I hit the Amazon in front of me with a flick of my finger, knocking her out cold. Grabbing the two Amazons at my sides, I positioned their noses under my armpits. They each struggled for a second or two then passed out.
The robots launched their rockets. I stopped the rockets with my mind and sent them flying backward at the bots. Each missile took out the bot that shot it.
That left Dina as the only one of my attackers standing. Waving her fist at me, she shouted, “What is this trickery?”
I signaled for Luna to lower the spell. Something shimmered around me. Dina started spitting fire when she figured out what had happened.
“You tricked us!” she screamed, leaping through the air at me, feet first.
I stuck out my hand and caught her leg. She held her body rigidly. I had to give her credit for having such strong abs.
“Do you give up?” I asked her.
“Never!” she spat. “Amazons don’t know how to say those words!”
“Do you know how to say nighty night?” I asked.
“Yes, of course!” Dina said. “It is a standard Amazon saying. We invented it.”
“Good, because you’re about to go nighty night!” I told her.
She pulled her foot out of her boot and dropped to the ground. “Hardly!” she shouted. She scampered across the ground towards me.
“Two can play the boot game!” I said, popping off my boot.
I waved my toes under Dina’s nose. She stopped in her tracks. She gasped. “The raw power you possess is…” her head hit the ground. I knew she’d be out cold for a while.
I slipped my boot back on.
I saw Jason and Adam walking towards me. Zeke ran after them, followed by Tanya and Luna.
“Hey guys, our plan worked great!” I smiled.
Jason extended his arm like he did when he wanted to fire a missile.
Adam stretched out both of his arms like he did when he needed to fire energy beams.
Zeke shouted. “I think the brains have the boys in their power!!”
Behind Zeke, I noticed Luna’s arms spinning like she was churning out a spell. Tanya pointed at me, getting ready to hit me with some sort of time warp!
“Lia!” Zeke shrieked. “The brains have the girls in their power as well!”
Flying up in the air, I avoided all my team’s attacks, but just barely. The problem was that I had to stop my team without knocking any of them out.
I heard the brains’ voices in my head. Give it up, Super Teen. You cannot possibly defeat your team and us as well. Just say you surrender, and nobody gets hurt!
We brains are superior!
We brains rock!
“Hey, Lia, it looks like you have a little problem!”
Turning to the voice, I saw some squirrels scurrying toward me.
“Ya think?” I shot back.
“Now, Lia, this is not the time to get cynical with us!”
I took a breath. “Sorry, squirrels!”
Don't listen to them! the brains shouted in my head.
I did a barrel roll and avoided more missiles from Jason as well as energy beams from Adam. Glancing over my shoulder, I noticed them both flying up towards me. I knew they weren’t as fast as me, but this could still be annoying.
“Slow down time!” the squirrels said.
“I can’t do that!” I insisted.
“Have you tried?” they asked.
“Admittedly, no,” I replied.
“You can do it!” they insisted.
No, you can’t! the brains said. Even if you could, you might break time and freeze the universe forever!
“Don’t listen to them!” the squirrels said. “You have awesome power. But not the kind of power that could freeze the universe forever. At least not yet.”
I thought about what they were saying as their comments zigged and zagged back and forth. I remembered from playing video games, a moving target is a lot harder to hit. Yes, we can learn things from video games. I had to try to stop time. I figured I had nothing to lose. The problem was, however, that I didn’t have any idea how to begin to stop time.
As I hovered above the ground, I saw a bolt of magic, a time vortex whirlwind, a beam of fire, and a hail of missiles all flying towards me.
Ha! Your team is doomed! the brains said.
“You can do this!” the squirrels coached.
I heard Jason’s voice in my mind. Lia, you have to stop this. These brains have taken control of my armor. They’re trying to overwhelm my brain too, but I won’t let them. I can’t fight much longer though! Please help, Lia!
The pain in Jason’s tone was the last straw. Lifting my arms over my head, I screamed, “Stop!!”
Everything froze in place… the brains, the other teams, my team, Val, the squirrels on the ground, the birds in the sky, everything!
I smiled. I sniffed the air. Wow, my underarms were overpowering. Maybe that’s what had frozen time? Well, whatever, it worked! I felt happy. I felt scared! All the outside thoughts in my head stopped.
I flew down to the brains. Thinking cold thoughts, I exhaled on them, freezing them in a thick block of solid ice. I zipped over to Jason and touched him on the shoulder. He unfroze.
He looked around. “What’s going on?”
Grinning, I explained. “I shouted ‘stop,’ and everything did!”
Jason’s eye widened when he noticed all the attackers had stopped in mid-flight. “You even stopped Tanya’s time vortex and Luna’s magic!” he exclaimed excitedly.
I gulped. “Yeah, I guess I did.”
Jason put his hands on my shoulders. “Lia! You have SOOO much power!” Locking eyes with me, he added. “It’s like you have more power than all of us put together! It’s like…”
“Let’s not go there!” I interrupted.
“How did you do it?” Jason asked.
“I heard your voice. I knew you were in trouble. I didn't like that, not one bit. So I stopped everything.”
Jason took my hand, “Wow, that’s amazing. You did that for me?”
Turning away from his eyes, I admitted, “Yes, Jason. And I um... I need to tell you something. I um… I actually really like you.”
Jason chuckled. “Well, Lia, I like you too. You're my best friend. You’ve been my best friend forever.”
Locking my eyes on his, I said, “No, silly. I LIKE-LIKE you. And I want you to be my boyfriend. That’s if you want to be?”
Jason gulped.
Oh my gosh! Did I just blow it here? Okay, okay, this wasn’t that bad. Now that I could control time, I could just set time back a bit to the point before I said what I had just said. Of course, I didn't know how to do that, but maybe if I pictured a remote control, rewinding the events in my mind, that would work.
Jason leaned in and kissed me.
“Wait… so you LIKE-LIKE me too” I asked.
Jason grinned. “Lia, I’ve always LIKE-LIKED you!”
He put his arms around me and hugged me tightly.
Whispering in my ear, he said, “You’d better start time again. I don’t want you breaking the universe. That would be bad.”
I grinned. “Right, just one more second of hugging!”
A second later, everything started moving again.
“What just happened?” Adam asked.
“I don’t know. I never know anything,” Zeke said. He noticed Jason and me with our arms still wrapped around each other. “Well, about time you two got together!”
“I bet you’ll be as happy as Zeke and I!” Luna giggled.
“I see that I’m not the only team member who can time warp,” Tanya said, grinning at me.
The squirrels all ran up to me. “See, Lia, we knew you had it in you. If anybody can pass the final test, it’s you!”
Oh right. I had forgotten there would be a final fight.
Val floated over to us. A trophy appeared in her arms. “I declare the team from Earth to be the winner. Tomorrow, you will go up against the defendi
ng champion, a true Universal Guardian. I suggest you rest and recoup.”
“Wait! So it will be all of us versus one person?” Adam asked.
Val nodded. “Yes.”
“How is that fair?” Adam asked.
“I’m sorry, but the rules are very clear. You are only allowed six on a team,” Val said. “You can’t add any members.”
Adam laughed. “No, I think it’s unfair for the Guardian. I mean, come on! Lia alone just kicked all the other teams’ butts!”
“Hey, I did take out an Amazon!” Tanya argued.
“Plus, my honey’s magic did make it all possible,” Zeke said.
Val nodded. “Your team did wonderfully. I haven’t seen such an easy win since the current Guardian’s last fight.” She pointed to the main building. “Now go rest, eat, and enjoy your victory, for tomorrow you fight one last time. At least, for this tournament.”
“Okay guys, we just kicked the other teams’ behinds!” Zeke said. “Let’s stop thinking so much and start relaxing. Whatever happens tomorrow, happens tomorrow!”
“You know, this is something I don’t say often enough,” Tanya said. “Zeke is right!”
Dear Diary: This may have been the most amazing day of my life! First of all, I finally used my powers to the max or closer to the max. I showed those mean girl Amazons not to mess with me. Heck, I could have knocked them out with a flick of my finger or a whiff of my toes if I’d wanted to. Now, that’s power! Plus, I can now time stop! Sure, I don’t have a lot of grasp over that power, but now I know that I can do it! Yeppers, I have another tool in my toolbox for protecting my friends and the world.
Best of all though, Jason and I are now boyfriend and girlfriend. And this makes me so happy. My entire body tingles just thinking about it! I can’t stop smiling! Man, this feels great. And with Jason and my team by my side, I’m confident I can do anything. Watch out Guardian of the Universe, my team, and I are coming for you!
Yep, nothing can stop us now!
Nothing!
The Guardian
That evening, as we sat around the dinner table munching and talking, everything seemed right with the world. As the guys made plans to play video games, the girls chatted.
I noticed Tanya looking over at Adam. She had a smile on her face.
“You going to ask Adam out?” I whispered.
“Still not sure,” she answered without looking at me. “Adam’s so strong and powerful, but he’s so goody-goody. I like guys with a bit of mystery.”
“You dated Jason!” I said.
“And that didn’t go so well,” Tanya replied.
“Just stay away from Zeke!” Luna exclaimed.
Tanya smiled. “No problems there!”
We heard footsteps behind us. The Amazons had arrived. Tanya, Luna and I all stood up. We walked towards them. The boys didn’t even seem to notice.
Dina held up a hand. “We come in peace,” she said. Dina gave me a polite bow. “Girl, you kicked our behinds.”
“It was a team effort,” I said.
Dina shrugged. “Sure, if that’s your story. But you pretty much carry that team. The others simply act as distractions.”
“Hey, we can hear you!” Tanya scoffed.
“Yeah!” Luna frowned. “Not to brag, but my magic helped.”
Dina rolled her eyes. “Whatever. But look, Lia, being an Amazon, I know how to judge power, and girl, you have POWER.”
“Thanks,” I replied.
“Do you think she stands a chance against the Guardian?” another of the Amazons asked.
Dina shook her head. “No, but she might last a minute.”
“Wait, what?” I said.
Dina raised a hand. “Believe me, hon, a minute against the Guardian would be a new universal record. This Guardian has never lost. In the last tournament, we battled the Guardian. We lost in about ten seconds!”
“Eight,” one of the Amazons corrected.
The guys somehow heard this and came rushing over to us.
“What did you just say?” Zeke gasped.
“You lost in eight seconds?” Adam gulped.
“Well, Lia did take you all out pretty quickly. Plus, Lia will have us by her side!” Jason offered hopefully.
Dina snickered. “When we battled, the Guardian was tanning and ignored us for the first seven seconds.”
“Oh,” Jason said. “That can’t be good…”
“It is what it is. The Guardian is meant to be the most powerful being in the universes. Lia, you are good. But you’re not ready for that!” Dina said. She grinned. “We will be watching; we hope you put on a good show.”
“We really do!” another Amazon said.
“Do you think she can last a full minute?” one of the Amazons asked Dina.
“If the Guardian is bored.”
The Amazons turned around and left.
The squirrels scurried to our sides.
“The Amazons just told us about the Guardian. Is it true?” I asked them.
“We don’t know. What did they tell you?”
“That the Guardian beat them in under eight seconds!” Zeke gasped.
“Yeah, that sounds right,” one of the squirrels replied.
“I’m surprised they lasted THAT long!” another squirrel said.
“Maybe the Guardian felt like giving them a break. The Guardian is tough but kind!” a different squirrel admitted.
“What about the time the Guardian turned the Titans of Terror into toe jam?” another asked.
“The Titans of Terror were humongous jerks. They deserved what they got!” one of the squirrels answered.
“The Guardian is THAT powerful?” Adam huffed in disbelief.
“Duh!” a few of the squirrels replied.
“Then what chance do I have?” I asked.
Jason put his arm around me. He looked me in the eyes. “You’re Lia Strong… Super Teen! You can do this!”
The squirrels all giggled.
I started glowing with power. I pointed at the squirrels and ordered, “Leave!”
They all turned their tails and ran out.
Looking at Jason, I asked him, “Do you really think we can take the Guardian down?”
Jason thought for a bit. “I have no idea. None at all. I just know we’re going to give it our best shot!”
“That’s right!” Zeke said.
“We’re a team!” Luna said, raising her arm.
“That’s right!” Tanya said, raising her arm.
“Here, here!” Adam said, raising his arm.
I raised my left arm. Luna, Tanya, and Adam, who were all standing to my left, crumbled to the ground, out cold. Zeke just looked at them.
I sniffed myself. “Oops, nervous sweat.”
“Glad I was on your right!” Jason said.
“Glad I don’t have to breathe!” Zeke said.
Jason took hold of both my hands. “Look, don’t worry. You just knocked out three really powerful people with a simple lift of your arm! You’re amazing!”
“Ah, I didn’t mean to do that,” I said, looking at my teammates laying on the ground.
“You gave them a well-deserved rest!” Jason said.
I grinned. “They do look peaceful.”
Jason smiled back. “Exactly!”
“Does my power ever scare you?” I asked him.
“It does me!” Zeke said.
“Zeke, you are very tired; go to sleep!” I ordered.
Zeke yawned. “I’m very tired. I’ll go to sleep now.” He closed his eyes and went to sleep while still standing. Yeah, Zeke even slept weirdly.
“Your power does scare me a little,” Jason admitted. Putting his hands on his hips, he added, “But I know you have that power for a reason. You, Lia Strong, are a force for good!”
My grin widened. Yes, I liked being with Jason – a lot.
Dear Diary: I have mixed feelings going into this fight with the Guardian. First of all, I worry about the huge amount of power
I have. I mean, I can bend time to my will, well sort of. I can knock out entire malls with a simple whiff of my feet. I’ve knocked a squad of troops out in under a second. I took out some of the most powerful beings in the universe. That’s a lot of power for a teen to have. But I want to believe that Jason is right. I can control this power and use it for good.
On the other hand, though, despite my power, I have a feeling that my team and I won’t stand a chance against the Guardian. Knowing that there could be a being in existence with that kind of power, scares me a lot!
The Ultimatum
I didn’t sleep much that night. I had a lot on my mind. Part of me was ecstatic about finally moving my relationship with Jason to the next level. Plus, letting my power rip felt good, really good. I tried not to think about what would happen if I lost control of my power. Instead, I decided to think positively. I’d be able to control my power. I knew I could do it!
When the morning came, however, I felt a mix of dread and relief… relief that the day of the battle had finally arrived, and dread over what we were about to go up against.
Leaving my room, I was meet by Val.
“Are you ready? How do you feel?” Val asked.
“I’m a little nervous,” I admitted.
“Why, Lia? You performed so well yesterday.”
“Thanks. But I hear the Guardian is way tough…”
“Yes, Lia, you are correct. After all, we’re talking about the Guardian of the Universe. You can’t be a Guardian unless you are very powerful.”
Walking down the hall, I asked. “Is my team ready?”
“We will see,” Val said.
“Am I ready?” I inquired.
Val shrugged. “We will go out onto the field and find out!”
“What about breakfast?” I asked.
“We’ve learned when facing this Guardian that it’s best to fight on an empty stomach,” Val said. “This Guardian is unique. We’ve been at this forever, and this is the only Guardian capable of guarding alone.”
“So, normally the Guardians are a team?” I asked.
Love Battle Page 7