Brotherly Heroism

                If you’re familiar with Micah, you should know about his crime-fighting duties. Along with his usual school work and inventing high-tech gadgets and gizmos, Micah protects the world from Trekker and all other evil beings that threaten the lives of innocent people. You probably also know that Micah has two brothers named Matthew (who is older) and Christopher (who is younger). Matthew and Christopher observe Micah’s heroic deeds on a regular basis, thinking of how awesome it would be to have superpowers and be hailed a hero. One day, while watching Micah stop Trekker from destroying the village of Arcanum, Matthew and Christopher become jealous of Micah’s heroism after watching the citizens praise him for his efforts. Later in the evening, Micah sits down with his mother, stepfather, and brothers for dinner while his brothers begin to make fun of him for his heroism.

“Micah, you looked so funny the way you punched Trekker in the face today.” laughed Matthew.

“And also how you tripped him when he was going after everyone.” laughed Christopher.

“There were lives at stake. What was I supposed to do?” asked Micah. Christopher sticks his fork into his steak and holds it up while laughing, “He said ‘stake’! Get it?” Matthew and Christopher begin laughing harder while Micah begins to frown.

“I see what’s going on here. You two are just jealous of my heroism.” said Micah annoyingly. Matthew and Christopher continue laughing while Micah annoyingly continues with, “You know, I am open to requests. So until you two decide to grow up and act your age, give me your ideas and I’ll make them happen.”

“Like heck we would.” laughed Matthew.

“Yeah, what he said.” laughed Christopher. While Micah continues eating his steak, Matthew and Christopher continue laughing until Micah’s mother intervenes with, “Ok, you two. That’s enough, before one of you chokes to death.” Matthew and Christopher calm down and continue eating their steak with Matthew snorting, “Lives at ‘stake’.”

“That’s a good one.” snorted Christopher. Frustrated, Micah pounds the table with his fists while groaning and angrily asking, “I can’t take this anymore! May I be excused?”

“But you haven’t finished your steak.” responded Micah’s mother.

“I’ve lost my appetite.” replies Micah angrily while stomping off to his room. Micah goes straight to bed while his mother, stepfather, and brothers finish their dinner and prepare to go to bed themselves afterwards. While Micah and his mother and stepfather sleep, Matthew and Christopher pull out pieces of paper, along with writing and coloring utensils, in their rooms and begin drawing, writing, and coloring, placing the papers onto Micah’s bed afterwards. The next day, Micah awakens to find Matthew’s and Christopher’s papers laying on his bed, looking at them thoroughly to see the costume designs, names, and transformation methods Matthew and Christopher picked out for their desired superpowers. Micah gets out of his bed with the papers in his hand and observes Matthew and Christopher watching TV in the living room from his bedroom while smirking and whispering to himself, “I knew you guys would come to your senses.” After getting ready for the day, Micah takes Matthew’s and Christopher’s papers into his laboratory and begins creating their superpowers. A while later, Micah comes out of his room and stops in front of Matthew and Christopher with a smirk on his face.

“Will you move, please?” asked Matthew annoyingly.

“You’re blocking the TV.” said Christopher annoyingly. Without saying a word, Micah beckons Matthew and Christopher, leading them into his laboratory towards a table containing some items hidden underneath a drape.

“What’s this all about?” asked Matthew.

“Ta-da!” exclaims Micah while unveiling the items. To their surprise, Matthew and Christopher see four stones (in orange, light-blue, yellow, and green) and a purple wizard hat with stars printed on it.

“You guys want to be heroes, so here’s your chance.” says Micah while holding up Matthew’s and Christopher’s papers.

“Wow. Thanks, Micah.” responded Matthew.

“If only we had something to practice with.” said Christopher.

“Let’s see what we can find.” responds Micah while walking over to his computer. Micah does some typing and suddenly comes across live footage of two girls being held hostage at a restaurant by a burglar robbing the place.

“Jordan!” exclaimed Matthew.

“Tammy!” exclaimed Christopher.

“Well, what are you waiting for? Get your transformations and let’s spring into action.” responded Micah. Matthew grabs the stones while Christopher grabs the hat, following Micah to his Warp Machine afterwards and warping to the scene of the crime. Micah transforms into Power Micah while Matthew pulls out the yellow stone, tapping it three times with his index finger and transforming into an electrical superhero named Electricew. Christopher puts on the hat and transforms into a magical wizard named Fantom with Micah subsequently saying, “Now, don’t be disappointed if you don’t save your friends on the first try. It can take…” To Micah’s surprise, Matthew and Christopher quickly defeat the burglar and save Jordan and Tammy while everyone cheers for them.

“Thank you for saving my life! I must know your name!” said Jordan excitedly.

“My name’s Electricew, but I’m really…” responds Matthew while tapping the yellow stone three times. Matthew reverts back to normal with Jordan asking, “Matthew?!”

“You ok?” asked Matthew.

“I am now, since you and the other guy are here.” answered Jordan. Tammy looks at Christopher and excitedly asks, “Who do I have to thank for this?”

“I’m Fantom. But this is who I really am behind the mask.” says Christopher while removing his hat. Christopher transforms back to his normal self to Tammy’s surprise.

“Wow. This can’t be real.” said Tammy.

“It is. Matthew and Christopher want to be heroes just like me. So, I’m making their dreams come true.” responded Micah.

“You’re a really good brother, Micah.” replied Jordan.

“They’ve learned from the best.” said Tammy. After watching the burglar get hauled off in the police cruiser, Micah walks home with his brothers with Jordan and Tammy by their side.

“I don’t get it. How did you guys pull it off on the first try?” asked Micah.

“From watching you do it so many times.” answered Matthew.

“Whatever happened to the old saying, ‘Watch and learn’?” asked Christopher.

“It doesn’t matter how it was done. The important thing is, that good-for-nothing crook has been brought to justice.” responded Jordan.

“The day’s been saved. End of story.” replied Tammy. After reaching their street, Micah and his brothers part ways from Jordan and Tammy, who wave goodbye to Micah and his brothers as they walk off. The next day comes with Micah and his brothers receiving an alert from Micah’s computer in his laboratory, in which they see live footage of Jordan and Tammy drowning in a pool. Micah and his brothers warp to the scene with Micah turning himself into Water Micah while Matthew pulls out the light-blue stone, tapping it three times and transforming into a water/ice superhero named Tundra. Micah and Matthew dive into the pool and rescue Jordan and Tammy as they sink to the bottom unconscious. After helping bring Jordan and Tammy onto land, Micah watches as Matthew and Christopher perform CPR on Jordan and Tammy respectively. Matthew and Christopher revive Jordan and Tammy, who cough out the water lodged in their throats and look at their respective heroes.

“Thank you, kind water man. You wouldn’t happen to be Matthew, would you?” asked Jordan. Matthew taps on the light-blue stone three times and reverts back to normal with Jordan saying, “I knew it.”

“Thank you, Christopher. That was scary!” says Tammy while hugging Christopher. On another day, Micah and his brothers travel to a volcano after receiving an alert from Micah’s computer about an explorer hanging over the edge for dear life. To keep from burning up, Micah turns himself into Power Micah while Christopher turns into Fantom with Matthew pulling out the orange stone and tapping it three times to transform into a fire superhero named Flamethrower. The explorer suddenly loses his grip and falls towards a pool of lava with Matthew catching him in the nick of time while Christopher waves his magic wand and brings Matthew and the explorer to safety.

“Thank you, gentlemen! One more second and I would have been fried!” says the explorer while shaking hands with Matthew and Christopher. Another day comes with Micah and his brothers receiving an alert from Micah’s computer about an explorer fleeing from a swarm of red postman butterflies pursuing him in a forest. Micah and his brothers warp to their destination with Micah turning himself into Leaph Micah, Christopher turning himself into Fantom, and Matthew pulling out the green stone, tapping it three times to become an environmental superhero named Bane. Christopher waves his magic wand and places the explorer behind him (out of harm’s way) while Matthew approaches the swarm of butterflies, pulling out a lit Leaf Bomb and throwing it at the butterflies. After the bomb explodes, the butterflies become angry and chase after Matthew, who leads them off using Leaf Rockets to fly away. As Matthew continues to lure the butterflies away, he comes across some flowers and points down at them while saying, “Hey, look! Flowers!” The butterflies suddenly stop and fly down to the flowers, consuming their pollen and nectar while Matthew flies back to Micah, Christopher, and the explorer.

“Thank you, you two! Red postman butterflies are poisonous, which makes them a real threat!” says the explorer while shaking hands with Matthew and Christopher. Micah and his brothers carry on with their heroic duties on a regular basis with Matthew and Christopher butting in each time to Micah’s aggravation. On one day, Trekker is once again destroying the village of Arcanum with Micah (as Power Micah) trying to stop him. Just as Micah could deliver the final blow, Matthew (as Electricew) and Christopher (as Fantom) butt in and stop Trekker, saving Arcanum while everyone cheers for them. Micah becomes enraged and stomps towards Matthew and Christopher while angrily saying, “This is unacceptable, you two! Real heroes are supposed to work WITH each other, not against each other!”

“Hey, calm down. Not everybody can be a superhero like these two. There’s no reason to be jealous.” said a man.

“What do you mean ‘jealous’?! They were the ones jealous of me in the first place!” asked Micah angrily.

“Micah, I don’t want to hear it.” said a male voice angrily in the crowd. Micah’s stepfather, Kyle, walks out from the crowd, approaching Micah with a frown on his face.

“Kyle, you got to listen to me.” said Micah.

“I don’t want to hear it!” shouted Kyle angrily. Kyle walks away with Micah angrily saying, “Fine! Who needs you?! Jerk!” Kyle stops and looks behind him at Micah and subsequently says, “That gets you grounded!” Kyle continues to walk away while Micah angrily groans and rips off his Power Micah Mask, breaking it in half and throwing it down on the ground and stomping on it repeatedly with his foot. Matthew and Christopher look at Micah remorsefully and approach him with Matthew saying, “Listen, Micah…”

“Not another word! I’m out of here!” responds Micah angrily while stomping off. Upon arriving home, Micah enters his laboratory and remains in it for the rest of the day. At nighttime, a silhouette enters Micah’s house and goes into all three bedrooms while everyone sleeps. The next day, Matthew, Christopher, and Kyle awaken to find themselves cuffed onto concrete slabs at Trekker’s mansion.

“Good! You’re all awake! I was worried you were all going to miss out on my greatest experiment yet! Ha ha ha ha! But first, I must send a message to a certain someone!” says Trekker menacingly while walking to his computer. While sleeping on the floor of his laboratory, Micah is suddenly awakened by an incoming message on his computer, which shows live footage of Matthew, Christopher, and Kyle being held hostage at Trekker’s mansion. Trekker suddenly cuts in and holds out a remote in front of him, pressing its red button and making Micah appear at the mansion.

“Before you say anything Micah, you’re here whether you like it or not. So, get used to it!” said Trekker.

“Micah, please! You got to help us!” pleaded Matthew.

“You guys think you’re so smart. Why don’t you all figure a way out yourselves?” asked Micah angrily.

“We can’t!” responded Christopher.

“Please, Micah! Do something!” pleaded Kyle.

“After what you all did to me yesterday?! I don’t think so!” responded Micah angrily. Trekker looks at Micah, his brothers, and stepfather in disbelief and asks, “Uhhh…am I interrupting here? What’s going on?” Micah turns his back on his brothers and stepfather with a frown on his face and his arms folded while Trekker bumps himself in the forehead with the palm of his hand and says, “Pfft! What am I saying? This is the perfect opportunity for me to get back on Micah.” Trekker walks over to a giant ray gun and rolls it toward Micah’s brothers and stepfather, aiming it at them while menacingly saying, “Last chance, Micah!” Micah ignores him with Trekker subsequently preparing the ray gun while saying, “Ok! You’re the boss!” Trekker stands behind the ray gun, waiting for it to warm up with Matthew worriedly asking, “What have we done?”

“Micah, I don’t expect you to listen to us, but…we’re sorry!” pleaded Christopher.

“Even I was wrong not to listen to you!” pleaded Kyle. Micah seemingly ignores his brothers and stepfather while Trekker prepares to press the fire button on the ray gun while saying, “How touching. Just one press of this button and you’ll all be a pile of ash! Ha ha ha ha!” Trekker presses the fire button and a laser fires out of the ray gun’s nozzle, which ends up getting deflected by a mirror.

“What the!?” exclaimed Trekker. After the laser stops, Micah emerges from behind the mirror as Power Micah and says, “They may not deserve to be saved, but I’m doing it anyway. After all, they are part of my family.”

“Ooh, you!” says Trekker angrily while charging towards Micah. Micah and Trekker duke it out with each other with Micah winning in the end, walking over to a key rack afterwards. Micah grabs the key hung on the rack and approaches his brothers and stepfather, freeing them from their concrete slabs.

“So, what do you got this time?” asked Micah annoyingly.

“Nothing. You were right all along, Micah. Christopher and I were just jealous.” answered Matthew.

“We realize now that everyone’s good at something. You have your gifts, talents, and achievements and we’ve got ours.” said Christopher.

“I’m very proud of you, Micah. For what you did now and what you’ve been doing all along. I admit I was over the top about what happened yesterday. You are hereby un-grounded!” says Kyle with a smile on his face.

“Thanks, guys!” responds Micah with a smile on his face.

“Does this mean you’re not mad at us anymore?” asked Matthew.

“Absolutely! I can’t stay mad at any of you. You’re my family. Besides, it wouldn’t be right to hold a grudge.” answered Micah.

“I got to admit, being a hero was fun. If you’re all right with it Micah, Matthew and I would like to continue being heroes.” said Christopher.

“I promise we’ve learned our lesson. From now on, no more showboating. What do you say? May we be back on your team?” asked Matthew.

“Of course! I could always use some help. As you guys have probably noticed by now, it’s not easy fighting crime.” responded Micah. Micah puts his hand in the middle with Matthew and Christopher putting theirs on top of Micah’s, lifting them up afterwards with Kyle subsequently saying, “Ok, guys. I think it’s time we all go home. Tina’s probably worried sick about us.” Micah walks to Trekker’s Warp Machine with his brothers and stepfather by his side, warping home and finishing out the day. Another day comes with Micah and his brothers receiving an alert from Micah’s computer, which shows live footage of Trekker destroying Arcanum again with Micah pulling out his Power Micah Mask and asking, “You guys ready?”

“Let’s go kick Trekker’s butt!” answers Matthew while pulling out his Electricew Stone. After Micah and his brothers turn into their respective egos, they warp uptown and fight Trekker, working together to restore peace at long last.

 

The End