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Strolling through the town, a certain ruckus caught Lucas's eye. "Let go of me!" he heard the desperate cries of a struggle. "Now now, come little girly, we did our part of the deal as promised and smuggled you here. We just want our payment," some shady guys said. As Lucas walked up to the alley, he saw a group of men cornering a girl.
"It is a world filled with pirates, bandits, and corrupt government," he sighed, feeling a mix of frustration and pity at the sight.
"What are you looking at, punk? Mind your business," one of the pervs snarled, brandishing his gun at Lucas as a warning.
Seeing the little girl in tears, her eyes pleading for help, Lucas knew he had to act. He turned into Ampfibian, using the species' electrokinesis to read a few of the girl's memories.
"What the... he changed into a monster!" the shady men were startled, their faces pale with fear as they reached for their weapons. The one with the gun fired at Lucas, but he turned intangible, the bullets passing harmlessly through him.
"Your situation is a tough one, but I'm feeling generous today," Lucas said, his voice calm yet firm as he flew at the shady men, incapacitating them with his electrokinesis. The girl screamed as Lucas, in his Ampfibian form, levitated in front of her, the men knocked out. Overwhelmed, she screamed and passed out.
"Picking up a little girl in an alley and running from the authorities," he sighed, feeling a mix of exasperation and determination as he picked her up and flew away.
After a little while, the girl regained consciousness, lying down on the beach as she heard the waves rushing. Waking up, she saw the orange-streaked sky as the sun was setting.
"Did you sleep well?" Lucas asked gently, pulling her out of her daze.
"Ahh. A ghost!" she screamed, her eyes wide with fear.
"Calm down, I'm not a ghost. Well, not fully one, that is," he said, trying to soothe her.
"What, so you're a zombie?" she responded, her voice trembling.
"No, not quite... Wait, are Frankenstrike and Mummy zombies?" he pondered for a minute, scratching his head.
"So you are one," the girl gasped, her fear turning into curiosity.
"Don't think about it. I'm here to offer you help with your situation back at Coral Cove," he said, his tone suddenly serious. The girl was quiet for a minute, her eyes searching his for sincerity.
"What? Weren't you and your brother trying to escape so you could find help?" he asked, his voice softening. The girl was awestruck; she hadn't told anyone about the situation on her home island.
"I'm not with those smugglers, don't worry," he said, trying to reassure her, but she was still reserved. Lucas couldn't do anything but wait for her response until finally, after a minute of silence, she spoke.
"Are you sure you can help us?" she asked, her voice filled with concern for her kin.
"I wouldn't have offered if I didn't want to try, now would I?" he replied with a warm smile.
"But m..." she started, her voice faltering.
"I'm not asking for you to explain the details, kid. I already know. I'm asking if you want my help," he said, his eyes kind and understanding.
"Uh-huh," she nodded, her eyes filling with hope.
"Good, hop on," Lucas said as he stood up, offering his hand.
"Wait, we're leaving now?" she asked, shocked.
"Well, of course. I'm not sure about the directions, so we'll have to go ask some friends of yours for the directions," he said, doing some light stretches, a playful grin on his face.
R---
He turned into a Volpamancer, startling the girl. He pointed at her to get on his back.
"What... You want me to ride you?" she asked, hesitating. He let out a howling sound, confirming her guess.
"Haa, what's that supposed to mean?" she reacted in slight panic. Without waiting for her to decide, he grabbed her and put her on his back. He dashed off, following the scent of the smugglers who had tried to take advantage of the little girl. As he raced through the streets, people panicked, shocked to see such a big creature running with a little girl riding it.
They arrived at a shabby part of town, the moon lighting up the night sky above the run-down buildings where the smugglers were hiding. "The hell was that guy? Just when we found a new toy for ourselves, he came and ruined everything for us," one of them grumbled.
Suddenly, Lucas burst from the top floor to the basement, crashing down. "There, now all we gotta do is ask for directions," he said, turning back into his human form.
"If you barge in like that, they'll find us and capture us," the little girl said, coughing a little in the smoke.
"It's fine, see?" Lucas replied, pointing to the smugglers lying on the ground. "There's even some familiar faces too," he added, recognizing the pervs from earlier.
"Say, what are you? How can you turn into those things? How did you know about Coral Cove? And why are you helping me?" the little girl suddenly asked, her voice filled with curiosity and confusion.
"Oh, guess we never introduced ourselves. I'm Lucas, nice to meet you. And I'm gonna be a pirate," he said, chuckling a bit. The girl froze for a minute, her face filling with rage and sorrow.
"Why... Why would you want to be a pirate? Nothing's good about being a pirate. They steal things and kill people," the girl clenched her fists, tears streaming down her face.
While rummaging through the smugglers' maps, Lucas stopped for a minute. "Is it because pirates have killed your brother and are currently oppressing your hometown?" he asked softly. "Earlier, I got a brief peek into your memories, so I know," he explained gently.
"Then if you know, why? Why do you want to be like them?" she cried, showing her disdain for pirates. They had taken everything from her.
"Just because I want to be a pirate doesn't mean I want to go around terrorizing people. Maybe I want to be a good pirate. Besides, I don't really expect you to understand why I want to be one, kid," he said. "Know this though, I promised to help you with your situation, and I'll go through with it," he added firmly.
"Ahh, here it is. A map leading to Coral Cove," Lucas said, taking out the map. "We good?" he asked, turning to look at the girl. He knelt on one knee, waiting for her response.
The girl wiped her tears and nodded her head. "Okay then, let's get going," Lucas said with a reassuring smile.
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