Dim-Dim and Amaliah continued cycling until they reached the border. They bought burgers, two each, and ate while cycling leisurely along the road. Ahead of them, in the distance, peeking through the coconut trees, was a beach with blue and luminated water.As they got closer to the beach, they found out that it was called Tusan Beach.*****"Where's the wall?" Amma asked, gazing at the sea spread out in front of them. She dropped her bike on the beach and took off her sandals. Dim-Dim did the same.The beach was deserted when they arrived, and they both ran towards the sea as far as possible. There was no wall.As the waves grew bigger, they retreated back to the beach, both soaked with seawater. "Okay, let's document this place," Amma decided. And she turned on the camera and aimed the lens at Dim-Dim."Do I visible on camera?" Dim-Dim asked."You're visible," Amma replied. "Just start speak.""Okay..." Dim-Dim saw Amma giving a sign that the camera was recording, and quickly said,
The islands Dim-Dim saw last night were Labuan Island, the largest one, while the six other small islands around Labuan Island are named Daat, Burung, Kuraman, Big Rusukan, Small Rusukan, and Papan.Around these islands is where people usually engage in scuba diving. But Dim-Dim and Amma didn't go there for scuba diving; instead, they were documenting how the Safe City of Five Countries protects itself from monsters. So, they focused on going to the venator defense building on the island.The building was tall and sleek, with a kind of observation balcony at the very top. Amma recorded the building with her video camera, and then they went inside, finding the interior bustling with venators having coffee with ordinary civilians."Excuse me," Dim-Dim said to a man sitting behind a computer desk. "I'm Dim-Dim, and this is my sister, Ams, and we're from Safe City New Jersey. We came here to do a geography assignment on the types of protection used in the Safe City of Five Countries. If I
"Shh!" Amma placed her fingers on her lips, urging Dim-Dim to be quiet as they sneaked around in the backyard of the vacation house. But Dim-Dim didn't feel it was the right thing to do."They must be worried," Dim-Dim whispered. "We should come out nicely and explain to them that—""Stop," Amma whispered angrily. "Any explanation can wait until tomorrow. Tonight my feet are so tired after cycling all day.""Okay..." Dim-Dim replied hesitantly.But then they encountered difficulty when they realized the back door of the vacation house was locked, and they had to climb up to the second-floor window."Well, I can be a giraffe," Dim-Dim said. "Or an elephant. So I can help you climb up..."Amma nodded. "Okay, hurry."So, Dim-Dim immediately transformed into an African elephant, making himself big and tall, with four legs, a trunk with a very sharp sense of smell, and excellent hearing.He sat down to let Amma climb onto his back (which she did with difficulty), then stood up and walked t
"Keep your lies to yourself, but when my brother comes, you'll be more dead than this, Faker!" scolded Amma.And only then did the fake Dim-Dim look scared. "Okay, I'll really tell you my intentions!" he said. "So please don't hit me—""I'll hit you again if you don't start talking," Dim-Dim said angrily, and the man immediately revealed his identity."I'm Pedro, and I'm an orphan. I come from Papua New Guinea, and I came here with difficulty. But I don't have a job here, and I'm starving. I try to find food by pretending to be someone else and entering people's houses to eat a bite or two spoons of rice, and then leave..." the fake Dim-Dim said quickly."The part about eating a bite or two spoons of rice sounds dramatic," Amma commented. "Even for your cunning standards.""Okay, okay, I eat and steal money. Are you satisfied!?" Pedro yelled in frustration. "But just a little, I swear. I don't want to be a fugitive. I just want to live, so I only steal a little for bus fare.""And now
According to plan, that night Dim-Dim transformed into a white Siberian husky, and Pedro became Dim-Dim. Together with Amma, the three of them boarded the jet."Amma, where did you get that dog?" Mr. Parenzee asked, glaring at Dim-Dim, who was in the form of a siberian husky, sitting casually on the narrow aisle between the seats inside the jet."From the inn," Amma replied casually. She motioned for Pedro to sit in the passenger seat near the window, while she sat in the seat near the aisle. Amma stroked Dim-Dim's head. "Look, he's tame.""Are you sure he doesn't have an owner?" Amma's father asked. "What if he belongs to someone around here? They might miss him.""Well, I asked around, and no one knows this dog," Amma lied skillfully."Has he been vaccinated?" Mrs. Parenzee asked. "Have you checked his fur? He might have fleas.""I don't know if he's been vaccinated or not," Amma replied. "But he doesn't have fleas, and I think he's healthy enough to accompany us on the journey for
In the days following, life in Safe City became arduous with a multitude of missions to undertake. Sometimes, Dim-Dim even found himself facing two missions in a single day, each requiring him and his team to confront two or more type A monsters. This left him with little time to ponder over Pedro's news. Amma also remained silent, not sending any messages.Meanwhile, Dim-Dim occasionally visited Damian in the specialized training room for individuals with superpowers, located within the Venator building. Damian's progress was slow, but he received unwavering mental support from his former teammate, who always invited him to lunch, and occasionally from Clary, who invited him to dinner.After a few days' break in the Safe City of Five Countries, Dim-Dim found it challenging to readjust to balancing school and missions. Mr. Miller had also been constantly expressing his frustration, claiming that the Oriyan team's abilities had declined since Damian's departure, impacting the overall m
"Hey, Justin!" that evening, Dim-Dim decided to visit Justin at his home in the residential complex for people with superpowers.Justin looked really refreshed that evening. He had just finished showering after playing basketball. "Hey, buddy," he said. "I was just thinking of cooking instant noodles. Want some?""Yes," Dim-Dim replied. He took off his shoes and walked in. "How have you been?"And Justin cheerfully went on to talk about his new car, Lily. And Lily was a luxurious sports car."Wow!" Dim-Dim was very surprised. "Is that the latest sports car model that makes superpowered people untraceable by monsters?" he asked."Yes! From now on, I can go wherever I want!" Justin exclaimed. "We should take Lily to visit Los Angeles, then Las Vegas, and after that—" his words suddenly stopped. "Oh, yeah, sorry, I forgot that you're really busy." Suddenly Justin seemed very distant from Dim-Dim."Me? Not at all!" Dim-Dim said. "I'm not busy at all.""Not from what I've seen," Justin sai
The next day, Dim-Dim decided to go to the animal hospital where his father worked. He wanted to find out more about Mr. Loghan, who was a close friend of his late mother, and perhaps his father remembered something."Can I meet my father, Doctor Damisch?" Dim-Dim asked a sweet receptionist with a heart-shaped face and short orange-dyed hair."Good afternoon, of course you can!" the receptionist replied cheerfully. "But at the moment, Doctor Damisch is performing surgery on a koi fish.""How long will that take?" Dim-Dim asked, surprised."I'm not sure. But it might take a few hours," the woman replied. "How about you come back here tomorrow?""Okay," Dim-Dim replied, somewhat disappointed. However, just as he was about to leave the animal hospital, the operating room door suddenly opened, and his father along with some paramedics walked out. They were carrying an unconscious koi fish on a wheeled table.Dim-Dim was amazed to see the koi fish, especially because he rarely saw a fish l