Chapter Text
"Did I make the right choice?"
Armadylan stared at his reflection in the moat, who looked back at him with an equal amount of confusion and a longing for an answer. Resting his face on his hands, he stared into the distance. The totem headquarters that belonged to his allies, the PJ Masks, rested quietly not far from where he was. Remembering his adventures with them, his chest felt heavy as he curled his legs into his chest. Looking at the stars above, he frowned. Is this what I really want?
He remembered how much he wanted to be the next member of the PJ Masks, and how intense he was about it. Wincing in embarrassment remembering his first encounter with the trio, his hands shifted into fists. I was such a hot shot.. no wonder they didn't want me on their team.
Now that he knew their team had expanded from just three to eight different heroes from all across town and even other galaxies, it only made him feel worse about himself. They had offered him a place on their team, which initially surprised him, but now he couldn't help but regret turning down that offer a week later. This regret intensified when Bastet, an apparent foe from his past holder's history, asked something similar on their way back to Power Q. "Why don't you want to be a part of the Power Heroes?"
Before, he didn't have a reason, besides wanting to work alone, and now.. he still didn't have a clear answer. " Working alone sounded a lot more fun in my head ," Armadylan thought to himself before seeing a blur of blue light in the distance, followed by the Gekko Moblie.
" I'm missing out on all the fun hero stuff." Armadylan huffed. "Why did I even come out tonight?"
Lately, this had become a weird habit of his; right as he knew his family was asleep, he'd sneak out and would try and patrol the down in search of a rouge villain, but they'd usually be taken care of by the Power Heroes. Once he saw the problem was already taken care of, Armadylan would usually mope around town or head straight back home, sometimes being caught by his parents sneaking back inside (thankfully while not wearing his hero costume). Tonight would be one of those nights, as he moped around the moat before he would head back home unsatisfied.
What's the point of being a hero now when all of the problems are already dealt with? What purpose do I even serve anymore?
Feeling his face starting to twinge in embarrassing warmth, Armadylan got up and started to walk away before he heard something move in the water. "Huh?" Looking back closer, the once-still water soon changed as something, or rather someone, emerged. It didn't take long for Armadylan to recognize who this mysterious creature was. "Octobella..?"
Octobella turned to look over at him, before frowning once she recognized the orange and yellow costume. "Oh, look who it is. The little aardvark's snooping around my moat again."
"ARM-a-dillo!" Armadylan corrected, feeling his face starting to heat up again for another, unrelated reason. "Sheesh, what's with you villains and not knowing your mammals? I don't call you Squidinna, do I?"
"No, and you BETTER not," Octobella warned, pointing a sharp finger at him before crossing her arms. "What are you even doing here? Aren't you supposed to be with your little PJ Pals?"
"I should be asking you the same thing," Armadylan replied, copying her peeved-off posture. "I thought you would be busy polishing your little crystal garden right about now."
"I was," Octobella snapped back. "Everything was just peachy before I was getting hit in the back of the head by some stupid little pebbles: any idea where those could've come from?" She then asked with a knowing expression, glaring at Armadylan.
Armadylan perked before rubbing a hand behind his head. "S-Sorry about that.. didn't realize my strength could go that far. I was just bored."
"Heard that one before," Octobella replied, bitterly remembering her encounters with the little green guy and his abundant sense of strength. That little green twerp? She couldn't imagine him having all that strength for his itty-bitty body, but this boy? She believed that. "Anyways, like I was saying, why aren't you bothering your little PJ Pals stopping baddies like me?"
"I..." Armadylan bit his lip, looking at the ground nervously. Sighing, he shrugged. "I... I don't know. I should be hanging out with them but.. I don't know. It's complicated."
"No, it's not," Octobella interrupted. "Those little PJ Pests get on everyone's nerves, and I can see how annoyed you are because of them."
Armadylan raised a brow at that comment. She seems rather understanding tonight. But, he shouldn't have his hopes up that high. He heard plenty of stories from his PJ friends before of how backstabbing she could be; she could've just been acting nice to let his guard down for her to use him like she did before. "I'm not annoyed with them. W-Well.. okay, sometimes they CAN make me frustrated, but why should I talk to you of all people about them?"
"Because," Octobella crawled her way out of the water and walked over to be right next to him. "I've heard so many tales about them getting on other kids' nerves, heroes and villains alike. I've had to deal with those pesky PJs for years now. They always think they're above everyone else when they're not."
"You're one to talk," Armadylan replied, before sitting down and letting his legs swing over the edge of the moat.
But Octobella just shrugged and smirked. "Fair, but compared to them, at least I'm honest about my true intentions. Those PJs are always sugarcoating everything to make themselves seem like the heroes. They're good guys who can do no wrong and everyone else who disagrees is bad. They pretend to be perfect while making everyone else out to be the villains. They can hide behind their masks and capes, but at least what you see is what you get with me." Her eyes glinted with a mixture of defiance and pride.
"Hey, that's not—" Armadylan started to defend his allies, but he paused, thinking a little deeper about what she was implying. He didn't want to outright say they had a superiority complex, especially since they were a year younger than him. Yet, he couldn't ignore the nagging feeling in his gut, recalling a few moments where Octobella's words rang uncomfortably true. Instances where they brushed off his contributions, or where they assume he was doing something bad without thinking of other alternatives.
Armadylan sighed, the weight of his thoughts pressing down on him. "Maybe you have a point," he admitted reluctantly, his voice tinged with frustration and a hint of sadness. "I guess I just never wanted to see it that way. I wanted to believe they were... better. They're supposed to be heroes, right?" He glanced at Octobella, her confident posture and unyielding gaze making him question his previous alliances even more.
"You can call them whatever you want, but I just see them as something to avoid. Especially since that little green one took my precious pond weed without asking." Octobella replied, her tone sounding more aggravated by the mention of the little lizard.
"Are you ever going to let that grudge go?" Armadylan asked. He remembered her ranting about him while he was polishing her crystals, and he was starting to doubt going down there with her. "I'm pretty sure everyone in the universe knows he didn't know you were there or that it was yours."
"I'll let down that grudge when all the water in the globe evaporates," Octobella affirmed, receiving an eye-roll from Armadylan. Guess there are some things he couldn't change with her.
"But that's beside the point," Octobella began to talk, shifting the conversation back."Aren't you just tired of them not respecting you? You should be treated better."
Armadylan sighed. "It doesn't matter anymore, I work solo now."
"Solo?"
Armadylan nodded, hugging his legs. "I just didn't think it would've worked out... I mean, I don't hate them or anything-"
"I hate them," Octobella budged in, crossing her arms. "They always bothered me. Surprised it took you so long to figure that out."
Armadylan playfully rolled his eyes. "Who don't you hate?"
"Well..." Octobella crawled over to his side, smirking. "You're probably the only one, besides Percival."
"I-I am..?"
Ocotbella nodded. "Say..? Instead of working solo.. you could work with me?"
"What? And polishing your crystals forever? I'll pass," Armadylan scoffed, turning away. But before he could fully retreat, one of Octobella's tentacles gently pulled his face back towards her. His heart skipped a beat as he found himself staring into her mesmerizing ocean-blue eyes, a blush creeping onto his cheeks. He forgot how, unironically, pretty she was, from her golden freckles to her soothing smile that, while he knew could be filled with as much poison as a jellyfish, seemed so reassuring.
"You're lucky, you know?" Octobella murmured with a sly smile. "Not everyone is as lucky to get on my good side. I know you weren't as... open to be my friend back then, but how about we turn the tide and start over, partner?"
"P-Partner..?" Armadylan felt his face grow warm. His brief crush on the eight-legged sea creature had lasted only one night, cut short by her betrayal. Yet now, as he looked at her, those old feelings began to resurface.
Octobella nodded, her eyes gleaming with a mixture of mischief and sincerity. "How about you and I get back at those who've treated you wrong? It doesn't just have to be your so-called 'hero' friends. We could also take revenge on those pesky villains."
"They've bothered you, too?" Armadylan asked, his curiosity piqued.
"They've intruded into my precious moat, tried to steal my pondweed," Octobella recalled, her voice softening with the weight of her grievances. "It's exhausting dealing with those... those—"
"Nuisances?" Armadylan suggested, a small smile playing on his lips. Octobella noticed his smile and, for a moment, their eyes met with a mischievous glint.
"Yes," she said, returning his smile. "Exactly."
The two stared at each other for a while, before they snapped out of it. Octobella quickly let her tentacle slip away from his cheek, turning away with a shy blush. Armadylan, however, was unable to contain himself and broke into an eager, boyish grin.
"Well then," Octobella cleared her throat before sitting up, turning towards Armadylan again. He looked up at her again, seeing her stick her hand out. "Why don't you come to my garden? There's not a lot there to do, besides admiring my beautiful crystals, but it's better than just sitting here all night and mope by my precious moat."
Armadylan was about to reach out, his hand hovering in the air, but he froze mid-grasp.
Am I making the right choice?
What if she betrays me again and uses me for another one of her schemes? He hesitated, his gaze dropping to the ground. But then the thought of the PJs came to mind, their judgmental faces flashing before him, and his brow furrowed in determination. They had never truly understood him, never given him the chance he deserved. Now he had a chance to show them what they had misjudged. His hand slowly resumed its path, the hesitation melting away as his palm intertwined with hers.
"I'm ready with whatever you have in store," Armadylan confirmed, standing up as Octobella's magic engulfed him. "I'm tired of letting them walk all over me."
Octobella smirked, pleased by his willingness. "Now that's what I like to hear." The two jumped into the moat, swimming to the mystical garden below the town, just missing Bastet and An-Yu running by.
"Bastet?" An-Yu called out. "Why'd you run over here? The Ninjalinos went that way."
Bastet looked around, feeling as if she was supposed to be there. "I am not sure... I felt like I needed to be over here. Like some sort of... call from beyond?"
"Odd," An-Yu walked over by her side, looking at the still water below. "Were you worried about Octobella again?"
"I mean.. I guess.." Bastet shrugged before An-Yu laid a hand on her shoulder.
"You shouldn't waste your worries on her. She's probably busy polishing her garden for the sixth time tonight. Besides, it's one less villain to deal with."
Bastet sighed, slowly agreeing with An-Yu. "I guess you're right. I am probably overthinking."
Just then, something flew by the two: a sticky splat. Night Ninja and his Ninjalinos began to laugh before Night Ninja tossed a sticky splat in the air. "YOOHOO!! Power LOSERS! Can't catch us!"
"Okay, that's it!" An-Yu raised her staff as she began to chase the pesky Ninja. Bastet was about to follow her, but paused to stare back at the moat one last time. There had to have been a reason for me to be here.. right?
After a moment, the sound of her friend in trouble snapped Bastet from her thoughts. She raced over with her Sun Disk in hand, unaware of what was happening below her feet.