V.I.R.A.L

Zinnia had her arms crossed pouting the entire time being forced to listen to Percy go on and on about Vanguard. She was just about hitting her breaking point. "Man, you guys are lucky to have Vanguard entrust you with his best fan to join your band. I'm sure any team would be dying to have me. What should be our first course of action? Vanguard would usually go straight to the action; hey, we should do that too! Vanguard's first stream he took down a bank robbery and saved the people in a burning building at the same time!"

Zinnia began twitching as she saw a saving grace. "Hey, hey! There's an arcade in there, fancy playing some games kid?"

Percy turned to the small arcades looking slightly deflated. "I don't have any money, though."

"That's fine, Alton will pay."

"I what?!"

"Trust me, I have a plan."

"You're awfully quiet their Gale." Alton pointed out, turning to him who was trailing behind. "You alright?"

"Just a bit tired. Didn't get much sleep. The others in the hostel wouldn't stop partying."

"You can always crash at my place if you need somewhere to stay for a few days."

"Thanks, man, but I'll pass." The four entered the arcades as Alton had to pathways with his last three bucks handing Percy the change. "I need to take a whiz. Wait for me."

"Hurry up, I'm planning on ditching this kid here." Zinnia hissed.

Gale began walking backwards, wagging his fingers. "Won't be long, grab some snacks I'm starving."

Zinnia turned back around looking lost. "Hey, where did the kid go?"

"He's right there." Alton pointed as Percy was playing Mario Kart shooting quickly into first place.

"Damn, I thought we had lost him. Does he even have any powers?"

"Sorry, I didn't really get to ask before Vanguard dumped his cringy fanboy on me."

"I can't right now. I'm going to get some snacks on the vending machine. Watch him."

"I've got nothing else to do…" He muttered, tapping his foot watching Percy now on another arcade machine across the room, he was slightly impressed in how much he could get about. "Is this kid on crack or something?"

"Hell yeah, new high score!" Percy roared jumping around, getting slightly too excited for everyone's comfort.

"Told you this was going to happen." Zinnia hissed giving Alton her best-disapproved look possible.

Alton huffed getting more pissed off refusing to give her the time of day. "Fuck off, you did."

Zinnia tapped her foot, annoyed. "This kid goes to my school. He's so bloody annoying. Always preaching about how amazing Vanguard is. He is the definition of a fanboy if I saw one."

"Well we've got to think of something, I can't keep giving the kid quarters."

"We cannot have him on the team. Let's just leave him. He's got the whole arcades to himself. If we run now, he'll never see us again."

"We can't just ditch him! You saw the stream; the whole world thinks we took him on under the kindness of my own heart. If we ditch him, there will be a major backlash. Vanguard knows that."

Zinnia punched a wall angered. "Damn it, what the hell did the meanie talk to you about anyway?"

"Doesn't matter." Alton shut down glossing over Zinnia's shoulder. "Hey look, streamer at three o'clock."

Zinnia turned around seeing a streamer in black and pink hoodie-wearing bunny ears. The drone following her looked tainted as small puffs of purple haze emitting from it and the girl glossing around them. "Doesn't she look weird?"

"Maybe we shouldn't be discussing a private problem so publicly." Alton turned around trying to make sure the streamer didn't see them. As he looked away, he couldn't help but keep watching. The streamer looked wild. Her eyes were twitching as she gazed around the room like a wild animal. "Something doesn't seem right here..."

The streamer held her head swinging it around mumbling nothing under her breath. Eventually, she began screaming as the purple haze began to spiral out of control. Before any of them could reach the area in front of them was blown away. Alton was knocked over a set of arcade machines landing on top of the penny machines. He slouched over grumbling. The purple haze began to spread around the room as the streamer suddenly appeared in front of Alton smashing through the arcade machine pinning him to the floor. She wasn't holding anything back-scratching and biting at him. Holding his arms up, he had her face back struggling to move. To the corner of his eye was the strong man hammer game. Cranking over he tried to grab the hammer all while holding back the mentally insane Streamer. Inches away from capturing it, his fingers were just out of reach. A sense of concern began to take over as he was losing strength to hold her back. Slamming his fist against the arcade machine, the hammer fell down as he crashed it into her face knocking her off him. 

Alton jumped up, looking around, feeling more worried. Zinnia crawled out from under the ice hockey machine looking spooked. "Any help here would be fantastic!"

"You've got this, right? Hit her with the one-two punch water combo."

"Yeah? With what water? We are in an arcade!" The streamer pounced at him again in which Alton managed to barley dodge, throwing a chair in her direction. The streamer vanished entirely into the purple haze, making him step back in fear. "This isn't good. The hell is wrong with her?"

"I can't even feel her emotions; she's like a wild animal."

"This better be one big prank…" The girl flew out reappearing from the purple haze scrapping Alton's face. He stumbled back tripping over another arcade machine hitting the floor. The girl warped back into the haze as it swirled everywhere. "What is taking Gale so long! The one time I need him, and he's taking a bloody dump. Where's the kid?"

"Gone."

"The first good news this evening. Alright Zin, let's try this strat again. I'll distract her while you calm this bitch, ok? Good, let's go!" Alton flipped over the arcade machine using the small drop of blood from his face to create a defensive shield covering his arm. He had his back up against the wall as his eyes scouted the area. Bashing the shield with his arm, he began making as much noise and drawing as much attention as possible. Just as planned, the streamer poured from the haze forming and striking Alton. Holding his shield up, he bashed her back as Zinnia jumped from the top of a vending machine tackling the girl to the ground, holding her down, she started using her powers. Zinnia closed her eyes, channelling all of the negative out of her.

Zinnia gritted her teeth only for her whole body to retract and be blown away as purple haze emitted off her. Alton slid across the floor, holding her up. Zinnia began coughing looking on in horror. "Impossible, that's not possible."

"What happened?! Why didn't your powers work?!"

"There was nothing to change. It can't be right. She is completely brain dead. There's not a spec of her inside anymore. That thing has her."

"Fuck." Grunted Alton as he was yet again backed into a corner. The streamer screamed in a disturbed and unnatural way before failing around as the haze began to crackle and spark. She was about to go into overdrive and blow again. Alton took a deflated sigh, ready to take the attack dead on. That was until Percy stepped in front of him, trying to look bold and mighty. "Percy, get out of the way! Percy!"

Percy turned around smirking. "You just sit back kiddo, I've got this." The streamer exploded again as a shockwave began blowing the place apart again. Percy stood heroically waiting for the last moment. As he did, Vanguard appeared out of nowhere. He had a completely different appearance. Vanguard looked like the typical superhero you see from a comic rocking a massive S on his chest following a large red cape. The attack was blocked head-on as Vanguard was utterly obliterated. 

Or so they thought. The moment Vanguard faded away Percy began running around the streamer as more copies of Vanguard began appearing where Percy stood. Getting behind the streamer, he bunny-hopped over the arcade machine calling one last copy of Vanguard. Falling onto his back, he held his hand out into a gun shape pointing at the streamer giving off a cocky. "Bang."

Each copy rushed the streamer knocking her about with strained and mighty punches. As the last copy launched the streamer back a copy of Percy appeared, one who looked a lot more heroic and more robust than the scrawny kid who had called it forward. The composition of Percy uppercut the streamer into the air as she began floating there for a short moment. Each copy of vanguard began morphing together before it turned into a giant Vanguard being at least ten foot tall. He held his arm back curling it forward with a colossal field pinning the streamer to the ground leaving a crater. The purple haze faded as the streamer was down for the count.

"Holy."

"Shit." Both Alton and Zinnia stared at each other left dumbfounded at what just happened. "Well, that answers the power question."

Alton looked around as Percy patted himself down, giving a cheeky salute. "Do you have any more quarters left? I want to play me some Halo."

"What was that?"

"Huh? Oh, that? Just my powers. I can create copies of people I admire to fight for me. The more I admire them, the more powerful they are."

"You could have told me that when I was talking to Vanguard?"

"Why?"

"Just because. How many can you make of those?"

"Eh, six or seven?"

"Six or seven?"

"Maybe eight or nine."

Gale walked out from the bathroom only to stop seeing the chaos. "The hell happened here?"

"Don't ask, don't even ask." Alton sighed. He kneeled down, looking at the streamer more closely. The innocent-looking girl didn't have the look of a psychotic wild beast, but looks can be deceiving. Alton moved her head over as he saw her veins were bulging purple all around her body. He opened her eye to see a dead pupil. Nor was there a pulse either. "I've never seen anything like this."

"Maybe she lost control of her powers? Sent her mad?"

"No, this is much different. I don't think this is her." He mentioned hearing the streamer muttering something very quietly.

He leaned in as she spoke in a frenzied yet peaceful way. "The Garden grows, The Garden grows, The Garden grows, The Garden grows." Her eyes snapped open as she screamed out, ready to explode again. "The Garden grows!"

Alton fell back, unable to get away in time from this attack. He covered his face hoping to damper the damage. Percy held both hands out yet again into a gun motion as one last copy appeared. This one wasn't Vanguard. It was a small girl with long wavy silver hair and to match was two different coloured eyes, one yellow and one red. She lined up her two index fingers and thumb into a square shape as a portal opened up consuming the streamer. As it closed, the girl flicked her hand around fisting forward as the portal opened up again, sending the streamer far into the sky as she exploded the haze going everywhere. The girl turned around with a blank look she had on the entire time before twirling her finger around her hair disappearing. "You're welcome."

The arcade was now left in a shell of its former self with the whole place almost eradicated. The drone the streamer was using crashed to the floor, falling apart. Gale kneeled down, picking the machine apart taking a small chip. "We can never catch a break, can we?"

"I thought we were dead meat back then, that was scary." Zinnia whispered.

Alton slouched over as the fear factor kicked in. "Jesus Christ. Percy, who was that just now, your copy?"

"Are you seriously telling me you don't know who Ruby the number two streamer is? What are you some kind of noob?"

Alton rubbed his eyes nodding. "No, it's just. Heard so much about her that's the first time I've seen her in the flesh, well copy."

Percy stretched his back-laughing stepping from the arcades. "That was just a small taste of my awesome power! I'll claim this fight as my audience to be a key member of team Rhapsody."

Gale stepped carefully over the broken glass. "Well, he sure has skill. That kind of power would be beneficial for our future takedowns."

"You aren't wrong."

Zinnia began to catch wind of the situation as she began to cry. "No, please don't tell me we are accepting him now. Alton!"

Alton elbowed her as he held his hand out. "I wasn't sure on you at first Percy, but you saved our lives back there and proved to be a mighty streamer. We ALL would love to have you."

Percy smirked, holding his fist out. Alton returned it with a fist bump. "Glad you realise my skills are unmatched."

"So, what do we call you?"

Percy looked over his shoulder, giving them thumbs up. "Call me, Vanguardian."

****

"Well, I didn't see that coming…"

Marcus began drying his hair, giving Rodger a look. "What?"

"Turns out that streamer who went through that meltdown was taken down by Rhapsody. Small world. That fanboy you dropped on them put on quite a little show, you even had a little cameo."

"Tch, unbelievable. Just my luck the one time I decide to leave it those brats clean up the mess."

"Want me to guide some more meltdowns over to them?"

Marcus sighed, shaking his head. "Don't bother, let them have their little fun and games. I'll show them what makes a true streamer. Set up a 24-hour stream Monday, we'll double our workload to make amends for this."

"Another 24-hour stream… that really is bad for your health."

"I didn't ask for advice. Get it done. I can't allow brats like Rhapsody to even get a margin of the way close to my level. I didn't sacrifice everything for the last fifteen years only for the scooby-doo gang to fuck it all up. I'll sort it out no matter the cost."