Rise of a champion

“This is the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen,” Bonnie said. She was stunned by the incredible capabilities that Taylor showed as he went head-to-head with a menace that she thought could not possibly exist.

“Stay back, I’ll try to fight it off,” Taylor told Bonnie.

The monster roared and lunged at Taylor. Taylor opened his hands and aquatic ropes shot from them and grappled the monster’s chest and abdomen then slammed it into the ground.

Taylor took a fighting pose, ready to face the monstrous creature as it regained its footing. Two elongated limbs sprang from its body to attack Taylor. Taylor dodged the first swing, but the second attack whacked the left side of his abdomen.

“Dang it! Wait, that hurt me?” Taylor shockingly discovered.

Taylor grabbed his side and applied pressure to the wound as his eyes squinted from the stinging pain.

“Taylor, be careful!” Bonnie shouted.

“I’m fine, just stay back,” he warned.

Two more tentacles popped out and struck the building above Bonnie. Debris began to fall on top of her, but Taylor created an aquatic force field to protect the young photographer from the collapse as she ducked down.

“Whoa, thanks for the save,” Bonnie said.

When Taylor leaped into the air at the creature, a trident of aquatic energy suddenly appeared.

He sliced against its head then swung at the creature’s legs, but the creature grabbed Taylor and slammed him into the crumbling building above Bonnie.

As Taylor fell to the ground, Bonnie slammed against the force field and shouted, “Taylor!”

The creature momentarily regenerated its electricity then charged at them. Taylor picked himself up and harnessed his aquatic energy then ran straight at the creature head-on. When they lunged at each other, a large explosion of energy blinded their battle.

“This is the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen,” Bonnie said. She was stunned by the incredible capabilities that Taylor showed as he went head-to-head with a menace that she thought could not possibly exist.

“Stay back, I’ll try to fight it off,” Taylor told Bonnie.

The monster roared and lunged at Taylor. Taylor opened his hands and aquatic ropes shot from them and grappled the monster’s chest and abdomen then slammed it into the ground.

Taylor took a fighting pose, ready to face the monstrous creature as it regained its footing. Two elongated limbs sprang from its body to attack Taylor. Taylor dodged the first swing, but the second attack whacked the left side of his abdomen.

“Dang it! Wait, that hurt me?” Taylor shockingly discovered.

Taylor grabbed his side and applied pressure to the wound as his eyes squinted from the stinging pain.

“Taylor, be careful!” Bonnie shouted.

“I’m fine, just stay back,” he warned.

Two more tentacles popped out and struck the building above Bonnie. Debris began to fall on top of her, but Taylor created an aquatic force field to protect the young photographer from the collapse as she ducked down.

“Whoa, thanks for the save,” Bonnie said.

When Taylor leaped into the air at the creature, a trident of aquatic energy suddenly appeared.

He sliced against its head then swung at the creature’s legs, but the creature grabbed Taylor and slammed him into the crumbling building above Bonnie.

As Taylor fell to the ground, Bonnie slammed against the force field and shouted, “Taylor!”

The creature momentarily regenerated its electricity then charged at them. Taylor picked himself up and harnessed his aquatic energy then ran straight at the creature head-on. When they lunged at each other, a large explosion of energy blinded their battle.

The next day, Bonnie woke up in her room filled with her school pictures and pictures of Taylor from the marketplace. She stumbled out of her bed, perplexed by what had taken place. What was that creature that attacked them? What had happened to Taylor? How did she end up in her room?

These questions echoed through her head as she looked around her room for an important piece of equipment.

“Where is my camera?” Bonnie asked aloud when a loud knock on her door startled her.

“Who is it?”

“Bonnie, it’s me,” a middle-aged man voice responded.

“Dad?” Bonnie asked as she opened the door to her wheelchaired father clad in a red vest, purple dress shirt, blue pants, and brown steel-toed boots. Curtis Gates had a short afro, freckled cheeks, and a bushy mustache and beard. She hugged her father tightly and took a huge breath of relief.

“I take it you had as well of a day as I did the other day?” Curtis asked.

“The other day?” Bonnie asked as she straightened up. “How long was I asleep?”

“You were out for about eight hours,” Curtis informed her. “I made you some food, but it’s cold now.”

“Wait, Dad, I don’t understand,” Bonnie kneeled next to him. “How could I have been knocked out for eight straight hours?”

“Perhaps I can help explain that,” John said as he approached the two.

“Captain Hayes, what are you doing here?” Bonnie asked.

“The good old captain found you by the abandoned buildings on the docks,” Curtis said. “He alerted me that you were unconscious, and I rushed over as soon as I could.”

“You had all of us in quite a shock, little lady,” John added. “We stopped at the hospital and the doctors told us that you had simply suffered from inhaling the chemical fumes.”

Bonnie squinted her eyes and cocked her head as if she knew that the captain was lying.

“Fumes?” Bonnie asked.

“That part of the city has been closed off for years after that storm caused the chemical spill,” Bonnie’s father explained. “Which is why I specifically told you never to go to that part of town. You’re lucky that the captain found you, young lady.”

“Wait a minute, this giant jellyfish...thing attacked the area. Taylor and I --”

“Taylor?” John interrupted. “I’m sorry, Miss Gates, but my stepson was nowhere near that part of town. He was at home studying.”

“That’s not true. He was spray painting graffiti on --”

“Honey, honey you’ve had a long day,” Curtis chimed in. “As the captain explained, those fumes are still very unpredictable. You probably hallucinated that.”

“But, Dad, I’m telling the truth. I swear!”

“Please pardon my daughter, Captain Hayes. I am afraid she gets her stubbornness from her mother. God bless her soul,” Curtis explained to John.

“Trust me, I have my share of experience with kids telling stories. I just came to make sure everybody was okay and to strongly urge that neither of you goes to that part of town again.”

“Understood. Isn’t that right, Bonnie?”

“Yes, sir,” Bonnie reluctantly agreed.

“Terrific,” John said. “Feel better, young lady. Now, if you two will excuse me, I’m afraid I have some business down at the police station to see to.”

“Captain Hayes, please allow me to see you out,” Curtis offered and maneuvered down the hall to the living room in front of John.

Bonnie found her book bag in the corner and looked for something to prove her case.

“I know what I saw. I know that I’m right, but if they won’t talk to me about it then maybe Taylor Yoshida can give me some answers,” Bonnie muttered and pulled out her camera along with the spray can that Taylor had abandoned.