by David Estes
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Villains never give up
The next two weeks of summer passed by quickly, as they fell into a routine. Nikki and Spencer spent nearly every day together, but never tired of each other’s company. They played video games, hung out in the The Clubhouse, and went swimming at the pool. From time to time, Nikki’s bracelet would pulse, and she would rush off to perform her duties as a superhero.
The issue with the bomb in the pond had eventually blown over—the tree-huggers had dropped all charges. The people in the town had not been too happy when the Environmental Protection Council seemed to place more value on a couple of fish than on real human lives. Cragglyville really came through for Nikki. Now they cheered for her whenever she swooped in. She had returned the statue of Arthur Munroe on his horse, and a project was underway to repair and restore the monument.
Even the news was mostly positive, calling her “a true superhero” and “the best thing that has ever happened to this town.” Occasionally, Susan Hughes, the nasty newspaper writer, would write a scathing article in The Crag about how Nikki Powergloves was a menace to society and should be run out of town, but it didn’t bother Nikki too much as no one seemed to agree with Susan.
Now, Nikki and Spencer were sitting on a couple of swings in the park talking about her latest superhero act—she had pulled four-year-old twin sisters out of a burning apartment—when her cell phone rang. She answered, “Hello?”
“Hello, Nikki Powergloves. Congratulations, it seems like you’ve been busy since we last met. I’ve been following the news very closely.”
She immediately recognized the voice and replied, “Ahh, Jimmy Not-so-powerboots. How has life been treating you since you lost all of your powers?”
“Very, very good actually. You see, I’ve discovered something that I thought you might be interested in.”
“And what might that be?” she asked.
“I’ve learned that the treasure chests we found are not unique.”
“What do you mean?” Nikki asked.
“I mean that there are more kids just like us, who met Weebles, found treasure chests, and now have powers that they only dreamed of having. In fact, I made a new friend that I thought you might want to talk to. He understands me like no one ever has before. We’ve become partners.”
Before she could reply a new voice came on the line. “Hi, Nikki, my name is Peter Powerhats. One of my powers is that I can find the exact location of any powerchest in the world, no matter how well it is hidden. I’ve recently been doing some work for Jimmy here.”
Jimmy’s voice came back on the line. “That’s right, Nikki. With Peter’s help I’ve finally been able to get back what was rightfully mine: my powerboots. And guess what? Now we are coming for you, Nikki. Good luck.” The call went dead before Nikki could say anything in return.
“That’s not possible,” Nikki said, almost to herself.
Spencer had only heard bits and pieces of the conversation so he asked, “What’s not possible, Nikks?”
She looked at him with concern etched across her forehead. “Jimmy said he has a friend who has powers and who helped him recover his lost treasure chest.”
“Another kid with powers?” Spencer asked.
“Yep, he says there are lots of kids with powers. His friend, Peter Powerhats, can find lost treasure chests. Jimmy says they already found his. I don’t know whether to believe him though, he may just be tricking me.”
“We better check now, Nikks.”
Nikki nodded, and the pair ran off toward Nikki’s house. When they reached her yard, they cut along the side between the houses, and through the gate into the backyard. Nikki cautiously opened the door to her dad’s tool shed. Earlier that summer when Nikki had defeated Jimmy, she and Spencer spent an afternoon prying up a couple of floorboards in the shed, digging a small hole, and, after hiding Jimmy’s miniature treasure chest, nailing the floorboards back down.
“He wasn’t lying,” Nikki said when they entered the shed. Two floorboards had been pulled up, and the hole was empty. Jimmy had recovered his powerboots and he was coming back to Cragglyville.
“Are you worried?” Spencer asked.
Nikki looked defiant. “No, I beat him once and I can do it again,” she said with determination in her voice.
Spencer didn’t look convinced. “Yeah, but the last time it wasn’t two against one. You know that he’s going to bring this Peter Powerhats character with him this time. You won’t stand a chance if you are outnumbered.”
“We’ll see about that,” Nikki said. At that very moment, her phone vibrated as she received a text message. “If that is another threat from Jimmy, I might just go and find him instead of waiting for him to turn up here.” They huddled around her phone to see what the message said.
u r not alone NP
there r other kids like u
most r not like JP and PP
we will come 2 help
Nikki and Spencer looked at each other, their eyes opening wide with wonder.
“This is awesome,” Spencer said.
Nikki nodded and sent a reply:
thx, that is good 2 hear
who r u?
Her phone buzzed again when the reply came seconds later:
Samantha Powerbelts
c u soon
Upon reading the message, Nikki snapped her phone shut and dashed out of the shed. Spencer yelled, “Wait, Nikki! Where are you going?” and raced after her.
Nikki had hidden behind a bush and when Spencer exited the shed, she grabbed him from behind. With a whoosh! they were airborne. On many occasions, Spencer had asked Nikki if she would take him flying with her. But she always turned him down; she didn’t think her powers were meant to be used for joyriding. For some reason, when she found out that there were other good kids with powers like hers, she changed her mind and decided to take Spencer on the wildest thrill ride of his life. For almost an hour she twisted and turned and ducked and dived around town, while he whooped and hollered and loved every second.
Finally, as dusk approached, she found the tallest tree in town and landed like a bird, in its uppermost branches. She set Spencer on a wide branch and sat down next to him. As the sun splashed onto the horizon in a rainbow of colors, Nikki put her arm around him and said, “No matter what happens, you will always be my best friend, Spence.”
Spencer replied, “Thanks, Marshmallow-Man. And no matter what happens, you will always be the greatest superhero this world has ever known. I would say you can officially be called Nikki Powergloves. Cowabunga!”
Nikki grinned at her friend.
They both became lost in their imaginations, as they daydreamed about what wonderful adventures tomorrow would bring.
THE END (of this Adventure!)
Hero Card
Hidden Identity: Nikki Powergloves
Birth Name: Nikki Nickerson
Age: 9
Height: 4 feet, 2 inches
Weight: 67 pounds
Sidekick: Spencer Quick, certified genius
Known Allies: Samantha Powerbelts
Source of Power: Gloves
Powers
Glove Color---Glove Picture---Power
White---Snowflake---Create ice
Red---Flame---Create fire
Light-blue---Bird---Fly
Black & Yellow---Lightning bolt---Control the weather
Green---Leaf---Super-grow plants
Purple---Muscly arm making a fist---Super-strength
Orange---Shoes---Super-speed
Gray---No picture---Invisibility
Brown---Paw print---Transform into an animal
Pink---Tarot card---See the future
Gold---Clock---Freeze or slow down time
Peach---Two identical stick figures---Transform into someone else
Villain Card
Hidden Identity: Jimmy Powerboots (previously known as Jimmy- Boy Wonder)
Birth Name: Timothy Jonathan Sykes (nic
knamed Jimmy)
Age: 9
Height: 4 feet, 1 inch
Weight: 65 pounds
Sidekick: unknown
Known Allies: Peter Powerhats
Source of Power: Boots
Powers
Boot Color---Boot Picture---Power
Black---Cracked ground---Powerstomp
Purple---One leg on each side of a wall---Walk through walls
Orange---Floating banana---Move objects with his mind
Red---Boots with flames---Rocket boots
White---5 identical stick figures---Clone himself
Yellow---Half-boy here, half-boy there---Teleport
Blue---Wall of water---Control water
Brown---Big ear---Super-senses
Green---Computer---Computer hacking
Red/Blue/Yellow---Wires---Skills with electronics
Gray---Yellow pages---Find anyone in world
Gold & Black checkered---Clock---Speed up time