"What are you doing to me..?" [A Chamika story]

Chapter Six

Mika shivered as she trudged up the steps. She didn't realize how much time she had spent with Chapa. She remembered leaving school not long before the day ended, so she couldn't have arrived at the abandoned station any later than early afternoon. Now, as she reached the top of the stairs, she was met by the sunset and a cool breeze.

Chapa walked ahead, focused on the electricity running around her palms "How many emergency calls do you get in one night?"

Mika jogged to catch up. "It really depends on the night, but I'm not really sure if I'd get any calls tonight-" she held her tongue, unsure of if she should state what she was really thinking. The reason why she wouldn't get any calls is since as far as the rest of the team was concerned, she was still bargaining with the villain over the stolen book.

Chapa studied her for a moment. "You think the guys will cover for you while you're on a date?" she guessed. Mika could feel her cheeks warm up at the mention of their time together being referred to as a date. Chapa had said it with a completely flat tone, making it hard to read her intentions. However, she was able to read the fact that the electricity that had been building in her palms had suddenly vanished.

"Y...Yeah. My line is probably shut down for the night," Mika admitted, "Patrolling the streets for an emergency could take hours, and waiting for a villain with the tech could take even longer."

Chapa considered this, until the electricity returned, and she stuffed her hands in her pockets. Her method of hiding the static worked momentarily, until Mika watched it snake up her right arm, bolt down the left, and finally fizz out. She sighed, "You're right, patrolling would take way too much time. I would say we could try the beating dungeon but-"

"-We wouldn't be able to go in together since I don't have my villain disguise." Mika blurted out, finishing Chapa's sentence. She paused, trying to think. "People would think we were together, and it would look bad for both of us... Wait, actually that might work."

Chapa rolled her eyes "What, us going in together, as partners? Mika, I need you to realize that being seen alongside me as anything other than rivals could absolutely ruin your reputation. Trust me, that is not something you want."

"Exactly. We go in as rivals, not partners. The beating dungeon is just for off the clock heroes and villains to fight each other, right?" Mika noticed Chapa perk up, and she could tell she was catching on, "So, all we have to do is show up around the same time, spot each other, and pretend to duke it out."

"I'll ask to borrow someone's weapon, and accidentally forget to return it. That's honestly perfe-" Chapa winced, cutting herself off mid-sentence. She strained, and Mika could tell it was taking a lot of energy to contain the electricity.

Mika reached out to place a hand on Chapa's shoulder, hold her hand, or some comforting gesture, but before she could decide, Chapa pushed her hand away. As she did, Mika could feel how warm she had become, almost as if she had a fever throughout her entire body. She could practically feel the static trying to claw its way out. "We don't have to do this tonight, I don't want you to hurt yourself."

Chapa shook her head "I'll be fine. I've got some time before I have another power surge." she pulled her gum container out of her pocket, and Mika instinctively reached for her own, "We should hurry though, before I accidentally reveal my identity."

Despite fighting for opposite causes, secret identities were one of the things the duo could agree on. They had a silent agreement about exposing identities, since Mika knew if she revealed Chapa's, Chapa could retaliate by revealing hers, and vice versa. 

Mika felt Chapa's hand wrap around her wrist and pull her into an alleyway. The action was so sudden, Mika almost tripped. "Here, I know a shortcut," Chapa said, placing a gumball in her mouth.

"Is it a shortcut, or an excuse to wear your costume in public?" Mika was about to take a piece of her own gum, but she hesitated. In the event someone did see the two of them together in this back alley, it could be bad news for her. She wasn't really sure what was worse- Volt and Shoutout being spotted together, or Volt and Mika Macklin being seen together. She considered her options, and popped a gumball.

Chapa chuckled, popped her own gumball, and Mika watched as she transformed into Volt. There was an odd sense of comfort in seeing her costume, seeing as she never bothered getting a proper villain costume. She was still in her uniform from her Danger Force days, seeing as that's how people recognized her best. Still, Mika couldn't help but wonder why she kept her old uniform, and hadn't replaced it. Her mindless wondering was put to a halt as Chapa turned around and noticed her staring. She looked as if she was trying to keep herself from smiling, "Is my costume really that captivating?"

"I was just wondering why you kept the Danger Force Uniform," Mika stammered. "You still dress like a hero. How come you never got a villain costume?"

Chapa clicked her tongue, considering this. "I guess it's just easier to keep this one. I never really took the time to think about getting a real villain costume... Although Frankini has pitched some truly horrendous ideas." Chapa made an exaggerated grimacing face, and Mika couldn't help but to laugh.

Silence fell as the two walked down the alleyways towards the Beating Dungeon. More than once had they made a wrong turn and had to turn around completely. Chapa tossed up the idea of jumping across rooftops, but the risk of being spotted (not to mention the risk of falling) trumped that idea. And so, the two shuffled along in mostly silence.

Eventually, Mika had gotten so used to the rhythm of following Chapa that she didn't notice the other suddenly pause. They slammed into each other, and stumbled forwards. She had been so surprised it took her a moment to assess and realize where they were. To be fair, from the back the building was hard to recognize, but as soon as she put some thought behind it, the thought generated in her mind.

They had made it to the Beating Dungeon.