"I can't trust my hearing," Velicia said, looking at Dim-Dim with confusion. "Are you serious about your terrible idea?""What? I'm just suggesting my idea," Dim-Dim said. "I'm suggesting New York City because non-Safe City settlements are still bustling there and very easily accessible."Velicia shook her head, frustrated. "What I just heard was you intending to violate the Illicitor Code. And not just any code, but CODE NUMBER ONE! 'Do not lure monsters into a city full of innocents', remember?" Velicia's voice raised now. "They, the people of NYC, are innocent! Our actions would be like... murder. Maybe genocide! And you...""If we're careful, no one necessarily has to die, okay?" Dim-Dim tried to dismiss Velicia. But when he saw Miller considering his idea seriously, he felt guilty and turned to look at Velicia again. The girl was taking deep breaths, trying to gather patience."Listen, Vel! I think that is the right thing to do. That monster has already killed nearly 70% of the p
Dim-Dim didn't know how long he had been watching the movie in Justin's living room. But it seemed long enough to make him fall asleep on the arm of the sofa in a position that made his neck ache. And after a few hours, he woke up because of a phone call from Edel. He opened his eyes to answer the call and then placed his phone to his ear.Only when he heard Edel's voice did he fully wake up."Dim-Dim, hi." Edel's voice sounded clear and light."Hi," Dim-Dim immediately adjusted his sitting position. He glanced at Justin, who was sound asleep on the sofa next to him, then looked at the wall clock. 2 AM. "How's the brain surgery?" Dim-Dim asked."Smooth," Edel replied. "Actually, the surgery was done yesterday, but I think I slept for a long time because of the anesthetic medication for surgery.""I'm glad you're okay," Dim-Dim said, feeling his heart melt. "So, how are you feeling now?""I don't have a headache anymore," Edel answered. And before Dim-Dim could ask again, she quickly sa
At eight in the morning, Dim-Dim and Justin set off for the Venator building. Outside Venator, seven vans were already waiting."Dim-Dim, come here," called Clarinassa, her face bright and enthusiastic. "Let Xavera measure your blood pressure."Dim-Dim sat in a chair in front of the blood pressure measuring machine and inserted his arm. He felt the machine compressing his arm."You both look excited," Dim-Dim said to Xavera and Clarinassa.They both laughed. "Caught us, huh?" Xavera asked, while Clarinassa looked around with a smile and then said, "Today's mission reminds me of the day we were introduced to Type A monsters for the first time."Dim-Dim recalled that day. "The mission in Forks," he said."Oh no," said Icaros, from above Dim-Dim. He had just arrived and sat down on the plastic bench next to Dim-Dim. "The one in Forks was Damian's team. Our team was in West Virginia at the time, not too far from there.""Yeah, then we were told by the system that Damian's team was ordered
"Leave this place right now and let me call your replacement Illicitor!" Poe said harshly."It's not fair!" Dim-Dim exclaimed angrily.Poe shook her head, her face filled with irritation. "You don't know how much we need those who can stop time, Dim-Dim!" she shouted. "And now you've hurt one of them when they are our hope!"Dim-Dim felt hurt by Poe's words. He felt Poe had just confirmed that he was no more useful than other super-powered kids.Poe realized that her words had hurt Dim-Dim, but she didn't care. "Go on, leave. There are plenty of Illicitors who want to join this mission!"Dim-Dim looked at Noah's face, which secretly showed a victorious expression, then grabbed his bag from the floor and slung it over his shoulder. He felt everyone's eyes on him now, and tried to stay strong because no one was defending him.Until suddenly, Velicia stepped forward and said, "I saw Noah was the one who approached Dim-Dim first, and he tried to hit Dim-Dim first, Poe. Dim-Dim's actions s
Upon hearing that, Edel immediately stopped time on her own initiative, and they all ran towards one direction: Walker Park.A few moments later, they could see a large mural from afar located near the park and soccer field. The mural depicted five adult male faces, two of them with mustaches and one wearing a cap."That must be the place," said Dim-Dim, recognizing the large mural as 'The Immigrants,' a fairly famous mural in New York City.They paused there for a moment to catch their breath.Edel resumed time."So what now?" asked Noah, showing no signs of fatigue."Activate our superpowers," Velicia and Justin almost simultaneously replied. Velicia then transformed her hair into glowing pink, then blue, then yellow, and then green. "Okay, done!""Nice, Velicia," praised Poe, through the earpieces in their ears. "Justin, for the next five minutes, please don't stop time and let the monster continue to track you from behind. Don't make it suspicious.""Oh, okay, Poe..." said Justin,
Without a moment's hesitation, Dim-Dim's instincts kicked in, prompting him to transform into a big cat.With every stride, Dim-Dim pushed himself harder, fueled by the urgency of the situation. Time seemed to blur as he sprinted through the streets, dodging obstacles and narrowly evading capture. His thoughts raced alongside his body, grappling with the gravity of their predicament and the dire need to reunite with his companions.As he closed in on Edel, Velicia, and Justin, he could feel the weight of their collective struggle bearing down on him. With each passing moment, the distance between them grew shorter... *****Dim-Dim didn't remember how difficult it was to escape from those monsters. Not all the steps. But he remembered some parts.Every time he felt he had run far enough from them, they would leap beside him, grabbing his legs, and he found himself trying to escape by transforming back into a small animal, fleeing, turning into a bird, getting caught again, and turning
Is this what it feels like to be a teenager? Angry, frustrated, falling in love, heartbroken, hurt, angry, frustrated, angry, frustrated...Angry, frustrated...Frustrated...Dim-Dim took a deep breath, then decided to fly around his father's house and land in the backyard, then transform back into himself."Don't be a bratty teenager," he reminded himself mentally. "Don't let people label you as a rebellious teenager. That's enough..."Cath was reading a children's magazine on the back porch, looking bored and clearly waiting for someone.The kid was innocent. So it wasn't understandable Dim-Dim resented her. And she always tried to be nice to Dim-Dim, because she admired him. Maybe Dim-Dim should be nice to her too."Cath, hi," Dim-Dim greeted, stepping over the short fence of the back porch. "What are you up to?"Cath's eyes immediately shifted from the children's magazine she was reading, sparkling as she looked at Dim-Dim. "Dim-Dim!" she exclaimed cheerfully. "I got a new bag! Wa
Dim-Dim couldn't refuse, especially since Edel and Cath seemed so excited about this dinner gathering of the two families.So he helped Edel and Cath move the table to the backyard, in bear form, and then they moved the spare chairs from the shed and cleaned them with a cloth.To be cautious in case of rain, they set up a canopy over the yard."Well, outdoor dinner," Cath exclaimed cheerfully. "I like your bear form. What type is it? There's a crescent moon here," she said, touching Dim-Dim's chest.Dim-Dim told him the type of bear it was, then, for fun, transformed into a pony which usually delighted young girls."They'll be here in two hours," Edel said. "Let's go home to shower, and then come back here," she said.Dim-Dim agreed. He transformed back into himself."Wait, don't go," Cath said. "You can shower in the bathroom in my room." Her eyes were so pleading that Dim-Dim felt pity.Perhaps some girls' dreams were to have an older brother figure, who knows."The problem is, I di