartment.

As he walked with her down the street, he decided that life couldn't be any more perfect…than simply spending precious time with those who love and are loved.

In a short while, the pair arrived at Shuggazoom Park.

One couldn't really call it a park, though, and it was a stark contrast to the outskirts that was once the city park. Most of the few trees in Shuggazoom City were artificial and there for no better reason than to bring some color to the area. In the city limits, nature had been tamed to a point where it almost didn't exist anymore.

There was a point in Shuggazoom's history (though Chiro only knew this from school lessons rather than personal experience) when people did enjoy themselves in the embrace of nature. Back then, children and pets would frolic in the grass, often getting their clothes or fur dirty in the process. If someone wanted a snack, the orchard's fruits were only arm's length away. And the people could have their choice of sitting under the cool canopy of the trees or in the gentle rays of the sun, with nothing more than a picnic blanket or a jacket separating them from the grass…if they even wanted that separation.

Not so anymore, though. As far as Shuggazoom City was concerned, nature had to give way to technology…and beauty needed to give way for the sake of convenience. Shuggazoom Park was a testament to that, being little more than a few sidewalks bordering fake grass…some park benches in plain sight of entertainment businesses like the Arcade…and the huge water tower in the center. There wasn't room enough in the city limits for much else here.

Chiro blinked as he looked around the Shuggazoom Park. Somehow, the artificial nature felt…hollow. He never felt this way about Shuggazoom Park before; perhaps getting lost in the outskirts had opened his already-somewhat open mind to what a park should be.

But the thought was perishing in his mind as he and Aunt Zia went to get their holographic ice cream cones. When it comes to spending time with someone you love, who cares about where you spend it?

After a few minutes, both had their cones in hand, and Chiro found one of the park benches completely unoccupied (the only other one available was close by to a homeless man waving his sign around and shouting something about the end of the world; Chiro and his aunt wanted to stay clear of that). He smiled as they sat down to enjoy their snacks. Summer was almost upon them, so the day was mildly warm, but the heat wasn't oppressive at all.

Zia smiled after a few licks of her treat. "It's just so great that we can spend time together without rushing around like maniacs. How are you enjoying your holographic ice cream cone, Chiro?"

"It's perfect as always," Chiro answered. "How about yours?"

"Just peachy!"

The boy looked up at his aunt. "Speaking of which, are you planning anything special for dinner tonight?"

The woman flashed a jovial grin at him. "Well, not long before you came home, I put a roast chicken in the oven. It should be done in a few hours."

A spark of excitement ignited within Chiro. "Roast chicken?" he gasped in delight. "I love your roast chicken!"

Zia blushed a bit. "I know you do. But I still feel like I'm not getting the recipe quite right. I still think there's something missing…"

"I don't care," he said. "It's still delicious! Even more proof that you should totally cook for a living."

She only glared lightly at Chiro with a tiny smirk. She then giggled and teasingly began to ruffle the boy's hair. "You're the only food critic that I need, Chiro, and I think you know that."

"Hey!" he chuckled in protest, lifting up an arm to gently move hers away from his head.

Just as he had succeeded in doing so, he heard a little girl from some distance saying, "Hey, Mommy, what is that?" He glanced at the girl and recognized her, for he had seen that blond-pony-tailed child fairly often at the ice cream shop. She was pointing up at the sky.

At first, he didn't pay any attention. But then a few people gathered around to see...and then a few more...and then…a few more...

"Huh, wonder what's going on?" he asked as a fairly big crowd began to form, making mumbles that he couldn't quite make out.

"I'm not sure." Zia put a hand to her mouth. "Must be a big commotion though."

Chiro looked at her. "Do you think we should go check it out?"

"I don't see why not," his aunt replied, discarding what was left of her cone in a trash can.

The two of them walked towards the back of the crowd, which expanded significantly to over dozens of civilians. As Chiro and his aunt joined them, he could hear what some people were saying.

"What is it?" one woman was asking her friend.

"Looks like some kind of comet," remarked the other female.

"It doesn't look like one I've ever seen before," a man stated.

Chiro looked up. The object that everyone was engrossed was small and round. But it was so bright that it couldn't really be seen directly; it was burning as a result of plummeting through the atmosphere. The sky was filling with crimson hues as the trailing flames mingled in the idyllic blue sky.

"Hey, where's it heading?" asked an older man in the mob.

Another younger woman pointed. "I think it's going to crash in the Zone of Wasted Years!"

Many pairs of eyes looked towards the bridge that served as the only gateway to the said terrain beyond. Among the crowds were children younger than Chiro, who bounced and hopped in hopes of seeing the amazing sight. Their parents held tight to their children's' hands, not permitting them to be out of arm's reach.

The next thing happened so suddenly that no one fully comprehended it. The comet just barely graced over the horizon when it made contact with the earth beyond the bridge. A slight eruption of fire and smoke blinded them for a few moments. And just as they were getting their eyes adjusted, a shock wave swept through the streets. The splatters of rock and dust that accompanied the shock wave nearly knocked a few of the really unprepared civilians off their feet.

Several of the children squealed in fright, and a few of the parents tried to soothe them. Other than this exchange, all was silent.

No one said a word, leaving a tension in the air that was as thick as the smoke that drifted upwards from the distant crash site.

But none were as silent as Chiro. What was this feeling churning up inside of him? It felt very similar to the feeling he had when he went to school, when he felt like he was being watched and followed. Only this time, this feeling was stronger...much stronger.

That, on top of the sickening feeling in his stomach from his experience near the pool, put Chiro very much at unease.

Zia kept her gaze ahead, her face tight with pressure. "Chiro, I think we should go home now."

She wasn't the only one with the idea. There were already folks moving away from the scene, casting anxious behind them at the bridge. Children were being pulled away by their parents, whining for a chance to stay and watch like some of the other grown-ups.

But Chiro didn't hear her. He couldn't. Because something else…not a sound, but something very like it…filled his ears.

Danger...

He didn't know where that thought came from. Was it something he thought to himself? Or was some inaudible voice speaking to him?

"Look, there's something coming this way from the bridge!" a woman in the crowd shouted.

The shout brought Chiro back to his senses, and he immediately turned and looked. He squinted his eyes, observing closely as something stirred on the bridge and emerged from the smoke.

Was it a person? It looked something like a person, but it was completely black and white. And then he realized that there was not just one, but a dozen of them.

Danger. Defend yourself.

The boy blanched. He had thought at first that these figures might be friendly; but after noticing claws that were hanging from their hands and dangled there like they were limbless...white masks covering their faces that were empty of all emotion...and recognizing that these beings looked more like skeletons than people; Chiro had never witnessed anything more terrifying than what he was just now.

"Holy Shuggazoom!" a man yelled. "What is that?!"

"We're leaving before we find out!" another man shouted, carrying his human-sized penguin plushie with him. "Come on, Mr. Cheepers!"

Before Chiro knew it, the citizens (most of which were in front of the boy) were all running past him, endeavoring to get as far away as possible as fast as possible. Many were accidentally ramming a shoulder or a hip against him, and most were screaming at the top of their lungs. The whole scene was very disorienting to him.

The skeleton-like creatures, continuing in their approach without the slightest deviation, were growing nearer and nearer by the moment.

"I told you all!" an old man wearing ragged clothes squawked. "The end of the world is happening!"

"Chiro!" Zia's voice shrieked over the noise of the crowd as she, against her will, was being pushed along with the frenzied stampede of civilians.

The boy gasped, whirling around at the shrill sound of his aunt's screaming. "Aunt Zia?!" he shouted back. "Aunt Zia, where are you?!"

The moment the frantic words escaped his lips, another civilian crashed against Chiro's back, sending him face first to the cement. The person continued on without any notice of the boy. But Chiro had no time to register what had just happened to him…before he noticed a shadow looming over him.

He rolled onto his back and found himself staring up at the face—if one could really call it a face—with one of the black-and-white skeleton creatures. He gasped in utter terror and began to scoot back.

But the creature only followed his movements relentlessly. It lifted up a claw, which suddenly transformed with a squishy sound into a scythe. Without any emotion that could be seen, it raised its scythe, preparing to strike down the defenseless boy.

Unable to get away, Chiro closed his eyes and turned his head away, steeling himself for the blow…

"Hii-yaah!"

The sharp, shrill cry made the boy flinch somewhat. He felt a slight breeze as something streaked over his body. Surprised, he opened his eyes and turned…just in time to see something small and black flying in his direction. It felt like mud as it splashed onto one of his shoes, earning a groan of disgust from him as he tried to shake it off his foot.

Once he did, he looked to see what had happened…and gasped at the sight before him.

The black-and-white skeleton creature was gone. Laying on the street was a puddle of the mud-like stuff that he just shook off his shoe. And standing between him and that puddle…was the yellow monkey-creature!

"That'll teach you!" she growled, apparently talking to the puddle.

So…it wasn't a hallucination after all?! He really did wander into some strange statue? He really did pull a light switch that electrocuted him? He really did meet talking alien monkeys?

She turned her head to look at him, a hardened expression on her face but her eyes brimming with concern. "Chiro, are you all right?"

The boy was rendered speechless. What was this one's name again? It was on the tip of his tongue…even though his brain was still trying to process the fact that he wasn't talking to an illusion anymore.

He then noticed something that made alarm sprout within him. "Oh, my, you're hurt! Your hands…they're swollen!"

She blinked and looked at her fists. They didn't look damaged in any way. But then…she realized that he had never seen the team with their weapons activated. Boy, was Chiro in for a few surprises…

"I'm fine," she assured with a tiny snicker. "Believe me, this is normal."

Some movement from the corner of his eye caught Chiro's attention. He turned his head just in time to see three of the foot soldiers cornering another of the alien monkeys: the red one. Chiro was ready to yell out to him.

But the said monkey only smirked in cockiness. "Think again, bone drones!" he declared, raising his hands into the air.

Chiro watched as the dark-silver fingers retracted and the part of the arms where the wrists would be split into two perfect halves. An electric current charged between each half, blinding Chiro for a moment. When the boy regained his vision, a red magnet was seated comfortably at the end of each arm. And the electric current still flowed between each magnet.

"Magno-Ball Blazer!" the red monkey exclaimed, bringing his magnets close together and intensifying the electric current. When the current formed an energy ball about half the size of his head, he flung the attack at the creatures, trapping them against its epicenter.

This also brought everything magnetic within a ten-foot radius at them, crushing them...and splashing some of their goo on him.

"Nasty..." he growled, just as disgusted with the mess as Chiro was earlier.

A scream caught Chiro's ear, and looked about 30 feet away. Most of the civilians had evacuated, but one unfortunate woman had stumbled and was now cornered by another of the monsters. This one morphed its hand into a mace, preparing to clobber her.

"Energy Saw Strike!" shouted a deep but familiar voice.

Chiro gasped in surprise as another of the alien monkeys—a green one, this time—zoomed into the area and seemed to fly right by it. An instant later, he noticed a great gash on the creature. Normally, Chiro would have been appalled to see anything injured…but then he perceived that the monster had no blood. It simply melted into a shapeless puddle of the same goo that the previous two dealt with.

The green one stood proudly, holding up a spinning, circular saw where his paw would normally be. "I guess that guy didn't know…half of the Hyperforce," he chuckled at the woman.

The woman only scrambled back to her feet and fled, screaming even louder.

Clearly showing his confusion, the green one asked the red one, "What? It wasn't that bad of a pun…was it?"

The red one groaned lightly and, after changing his magnets back into paws, slapped his forehead. "You are one weird monkey…"

The green one paused…then grinned. "Thanks!"

A sound of squishing attracted Chiro's attention in the opposite direction. Two more of the gooey creatures were fast approaching him and the yellow monkey, who was occupying herself with keeping another one at bay.

But before the boy fully realized the danger he was in, another of the monkey creatures landed between him and the monsters. It was the black one this time, the one who had first tried to coax Chiro into coming out when he had been hiding in the statue's empty room. This one's arms also were sporting weapons, except this one had the entirety of both arms transformed into ghostly-green talons. The tips of those claws looked so sharp that the very thought of being at the wrong end of them made Chiro nervous.

At a blinding speed, the black one charged forward and slashed his claws in every conceivable direction. "Claw Disruptor!" he shouted, slicing at the two monsters in a similar way that the green one had done.

"Lady Tomahawk!" The powerful voice of the yellow one brought Chiro's attention back to her. She raised her fists high, and then slammed them hard on the sidewalk. The resulting fissure caused the monster that she was dealing with to fall and splatter.

"What in shrieking Shuggazoom is going on here?!" the boy demanded.

Without looking at him, the yellow one replied, "You and the city are in danger!"

"Well, yeah, I kinda figured that much!" Chiro retorted.

Although the boy couldn't see it due to her position, she winced. She did sometimes have a tendency to state the obvious. But she didn't have the time to apologize before another of the monsters jumped over the little fissure, claws extended to attack.

As easily as any dancer, she spun on her heels and threw a mighty punch right through the creature. And, like the others before it, the monster dissolved into a puddle of goo.

"These Formless were sent to get rid of you!" she stated bluntly to Chiro.

If this yellow monkey had punched right into Chiro's stomach, she wouldn't have stunned the boy any worse than she had done just now.

"What?!" he gasped. "Get rid of me?! Why?"

But the yellow one only shook her head and fully turned around to look directly in his eyes. "No time to explain, Chiro. We need to get you out of here! You need to be someplace safe."

"No!" he objected. "Aunt Zia is somewhere in the crowd back there! I have to find her and make sure she's all right!"

"Chiro, you don't understand—!" she began.

What she was going to say next never came out. The two were so engrossed in their imperative exchange that neither of them noticed yet another of the monsters coming at them from the side. The next several events took place so quickly that it was hard to process it all.

The monster jumped the preoccupied monkey, pinning her to the ground. She snarled and tried to kick the creature off because she was at the wrong angle to attack with her fists.

The creature's claw transformed into a scythe and rose it above the monkey's head.

Something inside Chiro snapped. He didn't have the faintest idea why, but seeing this yellow monkey in terrible danger made his blood boil. And he wasn't simply angry, like he often reacted whenever he would overhear someone claim that Zia was raising him out of pity rather than charity.

No, this was something different…something much deeper, much more powerful. He felt like his blood was turning into fire.

All other thoughts were lost to him except one: he had to help her, no matter what.

Suddenly and without his realizing it, his nexus of rage and protectiveness exploded into green electricity focused around his right arm. He leapt forward and threw his tightly clenched fist, shouting at the top of his voice, "Get away from her!"

His punch landed on the monster's chest with a mighty thunderclap. He didn't notice the ooze that lingered on his fist, but he watched as the creature was not only forced off the yellow monkey's back, but also sent flying into the wall of a building at the other side of the road before it disintegrated completely.

Chiro panted heavily for a few moments as he just stood there…but once his anger was quickly appeased, the realization suddenly dawned on him.

He just…killed something. He never killed anything in his entire life. The closest he had ever done to anything like it was blasting spaceships at the Arcade's video games. He had never even kicked a stray animal out of his way.

Trembling, the boy slowly looked at his hand, covered in the goo (which rapidly trickled off and landed on the gravel) and still sparking with electricity. He began to back away from the yellow monkey, his widened eyes not leaving his hand.

"Something's happening to me!" he gasped.

He was soon plopped up against a building. He watched as the electricity around his hand dwindled to nothing. He didn't know what he just did, and he didn't even know why, but now that the rage had disappeared, he felt very sick to his stomach.

Without even thinking, he ran to a trash can (which thankfully had been changed recently, so it didn't smell bad) and vomited.

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Far away from the planet of Shuggazoom, a great white structure lurked in the darkest depths of space, veiled within an asteroid belt and hidden from all eyes. It was a great fortress of evil that was made entirely of sentient ooze and undead bone.

The Citadel of Bone.

And yet, as horrifying as this formidable fortress was, it carried an even greater evil inside its strong and nearly impenetrable walls. An evil that had slumbered for just as long as the Monkeys had and had awakened at nearly the same time they did.

An evil that knew why this had happened and sent the task-force to deal with whomever was responsible.

The being then flinched, as if he had just been delivered a harsh blow to the stomach. The being grumbled in discomfort, remaining seated on the throne where he had been for the last ten years.

"Enough!" he shouted. "Withdraw, and return to the pit of your origin! I seem to have underestimated my new opponent…"

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The four Monkeys were all equally shocked at what had just happened. It was not like Nova to be distracted in the heat of battle, nor was it like her to be caught so unaware. But that surprise was nothing compared to what they had just witnessed Chiro doing.

Sprx's previously irritated and sarcastic notions about Chiro had slowly waned into worry as he watched the boy's reaction to his own punch. This was a low-scale battle, nothing compared to what the Hyper Force was programmed to defeat, and the boy was frightened by his own capabilities. Poor kid, the red monkey thought to himself.

Otto gasped softly when he saw Chiro turn to the trash can. He could hear a sound that he doesn't hear often but recognized straightaway. Concern welled up inside him.

But none were as stunned from witnessing the scene as Antauri. He sensed what had blossomed from within the boy…and he knew that this was only the beginning.

But instead of dwelling on that, he immediately came to the aid of his teammate who had fallen. "Nova…?" he asked as he helped the female warrior to her feet.

"I'm fine," she insisted. "Just a little out of practice."

Once he was certain that she could stand on her own at that point, Antauri directed his orbs in Chiro's direction. He saw that the boy was once again leaning against the wall of a building, sitting on the sidewalk and staring at his right hand with a distraught expression.

"Chiro?" he called softly, hoping to avoid startling him.

The boy didn't seem to have even heard him. He made no reaction, not even as the four monkeys slowly began to approach him in a semi-circle.

"Are you injured in any way, Chiro?" Antauri asked, his tone just a tad louder.

This time, the preteen answered, though it was still with a dazed whisper like he still didn't hear the question:

"What's happening to me…?"

Antauri shared looks with his teammates, each of whom were giving him varied looks. With the Formless threat exterminated… now was the time.

"Chiro," he said, coming up to the human. "You are understandably afraid and confused… but you allow us, we will be able to enlighten you about everything that has just occurred."

Sprx then chuckled, mostly as a tactic to lighten the mood. "Yeah, Kid, we meant to tell you this last night, but you left in a real big hurry."

The green monkey went up to Chiro as well and rubbed his shoulder reassuringly. "Yeah. Take a deep breath, calm down, and listen to what we gotta say."

Chiro glanced at Otto, but the boy did as the green monkey instructed and took a deep breath. After letting it out, his breathing became steadier and his body stopped quivering.

"I'm listening," he said.

Antauri faltered. He had made preparations for this speech, but he wished that it could have been discussed under different circumstances. It wouldn't be proper to upset the boy more than he already was. If he and the team were going to explain all that they could… it needed to be taken slowly... delicately.

"When you stumbled into the outskirts and awakened us, Chiro… you had not only done just that. When you pulled that switch… a mythical essence swept into you. You were bestowed with a great gift; one that is known as the Power Primate."

The black monkey let that sink in. "Those who hold this spiritual energy are granted extraordinary powers and abilities unlike any other in the universe."

"Powers?" Chiro asked, now sounding more in awe. "Power Primate? I-I...never heard of it."

"Which is to be expected," said Antauri. "It is not often that a human becomes a host of it."

"As far as we know, you're the first human from this planet to have possession of it," Nova said.

"I… am?" Chiro asked, pointing to himself as if to affirm that they were referring to him and not someone else.

Antauri nodded. He was pleased to see that the conversation was going well so far… but he wasn't sure if that might last much longer.

"However…" he said, "the moment you became a host of the Power Primate… something else became aware of it; the very same being that send those abominations here to destroy you."

"Skeleton King," Nova mumbled, her voice scarcely distinct.

Chiro's eyes widened a fraction. "Who...?"

"He's the super bad guy that we're fighting," Otto answered the unasked question. It was clear by his tone that he didn't feel comfortable talking about this subject.

"You could say we go back a long way," said Sprx.

"Verily," agreed the black monkey. "Skeleton King has been our most formidable foe since the very moment he set his eyes on Shuggazoom. We don't know his exact motives or how he was able to assemble such strong forces, but we do know this: we must defend this planet from his clutches at all costs."

Chiro gawked. "So… you guys are like…superheroes?"

"If you want to put it that way," Nova said, giving off a short laugh.

The boy frowned. "So... what's this got to do with me? I mean, I know you just said that I have the, uh… what was it?"

"Power Primate," Antauri said.

"Right, that. But seriously, why does Skeleton King even care that I have it, anyway? I never did anything to him… at least, I don't think I did. I'm just a normal kid."

If Antauri wasn't as detached to emotions as he was, he might have been tempted to shift his feet or even bite his lip out of discomfort. But, as that wasn't the case, he was able to keep his feelings contained.

It's too soon, he reminded himself. He's not ready to hear that.

His teammates must have sensed those words on a subconscious level for they didn't say anything of it either.

"Skeleton King views any bearer of the Power Primate as a threat to his schemes," Antauri finally said. "As we cannot allow him to bring any harm to you, Chiro, we are more than willing to train you to hone your abilities, so you may take your place as leader of our team."

For several long moments, Chiro sat there and stared.

Then, closing his eyes and giving a small smile, he chuckled. "Aw, come on...Antauri, right? Th-this is no time for making jokes." He then continued to chuckle lightly.

After a while, he opened his eyes again and noticed that all four of the monkeys were giving him serious expressions. The boy's laughing faded.

He then placed one hand on his head. "Ohh...you gotta be kidding me. There's no way I can be a leader. Look, if this is about that switch I pulled, I thought that would just turn the lights on. I didn't know it was going to wake you guys up or give me superpowers. I don't know anything about leading a team...or fighting...or even how to control these powers... I'm no hero; I'm just a kid."

"We can teach you to control your powers, Chiro," said the black monkey. "We are going to help you in any way possible to make you into a true leader and battle the forces of the Skeleton King together."

"It is your choice, Kid," Sprx spoke up. "But if you decide not to, you'll still be in danger, 'cause the old Bonehead won't rest until you're destroyed."

Chiro groaned as he planted the palm of his hand to his cheek. "You're not exactly giving me very good options here."

"Your point?" Sprx asked with a shrug, earning him brief warning looks from his teammates.

Antauri regarded Chiro again. The boy didn't move from his spot, but his eyebrows were furrowed in thoughtfulness. The black monkey knew this because it was an expression he often wore when he was deliberating to himself.

Finally, the boy opened his mouth…

"Chiro!"

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Whatever words that were going to come out of Chiro's mouth came out as a gasp when he saw a blue-haired woman rushing over to them. One of her cheeks was smudged and her hair and glasses were astray, but it was unmistakable who she was.

Aunt Zia! She was safe!

"Oh, Chiro, thank Shuggazoom you're—!" As his aunt just about reached them, she stopped in her tracks at the sight of the robot monkeys. Her lips parted open, but she was unable to form any words as she stared in astonishment.

Then Chiro realized: one look at the monkeys, and his aunt was going to think that they're hurting him. He had to stop her.

With surprising ease, he stood up and stepped on front of the four monkeys, holding his arms apart in defense. "Wait! They're not hurting me! They saved my life!"

Looking pleased, an arrogant grin appeared on Sprx's muzzle. "Well, at least someone here is recognizing a great monkey as myself."

Nova glared at Sprx. Otto just blinked.

The woman readjusted her glasses as she beheld her nephew. "Chiro..." Her eyes darted at the monkeys. "What... what are they?"

"Well, they're monkeys...sort of..." he began, though he trailed off a little. "This'll take a little time to explain, but you gotta hear me out. Please?"

Zia peered over at the monkeys, who were standing far enough away to allow the family some space.

"Well… I'm all ears."

Chiro could barely believe it. She was actually giving him a chance. Time to make the best of it.

"Everything I said yesterday about running away from those two boys and getting lost in the outskirts...all of that was true. It just...wasn't everything. See, after I realized I was in the outskirts, I discovered this huge...statue...thing..."

"Oh, that's the Super Robot!" Otto chattered excitedly, not realizing that he was interrupting.

Chiro looked at Otto, puzzled. "Super...Robot? ...Okay... Anyway, after I found this...Super Robot...I wandered inside, because it's hollow. And I found a room where these guys were sleeping. I wanted a better look at them, so I turned on the lights. And... there must have been a short-circuit or something in there, 'cause when I flipped a switch, I got some kind of electric shock. Don't worry, I wasn't badly hurt. Just knocked unconscious. The whole thing was an accident. And when I woke up, there they were, awake and talking! They scared me a bit when I met them, but they're really nice. And when they told me how long I was knocked out, I knew that you'd be worried sick about me. I didn't think twice; I knew I had to get home, so I left right away and came straight back. And when those...monster-things—"

"Formless," Sprx said.

"Right, Formless. When they attacked, I got cornered and they came and saved me. ... It's the truth, it's everything! You gotta believe me!"

And Chiro thought the poker-face he made earlier was impeccable. If there was a contest in Shuggazoom on who could make the best one, his aunt would take first prize, hands down.

When she inhaled to speak, Chiro braced himself. Here goes.

"Chiro," she began. "Despite it all... I just want to say… that I trust every word you said."

"I'm sorry, I—" Chiro started, but he cut himself off and blinked in surprise. "You mean...you believe me? I barely believed it myself when it all happened; that's why I didn't tell you. I thought it was just some weird hallucination."

"Of course, I believe you," Zia said. "I mean, I'm seeing these critters right now with my very own eyes!"

Now with a gentler glow in her eyes, she smiled at the robot monkeys. "Besides, I owe it to your cute little friends for saving you. Thank you all."

As a silent gesture of appreciation, Antauri inclined his head to the woman.

"So...you're not mad?" Chiro asked. Did she just call them his friends? He only met them yesterday. Aside from names, he knew next to nothing about them.

"Of course, I am," replied Zia, frowning again. "But… I thought I lost you today. As upset as I am with you for lying to me…" She smiled once again as she hugged her nephew. "I'm more relieved than anything. As long as you're safe, then everything's just peachy to me."

Finally, Otto couldn't keep quiet anymore. "I like her!" he chirped. "She's so sweet!"

Upon seeing Otto ran up to them at first, Zia recoiled in surprise. But when it became apparent that the green monkey meant no ill to his aunt, her face softened again as she pat him on the head. "Aww, aren't you adorable!"

Sprx leaned over to Nova, whispering, "Boy, she's taking this news better than the Kid did..."

Nova wordlessly agreed as the pair watched the woman continuing to babble over Otto like he was a puppy on sale at a pet store.

Chiro chuckled. This was so embarrassing.

"I believe that we should all return to the Super Robot," Antauri said. "There is much to be done."

"Wha—already?" Chiro asked. "But I can't just yet. What about her?"

Antauri tilted his head, considering this. "I suppose with recent events, it would be in the best of benefit for everyone if you both accompany us. But I must request that neither of you utter a word of the Super Robot's presence nor ours once all things have been made clear."

"The city's just not ready for us," Nova said. "Until then, it's low profile for us."

Chiro flinched. "That wasn't what I had in mind, either..." he muttered.

Then, looking at Aunt Zia, whom Otto was still admiring, Chiro decided to take the plunge. "Listen," he said carefully. "The Monkeys want to take me to some place they say where I can be safer...and I think you'd better come along, too. But...please promise me you won't tell anyone what we're going to show you?"

His aunt stiffened up again, but after another glance at the robot monkeys, the indecision in her eyes seemed to lessen. She then nodded at her nephew. "As weird as all this is… my lips are sealed, Chiro."

Chiro smiled and added, "Oh, and, please try not to freak out when we do show it to you."

Zia winked at him. "After all that's happened today, it'll take a lot to do just that."