Persona BLEACHED 2: Part 7

Chapter 7: The Star and the Emperor's Gaze
November 27, 2027
"--lobs the pass, and, CAUGHT! Touchdown Wildcats!"
"SHIT!" 
Four years. It had been four years since the Lousiville Cardinals last hoisted the Governor's Cup against archrival Kentucky. And as James O'Donnell's reaction attested, that streak was about to be run to five years. He took another swig of beer--the latest of several, all now strewn about on the floor.
"--and it's INTERCEPTED!"
"Oh my JESUS FUCK! How'd this shithead even get a scholarship?! Swear to God we haven't had a quarterback worth a damn since Lamar..." He chugged down the last of his beer. He stumbled up, and over to the fridge, the leftover bottles clattering with every step. He opened the fridge. No beer left. "Sonuva--MAXIE!"
Max came out of his room, clearly irritated. "What is it now, Pop?"
"I need ya to *burp* to head on to the Circle K...'nother 18-pack of Heineken."
"Haven't you had enough?"
"Boooooy." James growled. Max rolled his eyes, knowing arguing was pointless. "You remember what to do, yeah?"
Max sighed. "Give Barry $20 extra and tell him it's from Old James."
"Damn straight. Crooked shit'd give a 6-pack to a toddler if he got paid enough."
"Can see why you like him, Pop..." Max mumbled under his breath.
"The hell'd you say, boy?" An alert pinged on Max's phone. "Who're you chatting with?" James snatched the phone from Max's hand. He'd gotten a message from Barbara. "Really? You're chattin' with HER? What'd I tell ya about that?"
"She's my sister, old man. I can talk to her if I want."
"You remember what her blabbin' got me, don't ya?"
"Sure it wasn't you buying kids sneakers and cheating on Mom that did you in?"
"The fuck'd you say?!" James stumbled a bit.
Max rolled his eyes. "Barb was right. I should've gone with her and Mom. I'm leaving." Max headed for the door.
"Boy you better be comin' back with that 18-pack! Hey, HEY!" James picked up a bottle and threw it, hitting Max on the arm, sending him reeling. "You wanna leave, shithead? Go right ahead! Your whore mom got everything else I had! Get the fuck outta my face!" 
Max shot him a look. "GO WILDCATS!" he piped up, before walking out. 
He walked the two mile distance to his mother's house, shielding his cut-up arm. He knocked on the door. Barbara answered it, shocked to see who was standing there.
"I, uh...got caught in a bush." Max meekly explained, staring downwards. "Can I, uh...can I come in?"
Barbara put her arms around him, taking care to avoid his arm. "MOM!" she called out.
---
August 28, 2028
"Maxie? You in there? You taking up meditation?"
Max snapped out of it. He was in his dorm, half-dressed. Sahir was giving him a look. "Man, you feeling alright? Getting enough sleep?" Sahir asked.
"No, yeah, I'm alright. Just...thinking about some stuff."
"I don't blame ya. Teach told us a real doozy yesterday. Nobody told us we were getting superpowers included with everything else. Kinda stinks we're the last ones to the party, though. Wonder how Teach is gonna give 'em to us..."
"She did say she'd talk us through it later."
"Right. Exactly why you've gotta get your bridges on, man. I'm itching to get my ghost on. Or whatever those things are called. So get to it!" Sahir bounded out of the dormroom.
Max sighed. "That guy..." He looked into his mirror. "What I could've used superpowers for back then..."
A short while later, the students had gathered in the classroom. "So, let me just reiterate what I talked about yesterday." Rin began. "Until I can be sure what exactly we're dealing with here, I want you all to spend as little time alone as possible. If you're going out somewhere, need to grab something to eat, even need to take a bathroom break, take someone with you. When you're facing unknowns like this, the worst thing you can be is alone. I've learned by now, there's strength in numbers."
"Now, as for what I asked you to think over yesterday...if any of you feel like you aren't safe here any longer, now is the time to let me know. I'm well aware of the risks involved with being around me. Trust me, I'm very well aware. So long as whatever enemy's out there is targeting me, there remains a distinct possibility that you all will end up caught in it. I couldn't bear it if that happened--if one of you got hurt because of me. If you feel that the potential risks are too great and that you want to leave, I won't stop you."
The students remained quiet. Then, Kibō, eye still blackened somewhat, stood up. "Professor, if I can just say one thing. When I found out I was in your class, I was terrified. I thought you wanted to take revenge for what my brother did to you. But...that wasn't it at all. I'm here because you want me to be better than that. If I got up and walked away now, that'd just be me acting like Kyohei. I...I want to repay your faith in me as a person. So, I'm not going anywhere."
Barbara got up from her seat. "Why would I leave when I've still got everything to learn from you? It'd be like walking out of a play after the first act was over. Unsatisfying with a whole bunch of questions unanswered. And there's not a lot I hate more than unanswered questions. I'm staying put. All the more reason to see how you work."
Kenji rose up. "I may have started out hating every second of being around you lot, but I'm content with myself now. Plus, if I were to walk away, your 'bestie' would subject me to even worse torment. And...there are certainly worse things than being around you all."
Carrie was the next to get up. "Boris did not teach me the art of combat just to have me turn away and run at the first sign of danger. This is when we forge lifelong bonds, is it not? Leaving now, well...it wouldn't sit right with me one bit."
Natalia nervously rose. "Everyone, uh...you all make me feel comfortable. I've never really had a big group of people I felt comfortable around. So, yeah...I-I'm with you all, is what I'm getting at..."
Sahir bolted up. "I've still got NO idea what's going on. But for real, I haven't even gotten my superpowers yet. What kind of nutjob would walk away from learning crazy magic? And, y'know, you're pretty great too, Teach. All the other professors seem way too strict for my liking. How should I put it...you actually get us, Teach. If that makes sense."
Max slowly got up. "I'm done running from my problems. If I did, well...I know a certain someone here that'd never forgive me. You said you would help us all really understand the world and be our best selves. So...that's what I want."
Kitty looked around. "So, what, we're doing the anime thing where we all take turns saying how we're gonna stick together no matter what? Eh, fine, whatevs." She got up. "Just for the record, this isn't peer pressure. I actually like being around you guys, surprsingly enough. And I don't want you all kicking my sister's butt without me here."
Rin looked around, and smiled. "Everyone...thank you. I'm happy to see we've formed a good rapport even in the short time we've been together. I can't guarantee what the future's going to bring, but I'll do the best I can for you all. So, then...Max, Sahir, I want both of you to stay after class. You want magic powers? I can give you magic powers. It will probably be a stressful process, but it'll be worth it in the end. Everyone else, continue on as normal. Whoever's pulling strings in the background can't see that we're afraid of what they might do. Nothing gets under a stalker's skin quite like realizing they're not having any effect. Be cautious, be vigilant, but don't be paranoid. Now that that's all settled, let's move on to actual school business."
The rest of the school day passed as normal. The students left the classroom, save for Max and Sahir. "OK. Let's get down to business." Rin said.
"To defeat the Huns?" Sahir joked.
"Should've expected that. Anyway, I called someone over to help you two better understand what's about to happen. She should be getting here right about..."
Suddenly, a small pillar of blue flames manifested next to Rin, surprising the two boys. The flames dispersed, leaving Rose standing where they had been. Sahir was ecstatic. "Hoohoohooo! That was sick! You're telling me we're gonna be able to pull stuff like that? I knew turning down Arsenal was the right move! Maxie, bro, did you see that?!"
"Saw it and...can't believe it." Max responded, still shocked.
"Greetings. I don't believe we've been formally introduced. My name is Rose. I'm Rin's...um..." Rose began blushing.
"Rose is a...dear friend. She's been brought up learning about the Metaverse and cognition. She can explain it far better than I ever could." Rin added. 
"Heh, figures you'd surround yourself with beauties equal to yourself, Teach. Didn't realize that meant actual angels, though." Sahir said with a smirk.
"False flattery will get you nowhere. For many reasons. I could go into detail as to why if you'd like?" Rose said plainly.
"Wow, not even a sarcastic smile. You're not kidding." Sahir responded. 
"Let me make one thing perfectly clear before we begin. The things you are about to see may be disturbing. May be confusing. Rin and I are here to walk you through it. We've experienced this several times before. I was the one who walked Rin through it. Each time is different. But when the process is finished, you will be all the better for it." Rose explained.
"Aww right! Magic time! We're gonna be superheroes, Maxie!" Sahir exclaimed.
"Could you be a little more serious about this? We're not doing this for fun, you know." Max retorted.
"Oh, c'mon, man. Don't act like you aren't amped for this. I've seen those Avengers posters on your wall. You should be waaaaay more into this than I am."
"I'm afraid he has a point. This is not fun and games. This is a potentially deathly serious situation. I want you to treat it as such." Rin affirmed. "Rose, if you would."
"Certainly." Rose took out her phone. "Now, just let me find somewhere to...hm? What's this..."
"Something wrong, Rose? Did you find--"
The door suddenly opened. Barbara walked in. "Sorry to barge in, Professor. I just...I wanted to be here for Max."
"Barb? Seriously, I told you not to--" Max began.
"No, Max. We've always done everything together. I don't know what's going on in that little head of yours, and it scares me. Obviously something's bothering you. If I can help, I want to--"
Max became frustrated. "Here we go again, you don't know something, so you're gonna stick your nose in it to find out. You ever consider maybe there's a reason I'm not telling you anything? Maybe cuz last time you blabbed about something, I was the one that had to hear it from the old man? That's how it ALWAYS is. Barb blabs, Max gets the jabs. EVERY. TIME." 
Barbara was taken aback. Suddenly, a dark aura began to emerge from Max. His voice became distorted. "This is why I stayed with Dad after he got canned. Maybe, if I'm nowhere near you, I won't get heat from anyone else. But no, turns out Dad's just an asshole. But really, who wouldn't be when their whole world gets torn down by their own kid? Did you ever think of that?"
Barbara was clearly hurt by his words. "Max, I'm...I'm sorry." She struggled with what to say.
"Max, you need to calm down. Something's wrong..." Rin interjected.
"Max, I...I don't know what to say. I never meant to hurt you. I'd never want that. I just--"
"Shut up. Not another word. I hate you." Max growled.
The aura flamed up, and completely engulfed Max. All that was left was a miniature black hole floating in the air.
"H-hey, where'd he go?!" Sahir exclaimed.
"His heart formed a Palace in the Metaverse. I'd just detected it. The conflict in his soul is too great. Rin, we have to hurry. If left alone, he will be in serious danger." Rose said.
"Yeah, my thoughts exactly. Sahir, come with us. Looks like it's going to be a trial by fire." Rin added.
"O-oh, alright. We're doing this now, I guess."
Rin looked to Barbara. Her face showed clear dejection. "Barbara...I know that must have been hard to hear. But he needs our help. And he needs you to help him through this."
Barbara shook her head. "Go without me...I'll just make things worse...guess all I've ever done is made things worse for him." Tears began to fall from her eyes.
Rin had seen this before. Rather, she'd experienced it before herself. What Max had said, Tohru had said much the same to her numerous times. Sometimes worse. She put her hand on Barbara's shoulder. "Listen...take it from someone with two older brothers. They can be blockheads. And they can say things that cut deeper because of who they are. But you can't forget that there's still a bond there. One that can't ever be severed by words. You can help him in a way no one else can. Want to know what I see when I look at you? I see a sunny little redhead, crying because her brother said something terrible and she doesn't understand why. Difference is, you can still get through to Max. I can't with Tohru. And I don't want Max to be your Tohru. So please, help me to help him."
Barbara, still crying, nodded her head. "Yeah, yeah, you're right. I couldn't run away when he needs help. Even if he doesn't want it from me..."
"Good girl. Let's go save him." The group entered the portal.
On the other side of the portal, everything was colored as if it was a 1960s era comic book. Sahir looked around in complete amazement. "Dude...I wanna know what that lunch lady stuck in my drink..." he uttered.
The group left the school building and entered the city, all of it appearing as though it was in an old comic book. "So, uh...did we get sucked into Maxie's brain?" Sahir asked.
"Not quite. This is what we call a 'Palace'. The Metaverse is the gathering place for all of humanity's cognition. A Palace is formed when one person's view of the world becomes so distorted that it forms its own pocket dimension within the Metaverse. Putting it simply, this place is how Max sees the world." Rose explained.
"Hm. This makes sense for him. He always wanted to be a superhero..." Barbara began. "I've always loved being in dramas and musicals. Max, he wanted to be one of those MCU heroes, making Disney money and having kids dress as him for Halloween. When we played pretend, he always called himself--"
Suddenly, a figure landed right in front of the group. He was garbed in a black jumpsuit, stylized with a lightning bolt-shaped belt buckle and lining resembling electricity. He wore black goggles, underneath which, his eyes glowed yellow. It was Max. And he was pointing a pair of blasters at Barbara. 
"Step back, citizens. Captain Thunder's here to save the day." he ordered.
"Um, Maxie? What's with the space man getup?" Sahir asked.
"That isn't Max. Not the one you know, anyway. It's his innermost thoughts given form. A Shadow, if you will." Rose explained.
"So. Disguising yourself as a normal school girl, eh, Frost Queen? I'll admit, it might fool anyone else. But I can see right through you. Your wickedness seeps through every fiber of your being." the Shadow proclaimed.
"'Frost Queen'? Wicked? Is that really how you see me, Max?" Barbara asked.
"Don't pretend not to know. Or do you not acknowledge the damage your words cause? I should expect no less from such a heartless villain."
"I'm heartless, am I? Maybe you're right. I never considered how spilling Dad's secrets might turn around and hurt you. I'm not sorry I said anything. But I'm sorry you were hurt by it. If shooting me will make things right..." She opened her arms wide. "...go right ahead."
The Shadow looked confused. "What are you doing? You trying to fool me, call my bluff? You think I'm that stupid? I--"
Unbeknownst to the Shadow, a faint pool of water appeared beneath Barbara and the others. Reflecting in the pool was an image of a blue-hued, ghostly woman in medieval-age garb. "Now, Nimue." Barbara whispered. Suddenly, ghostly hands pulled the group into the water pool, before it vanished almost as soon as it had appeared. The Shadow was floored.
"W-w-w-what?! Curse it all! Tricked by a villain's sorcery...how could I be such a fool?!" He looked up, and saw a signal in the sky, bearing the same lightning bolt insignia as his belt buckle. "More trouble? Your evil doesn't take any breaks, does it, Frost Queen?! You won't get away from me that easily!" He ran in the direction of the signal.
After he left, the puddle reappeared on the wall of a nearby building, and the group stepped out. "He's gone. Figures he'd be the hero of justice in this world." Rin said.
"That was insanity, Barb!" Sahir exclaimed. "I felt like I was sitting in a river for a minute, but I'm not even wet! How'd you--hey, Barb?"
Barbara was downtrodden. "He...he called me a villain. He...really does hate me, doesn't he..." She tried fighting back tears. "I'm sorry, Professor...I can't do it...I can't listen to him talking like that! He's been my best friend for my whole life...if that's how he really feels..." The tears began to fall again. "I'm not strong like you, Professor...I can't listen to my other half telling me that I've ruined his life...it hurts too much..."
Seeing the scene playing out before her, Rin knew what had to be done. "Rose...take Sahir and go after Max. I need a moment." Rose simply nodded. She motioned for Sahir to follow her.
"B-but..." Sahir protested.
"I know. Don't worry. She knows what she's doing." Rose affirmed. The two left.
 
Rin walked over to the weeping Barbara. "Think I'm strong, do you? I'll let you in on a secret. I'm not the invulnerable wall of optimism people think I am. I've let despair get the better of me plenty of times. It's made me do things I'm not proud of. Because it does hurt. I had a brother who hated me for the simple reason that I existed. And it made me so sad to know that nothing I did could change that. He went to his grave hating me. I get to live with that." She pulled a pack of tissues out of her pants pocket. "I've seen and endured a lot of heartache. I've had to use these more often than I'd like to admit." She offered one to Barbara. The girl took it.
"If you learn anything from me, let it be this. Strength isn't learning to hide your pain. It's learning that it's okay to show it. So if you need to cry it out...I'm right here. I'll be here for as long as you need it." Barbara didn't say anything. She simply hugged Rin tightly, and continued crying. Rin hugged her back. "You're lucky, you know...you can still change his mind. Don't tell yourself you can't. I saw shock in his eyes back there. Deep down, he must be hurting. You can help him where no one else can. But before that...just let it out. It'll be alright..."
After a few minutes, Barbara calmed down. "You alright now?" Rin asked.
"Uh huh." Barbara assured, nodding.
"Good, good. My best friend would say you're too pretty to be crying this much. I'd argue it's actually good for cleaning out your eyes. But I digress." Rin joked. 
Suddenly, Rin's phone began to ring. "Hm? Rose, what's going on? Did you find Max?"
"No. But something just appeared on my navigation. Five energy signatures just appeared near your location."
"Five of them? Where are they?"
"A few yards to your right. Act carefully."
Rin hung up her phone. "Wait here." she said to Barbara. She went over to the alleyway to her right. In the middle of the alley sat a single cardboard box. Carefully, she walked over, and picked up the box. Sitting underneath the box...
"...!"
...was Kitty.
"What the--Kitty?!" Rin exclaimed.
"Bah! Aw, c'mon! That usually works!" responded an annoyed Kitty, now puffing her cheeks.
Soon after, Kenji, Carrie, Natalia and Kibō emerged from the shadows. "I told you the box was a stupid idea." Kenji chided.
Barbara walked over. "Hey, Professor, what's going...huh? You guys?"
"Oh, so you were here, Barbara. We were wondering where you'd run off to." Carrie said.
"We didn't know where you went, so we came back to the classroom and found that portal. We overheard a lot of yelling and hid in the alley until it calmed down." Kibō explained.
"You said we should all stick together, Professor. Wouldn't be very easy to explain if you all disappeared in here, would it?" Kenji said.
"Hey, Kenny, you ever try not sounding like a doof?" Kitty chided.
"Tried it once. Wasn't very fun. Does the queen of passive aggressiveness object?" Kenji retorted.
"Anyway...are you alright, Barbara? We overheard bits of that conversation...then we just heard a lot of crying." Carrie asked.
Barbara looked down. "He didn't hold back his words...it was a lot to take in."
Natalia walked over to Barbara and hugged her arm. "My mom says that big fluffy hugs are the best cure for sadness...and I wore my fluffiest hoodie today, so...y'know..." She started blushing.
Barbara smiled. "Thanks, Nats..."
"So what's the plan, Professor? Where's everyone else?" Kibō asked.
"We still haven't found the real Max. His Shadow ran further into the city. Sahir's with my...friend, Rose. He still hasn't awakened. We should catch up with them. Rose has years of experience in this world, but her Persona's strengths aren't in direct combat. There's no telling what else is running around here, so we should keep close to each other. Face front, True Believers." Rin said. The students all stared at her. She began blushing. "Sorry, I've always wanted to say that...anyway, let's get a move on."
Elsewhere in the city, Sahir walked closely behind Rose. "Hey, Ms. Rose? Are those magic powers gonna kick in any time soon?"
"They'll reveal themselves when they see you as ready to possess them. I cannot decide when that occurs."
"Ok. Any way you can make that less vague?" No response from Rose. "Sheesh. Not even a glance. What's with this lady? She's acting like some kind of robot..." he thought.
Rose stopped. "If you wish to speed this up, as it were, then we must get to the bottom of who you are as a person. Rin told me you were a burgeoning soccer star. Several prominent European clubs were fighting for your services. Why did you turn them down to come here?"
Sahir scratched his head. "Heh, getting right to the point, huh? Must seem weird, a guy like me turning down that kind of money. Truth is, I wanted to get out of the spotlight. I'm not the only footballer in my family. My Pops and my Uncle were both pretty good for their day. All those nice European contracts means we've already got more money than we know what to do with. Uncle went pro when he was my age. Told me how much pressure comes with those contracts. 'You're expected to help hoist up trophies immediately. It starts to wear on your body and your mind.' Most of my life I've had everything decided for me. So...figured I'd go off and do my own thing for once."
"How very carefree. Still, if everything was decided for you, how were you able to come here instead?"
"Uncle pulled a few strings. He told my Pop he was taking me to England for another camp. When Pop found out, ooooooh, was he mad. Apparently took Ma and Uncle a week to calm him down. Finally told him I wanted to find my own way as a man. Uncle always taught me to think for myself. So I just wanna keep having fun while I can."
"Hmm. You know, everyone I've encountered had a great deal of conflict in their heart that needed resolving. Yet...I don't sense any such conflict within you."
"What you see's what you get. Just a guy here for a good time, and wants everyone else to have a good time too. That's why...seeing Barb crying like that sucked. Hearing her bro say those things right to her face was a lot to take in. I wanted to tell her not to let it get to her. But, guess Teach had it covered. She's a great lady. I can see why you love her, Ms. Rose."
Rose was taken aback, and began blushing. "Wh-what? What would give you that--"
"Heheheh, that got you to react, didn't it? One look at your eyes when she's around tells me everything. Don't worry, I won't blab to anyone if you don't want me to. Honestly I think it's pretty--"
He was interrupted by the appearance of a large shadow draping over him. He turned around. Standing behind him was a towering man, covered in green armor. The logo for Heineken beer was strewn across his chest. He was hunched over, and breathing heavily. "The hell are you doin' walkin' around here, punk? Ya lookin' for an early grave?" the man growled. His breath smelled of alcohol.
"Sahir...get behind me..." Rose ordered. 
"What's the matter, punk? Really gonna let that skank tell ya what's what? No spine and all trouble. Just what I'd expect from a dumb ni--"
"Whoa whoa whoa WHOA, man. There is absolutely no need to fling that word around. Clearly you've had a ton to drink, so maybe just lay down and--"
Several spiritual threads wrapped themselves around the man's arms. "Sahir, get behind me. Now." Rose repeated.
This only served to make the Heineken man angrier. "Really think this sissy shit's gonna hold me?! Here's how a real man hits, bitch!" With great force, he heaved Rose into the air by the threads, and flung her towards a nearby building. "Now then, punk...where were we--"
Threads wrapped themselves around the man's neck. Rose had avoided crashing into the building, and was instead standing on the side of it. "So uncouth. He who speaks thusly to a woman must despise his mother's face. Such behavior never ceases to confound me." she said firmly. "Sahir. If you're going to achieve the power you desire, I would suggest doing it now. Kikuri-hime can't hold him forever. Dig deep. Find your inner voice. People will suffer if you don't. Hurry. Now or never..."
"Inner voice? OK...I don't know what I'm supposed to do, though--"
"You've known what must be done."
"Huh?" Sahir looked around.
"Don't be so surprised to hear from me. I have been here all along. Waiting for you to see for yourself. There is great despair and anger in this world. The one who can shed light and hope upon these things, is I...or rather, you."
Rose began to struggle. The man continued to rip at the threads.
"Your choices are thus. Stand around and let her die. Or face reality, and punish this ogre of a man. You know in your heart what must be done. Fools who feed on despair deserve their fate. Do you understand?"
Sahir smirked. "Yeah. I get it. Give it to me."
"Very well. Let us begin. This might hurt..." 
Sahir's eyes turned yellow, and he clutched his head. "Oof, you weren't kidding..."
"I am thou, thou art I. I am the all, and the everything. I am Amadioha, the bolt of justice across the blighted sands. There is nothing to be gained from standing idle in the shadows. Now is the time to unleash the force of our will, and be the judge this diseased Earth demands!"
Flames erupted from beneath Sahir. Then, the giant man broke free from the threads, staggering Rose. "Alright, punk-ass, no more--"
Before the man realized it, he was hit squarely in the chest by a soccer ball-shaped flame. Sahir was now standing there, bouncing another ball of flame off his shoe. Behind him floated a ghostly green man, wearing African tribal-style cloth.
"Oh...yeah." Sahir said.
The man, enraged, tried getting up. Sahir kicked the fireball at him, sending him flying. "HooHOOO, boy! Guess I've still got it!" he exclaimed, fistpumping.
The others arrived. "What on Earth happened here? Wait, is that Sahir?" Rin pondered.
"Hey, guys! Check it! I did it! I can sit with the cool kids now!" Sahir boasted, pointing to Amon-Ra.
"Didn't Ms. Rose go with him? Where is she?" Barbara asked.
"Rin! Everyone!" The group looked up to see Rose standing on the side of the building.
"Gah! She's standing on the wall?!" uttered a surprised Natalia.
"Where exactly did you say you met her, Professor...?" asked Kenji.
Rose pointed to where the giant man had flown off to. "Stay alert! He's not done yet!"
Sure enough, in the distance, the man rose to his feet. Seething with rage and smoldering from the fire, his muscles began to bulge. He began to grow in size: he reached roughly twice the size of a standard three-bedroom house. He let out a terrible roar.
"Oh goodness...what on Earth is that?" Carrie asked.
"Ummmm...are giant shadow monsters taking sponsorships now? What's with the beer logo?" asked Kitty.
Barbara was frozen with fear. "A monster with a beer logo...oh, no...please, not him..."
The man towered over the class. "HRRRM. YOU RUNTS ALL LOOK SO SCRAWNY...HRM?" He stared straight at Barbara. "OOOOOH. AND YOU'RE HERE TOO...SAVED ME THE TROUBLE OF HUNTIN' YA DOWN. WASN'T ENOUGH TO END MY CAREER AND MAKE MAXIE A WUSS, WAS IT? BUT HE'S MINE NOW. YOU AND YOUR SLUT OF A MOTHER WON'T ROT HIS BRAIN ANYMORE. I'M GONNA CRUSH YOU INTO TINY PIECES, AND THE REST OF THESE PUNKS WITH YA!"
"Everyone? Steel yourselves. Looks like we've got no other options." Rin asserted.
"We're going to fight that thing?! But he's so big and angry! Maybe he just needs some alone time..." Natalia said sheepishly.
"No. If we all gang up on him, I'm sure we can win. We got these abilities for fights like this. We can overwhelm him." Kibō retorted.
The monster moved towards the group.
Barbara was completely frozen. "No...you can't...he's not the one that takes the beatings..."
---
A block away, Max stared out the window of a tall building.
"He's going to kill them, you know." His Shadow stood behind him. "Old Man Heineken can't be beaten. He can do whatever he wants. Any consequences just bounce onto someone else. That's how it always goes."
Max was motionless. "You're supposed to be a hero of justice, right? Why won't you save them?"
"Why should I? He's going to do what we want. He's finally going to make that wicked Frost Queen pay for what she did. You said it yourself that you hated her. The old man wouldn't be nearly as angry if it wasn't for what she said. Every last ounce of pain he's caused you is because of her. She's made you weak. Dependent on her."
"....."
"You can't stand the sight of her. You wish she would just disappear. That everyone else would just disappear. They would all hurt you in the end. There's only one man you can trust."
"Yes...one drunken, belligerent, violent, abusive, deceitful, manipulative, horrible man. You let yourself believe all of it. That every allegation was just lies. That everything he'd done in the past was just tough love, that a 'snowflake' like you just couldn't handle it. That the one person on this Earth who loves and understands you better than anyone else was the source of your misfortune. And now, when you've finally found somewhere to belong, he's going to destroy all of it. Just like always."
Max fell to his knees. "You're right...all of it. Barbara...oh my God. How could I say that to her?! What am I supposed to do now?"
"Take it back. Here, he's invincible. He's invincible because you made him that way. But this is your world. You make the rules here, not him. Drive it into his face that he can't touch you here. We're the hero of this world. We don't cater to the whims of a bully. Take it back."
Max looked up. "Yeah. Let's do it. I'm sending his ass back to Kentucky."
"Swear to me. Right now. Take your role, and never look back. Who makes the rules here?"
"Me. Me and only me."
"Damn right. Let's get it done."
The Shadow disappeared. Max's eyes blazed yellow.
"I am thou. Thou art I. Ye who has been deemed worthy of my strength. The power to change your fate is now yours. Wrath, like thunder. Justice, like lightning. I am Thor. Let great Mjolnir be the blade with which you correct this world's justice!"
Max's eyes began crackling with electricity, which turned into a giant surge.
Meanwhile, the group struggled againt the monster. Kibō's blade didn't register a scratch. "Not even a dent...what's this guy even made of?!"
Carrie was perched on his leg, punching him with light-infused fists. "Ridiculous...I'm hurting myself more than him..."
Kitty tried firing another spell. Every spell on her screen read "0 MP". "Crap. I'm out of juice. Like one of those bosses you're scripted not to beat..."
The monster let out a gigantic roar, sending the students flying. Barbara was still frozen in place. Rin was befuddled. "Not even my lance is working...is this guy really invincible?"
"YOU'RE NEXT, BARBIE! YOU'RE GONNA REGRET EVER OPENING THAT BIG MOUTH OF YOURS!" the monster roared.
Barbara shuddered. "That's right...it's all my fault...Max is only suffering because of me...he's right to hate me...he'll only be happy if I..." She slowly walked towards the monster.
"Barbara?! What the hell are you doing?!" Kibō yelled.
"I'm paying...paying for what I did to--"
Lightning flashed across the sky. Everyone gazed upward. Another strike crashed right in front of Barbara. Standing there, eyes aglow with electricity, was Max.
"Max..." Barbara uttered.
"THERE YOU ARE, BOY. C'MERE, SIT AND WATCH WHILE I MAKE YOUR SISTER A PANCAKE." the monster bellowed.
Max stared him down. Then, he grabbed Barbara's hand, to her surprise. "Gonna have to make it a double stack, old man." he retorted.
"HRM. FIGURED YOU'D PUSSY OUT AT THE END. ALWAYS PICKING THE WUSSY SIDE, JUST LIKE HER. YOU FORGETTIN' I'M INVINCIBLE?"
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning came down, striking the monster's leg and leaving it bleeding. 
"Don't look so invincible to me, old man." Max taunted.
Max grabbed Barbara by the shoulders. "Barb. I'm gonna need you to snap out of it. We can beat him. But it has to be you and me. He's done you wrong just as bad as me. I'm sorry, for everything I put you through. I don't hate you, I never could. That was all the garbage he put into my head. You did the right thing and I let myself believe otherwise. I'm done listening to his bull. So let's kick his ass. Together. Like always."
Finally hearing what she had wanted to hear all along, Barbara smiled and nodded. "Together. Like always." she repeated. She walked toward the angered, bleeding monster. "I'm dropping the curtain on you, old man. No more opening that big mouth." Her eyes glowed white. Then, a giant pool of water appeared under the monster. Hundreds of ghostly hands emerged from it, grabbing the monster. He struggled to fight them off, as they began pulling him into the water.
"MAXIE! DON'T DO THIS! DON'T BE A WUSS!" he roared as he was pulled deeper.
"You don't get it, old man. I was only a wuss when I was buying your nonsense. Not anymore." When the monster was almost fully submerged, Max called forth another bolt of lightning. It struck the monster, and the soaked man exploded.
"Dayum!" Sahir expressed.
"OK. Noted. Never get on the Wonder Twins' bad side." Kitty quipped.
The monster defeated, Barbara embraced Max in a hug. "Never do that to me again, got it?" she demanded.
"Yeah. Wouldn't dream of it." Max replied. He turned to the group. "Sorry to put you through all that trouble, everyone. All that was driving me crazy for so long...I'm just glad it's over."
Barbara hugged his arm. "And I'm glad I have my partner back." she said cheerfully.
The city began to shake. "There's our cue to leave. Rose, do your thing." Rin said. Rose opened a portal, and everyone exited.
Everyone returned to the classroom. "Well, that was a bit more...dire than I would've liked, but we got what we needed. I'm happy it all got sorted out. I'll let you all get some rest. I expect you all bright and early tomorrow morning." Rin dictated.
The students all left the room. "Well, now that that's over with, I'd like to propose a grand feast to celebrate our victory. And by grand feast, I mean just your normal everyday feast down at the burger joint. Keeb's treat!" Sahir exclaimed.
"Again with the burger joint. You trying to start something?" Kibō said, annoyed. The group departed.
"You coming, Max?" Barbara asked, seeing that her brother hadn't moved.
"Should I really go along? I did start that whole mess, after all..." he replied.
Barbara grabbed his arm. "Don't even worry about it. The important thing is, you're alright now. That's all I care about. Come on, I'm sure you're starving."
"Alright. Food does sound good right about now. Especially if it's all on Keeb's tab." The two left.
Rin gave a smirk. "Quite the interesting brood you have, Rin." Rose said.
"Yeah. They're all good kids. And they had the right idea. I'm famished." Rin replied.
"Well, if that's the case...I could call in and reserve for the Hibachi down the street."
"Rose! Are you, uh...asking me out on a date?" Rin began blushing madly.
Rose grabbed her hand. "I won't take no for an answer. Come now, I can teleport us home to get changed in no time."
"O-Okay. That sounds...lovely. But I can't just leave my car here."
"Oh, right. Well in that case, I'll have to settle for making amorous looks in your direction as you're driving."
Rin became even more flustered as they left the room. "S-stop it! When did you get so forward?!" Rose simply giggled, and they left the room.