The New Cartoon Kid

Kira's House

"Ugh, where's the remote?!" Hakim said, scanning the living room as his hand slid between cushions and across the table.

He straightened, eyes narrowing. "Maybe it's in Kira's room. She's not home, so why don't I take a look?" Hakim said.

He went upstairs and reached her door. The handle slid open with a soft click. Inside, the room was perfectly arranged. Clean walls. Tidy drawers. Not a thing out of place.

"Now, where's that remote?" Hakim said, stepping farther in.

As he searched, his foot nudged something near the desk. A book.

"Art of Taijutsu? What's that?" Hakim said.

He picked it up, dropped onto the bed, and began flipping through the pages. Diagrams. Stances. Notes written with sharp precision. He was so absorbed that he never noticed the door slide open behind him.

"What are you doing in my room?!" Kira said, her voice cold enough to frost the air.

Hakim jumped. "Looking for the remote," he said.

"I'm pretty sure you won't find it in here," Kira said.

The air warped. Molecular force shoved Hakim bodily out of the room and sent him skidding across the hall floor as the door slammed shut behind him.

The Next Day – Guardian's Chamber

"There's a summon report from Norway," the Guardian said.

The portal flared open, swallowing them whole.

Norway

Kira and Decibolt stepped out onto frozen ground. A summoner lay nearby, battered and barely conscious. Without warning, a white cannon fired from the treeline. The summoner vanished in a burst of yellow smoke.

"What's going on here?" Molecular Girl said.

A kid in a blue cape and mask stood proudly nearby, a shard clutched in his hand.

"You guys saw my epic win!" the kid said.

The summoner tried to crawl away. A massive arm stretched out and grabbed her mid-escape.

"You can't escape the new Cartoon Kid!" the kid said.

Kira and Decibolt exchanged a glance as the shard was handed over and the summoner was flung aside.

"Umm, thanks for your help. Now can we have your shards?" Molecular Girl said.

"What?!" the kid said, stepping back.

"We need all the shards to bring back the real Cartoon Kid," Molecular Girl said.

"You don't need him; I can be the new Cartoon Kid," the kid said.

"I'm sorry, but that's not possible," Molecular Girl said.

"Then I'm sorry too. I release you from your existence, Shadow Wing!" the kid said.

A girl appeared in a white hoodie, yellow beak protruding from the hood, feathered sweatpants brushing the ground.

"Category Specialist, Combat Power..." Molecular Girl said.

"Don't tell me she's over 700," Decibolt said.

"Actually, it's 30. She might as well be a normal human," Molecular Girl said.

Shadow Wing flapped her arms awkwardly.

"This should be quick," Decibolt said.

He fired a sonic blast. A shadow streak flashed past Shadow Wing and deflected it.

"What was that?" Decibolt said.

A shadow eagle hovered before them, its tail feathers tethered to Shadow Wing's shadow.

"I might not be able to fight, but Baldi sure can. Get 'em!" Shadow Wing said.

The eagle screeched and slammed into them.

"Sonic blasts!" Decibolt said.

Baldi twisted through the sound waves and struck again.

"It's just a black bird, nothing special. Kinetic Punch Barrage!" Molecular Girl said.

Her fists missed. Baldi seized them with her talents, hurled them, and launched shadow feathers.

"I can't move shadows!" Molecular Girl said.

"Sonic Pulse Blast!" Decibolt said.

The feathers dissolved.

"Come on, Baldi, keep on the attack!" Shadow Wing said.

"Not if I attack first! Use your gravity, Sonic Step!" Decibolt said.

He rushed in, hammering Baldi with strikes before blasting her into the dirt. Kira followed, punching it deeper into the ground.

"Oh no, Baldi!" Shadow Wing said.

Baldi reappeared above them.

"Use Feather Cannon!" Shadow Wing said.

Feathers rained down.

"That's the spirit! It'll teach them for trying to take away my summons!" the kid said.

"Sonic Storm!" Decibolt said.

Baldi dodged and slammed them down again.

"Keep pressing!" Shadow Wing said.

"Full Body Repulsion!" Molecular Girl said.

Baldi was blasted skyward, then smashed back into the ground.

"Kinetic Punch Barrage!" Molecular Girl said.

"I don't like this; they're winning!" the kid said.

"She'll come back from it," Shadow Wing said.

"No, go Harpy Shadow!" the kid said.

"Shouldn't we wait—" Shadow Wing said.

"I don't care!" the kid said.

"Baldi, Harpy Shadow!" Shadow Wing said.

Baldi swooped towards Shadow wing, grabbed her with her shoulders before lifted her into the sky, Baldi let go and wrapped itself around Shadow wing A shadow cocoon formed—then burst open into Harpy Shadow, a black-skinned harpy with glowing white eyes.

"Combat Power 707," Molecular Girl said.

"We can still handle this!" Decibolt said.

"As if I need your reassurance!" Molecular Girl said.

Harpy Shadow blitzed them.

"Full Body Repulsion!" Molecular Girl said.

She attacked; Harpy Shadow dug her talents into the ground stooping her

"Feather Cannon!" Harpy Shadow said.

"Repulsion Field!" Molecular Girl said.

She reduced then to nothing

"Full Body Repulsion!" Molecular Girl said.

Sendig her flying

"DeciCannon!" Decibolt said.

Harpy shadow capped her wings, neutralizing it.

"Shadow flock!" Harpy Shadow said.

Multiple Baldies appeared and soared towards them

"Supersonic Decibolt—Decicannon, Decicannon, Decicannon!" Decibolt said.

He destroyed them. Harpy Shadow dove, blocked his punches with her wings, then slammed him down. Kira tried to spin kick but got grabbed and smashed.

"Time to try out my new attack," Molecular Girl said.

"Molecular Taijutsu!" Molecular Girl said.

A flurry of enhanced palm strikes, then she spun Harpy Shadow and blasted her down with a double palm.

"Oh come on! A sloth could dodge those!" the kid said.

Harpy Shadow struggled

"Joints feeling sore? Molecular Taijutsu will do that to you," Molecular Girl said.

Harpy Shadow attacked; Kira dodged and countered from behind.

"Sonic pulse blast!" Decibolt said.

He pushed Harpy Shadow towards Kira, and she spin kicked her down

"Urgh," Harpy Shadow said.

She flew into the air and released a feather cannon.

"Cyclonic gravity!" Molecular Girl said.

The feathers were distroyed in the cyclone.

"You'll pay for what you did to me!" Harpy Shadow said.

"Gravity enhance!" Molecular Girl said.

She crashed down.

"Why don't I add to the pain?" Molecular Girl said.

She struck her forehead.

"Why am I losing?! The Cartoon Kid always wins! Harpy Shadow, finish this!" the kid said.

Harpy Shadow shot into the sky, wings cutting through the air as shadows rippled behind her. Her feathers flared, dark energy concentrating at their tips before she unleashed another volley of feathers.

"Is someone out of moves" Decibolt said, cocky.

"Those look more powerful."

The feathers screamed through the air at brutal speed. They struck like missiles, the impacts sending both fighters skidding across the ground. Their suits sparked and tore as the feathers seized and detonated, leaving scorched grooves in the battlefield.

"This is the end for you."

Harpy Shadow plunged straight down. Her landing shattered the ground, a crater exploding outward as a piercing sonic screech erupted from her throat, slamming Kira and Decibolt into the wall behind them with bone-rattling force.

"Now to finish it."

The darkness coating her body recoiled all at once, collapsing inward and flowing back into Baldi. The shadow eagle reformed in her grasp, elongated and sharpened into a lethal shape.

"Baldi spear."

She hurled it with all her strength. Baldi ignited mid-flight, shadow and energy spiraling violently around the spear as it tore toward them.

"Final supersonic ripple blast."

"Super Kinetic punch"

Their powers surged together. Sonic waves collided with molecular force, the combined attack slamming into the Baldi spear and forcing it backward. Harpy Shadow shrieked, unleashing another sonic screech, pushing the weapon forward again in a violent stalemate.

"No! I can't lose. How about I bring in King Blob?!" He brought out the shard "King blob" the kid said.

Before the summon could take form, Shadow Wing vanished in a burst of yellow smoke. The energy snapped back violently, and the kid collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

The battlefield fell silent.

When he woke up.

"What happened?!" the kid said.

"You can't summon two beings at once," Molecular Girl said.

"But I've seen the Cartoon Kid do it!" the kid said.

"Because the power belongs to him," Molecular Girl said.

"What if I learn too...?" the kid said.

"That's not possible," Molecular Girl said.

"If he's not going to give us the shards, I'm taking them," Decibolt said.

"What he means is that we really need those shards to bring the Cartoon Kid back," Molecular Girl said.

"Fine... My name's John Alvin. Make sure you tell him about me," the kid said.

"Sure," Molecular Girl said.

"Don't forget to tell him about me!" John said.

Guardian's Chamber

"You're too nice. I could've gotten those shards way faster," Decibolt said.

"That's why I'm mission leader. And now that I'm probably stronger than you, I deserve that title," Molecular Girl said.

"Stronger than me? Your little Taijutsu is nothing to me," Decibolt said.

"Why don't we settle it then? One-on-one. All out," Molecular Girl said.

"Sounds good to me," Decibolt said.