25 Nemesis #25
My eyes couldn't help but light up with amusement as I approached the miniature tormentor, basking in Beast Boy's momentary agony.
Clearing my throat dramatically, I aimed my address at the vertically challenged mastermind. "Hey, how's it going, short stuff?" I called out, causing him to pivot towards me with a look that could rival the glare of a thousand suns.
Simultaneously, my interface buzzed with notifications:
[Your relationship with (Gizmo) has shifted from (Neutral) to Hostile],
[You have been awarded 200 points]
Well, well, it seems someone is guarding their stature like it's a national treasure. I knew Gizomo was a bit sensitive about his height, but I didn't expect such a big reaction. Not that I was complaining, mind you.
"What's with that look, pal? I'm just here to ask you a question..." I stated, the casual shrug of my shoulders implying that Gizmo's piercing gaze was about as consequential as a gnat in a hurricane. "How's the weather up there? No one's ever asked you that question before, right?" I tacked on, my grin widening with the satisfaction of needling him.
Beast Boy, still writhing under the effects of Gizmo's gadget, gritted his teeth and mustered the strength to growl, "Hey, man, get outta here! This isn't your fight!"
I glanced at Beast Boy with a smirk, offering him a wink and a casual, "Nah, I'm good right here."
Turning my attention back to the irate Gizmo, who was seething like a teapot on the verge of boiling over, I resumed my delightful banter. "So, Gizmo, I've always wondered, do you use a kiddie pool as your bathtub, or is even that too steep for you?"
The little guy was visibly fuming, which only fueled my amusement.
Without warning, Gizmo unleashed one of his tech marvels, a laser gun, aiming it straight at me. Little did he know, my Guardian Veil's invisible barrier was at the ready, effortlessly blocking the attack.
Gizmo's eyes widened in disbelief as the strange energy projectile fizzled and disappeared upon hitting me.
I chuckled, unabashedly reveling in the absurdity of the situation. "You might need a booster seat for that aim, buddy!" The glare Gizmo shot my way could've melted steel, but I was having too much fun to let it bother me.
Gizmo stood there, staring at me in sheer disbelief, his initial shock slowly transforming into contemplation. The wheels in his genius mind were turning as he muttered to himself, "Energy barrier, huh? Interesting."
I couldn't help but be impressed. Behind the comically small stature and the apparent love for chaos, Gizmo was indeed a prodigy. Sure, it was somewhat obvious I had some kind of invisible, considering that not a hair on my head had been singed and that even my clothes were unscathed, but his quick deduction was still impressive.
A mischievous grin danced across Gizmo's face as laughter erupted from him. "Not bad, but here's the kicker... could your fancy barrier handle a building collapsing over your head?" He quipped, toying with a gadget on his wrist.
I shot back with a nonchalant shrug; not knowing the extent of the barrier's durability myself.
Gizmo's laughter only intensified. "Even if it can! You'll be buried and suffocated under the rubble!" he declared, a fleet of drones arriving and aiming their guns at a nearby building.
Instead of clicking the button, he just looked at my face as if waiting for me to acknowledge his genius and beg for my life. Genius he might be, but his vanity and need to gloat was almost as conspicuous as his intellect.
If only he'd performed his plan without broadcasting it, there might not be much I could do to stop him, but he did, and here we are.
"Sounds peachy, but you might want to check out what's happening behind you..." I suggested, pointing beyond the pint-sized genius.
His immediate scoff. "What kind of idiot do you think--" He said, pausing halfway through his sentence as he noticed the large shadow on the ground below him.
Gizmo eyed the looming shadows with a mix of confusion and dread. He turned to me, his Adam's apple bobbing nervously. I kept up the theatrics, dramatically pointing behind him as if unveiling the grand finale of a magic trick.
With an unmistakable sense of reluctance, Gizmo pivoted around, only to face an incoming tsunami of New York's biggest, filthiest rats. It was a sight to behold – a rodent ballet choreographed by Rattigan, ready to engulf Gizmo in their not-so-affectionate embrace.
"What the--" Gizmo managed to utter before the tidal wave of rats descended upon him like a furry avalanche, bringing him to the ground.
He wrestled with the wriggling mass of rodents, attempting to fend off their collective rodential assault. Witnessing him grapple with the furry onslaught, I couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Amidst the chaos, I reached into my jacket pocket, strolling toward the pint-sized genius, and halted as a substantial shockwave pulsed from his body – yet another one of his gadgets, no doubt.
The force rippled through the rat army, sending them flying in all directions and setting Gizmo free from their verminous clutches.
Gizmo's teeth clenched audibly as he shot me a venomous look. "You...!" he spat out, his eyes narrowing with menace. "I'll make you pay for this someday!" His words oozed a half-hearted threat, clearly signaling his intention to make a hasty retreat.
But sorry, no swift exits are allowed on my watch.
Without missing a beat, I reached into my pocket and procured a peculiar item – a robo cockroach, my latest impulsive purchase from the system. Because where else does one instantly find a cybernetic bug, right?
I flung it in Gizmo's direction, almost on autopilot.
Gizmo, in a momentary lapse of judgment, instinctively snatched it from the air. As he examined the mechanical critter in his palm, his face turned whiter than a ghost, and he froze in place.
Out of all Gizmo's flaws and weaknesses, his irrational fear of bugs, or Entomophobia, if you want to be fancy, was likely the most crippling of the lot, even more than his megalomania and need to broadcast his plans before executing them.
Knowing that golden nugget of info, I would have been an idiot not to use it, and so I did.
Casually approaching the pint-sized villain, I gave him a knock on the head, and Gizmo promptly crumbled to the ground, unconscious.
[Your relationship with (Gizmo) has shifted from (Hostile) to (Nemesis)]
[You have been awarded 450 points]
Perusing through these notifications, an amused eyebrow arched upward. It seems I left a more lasting mark than I initially intended, but hey, who cares? Points secured, and Gizmo was nothing more than the resident comic relief for the Teen Titans – not worth losing any sleep over.
Unfortunately, I didn't have much time to overthink the aftermath of my encounter with Gizmo or his status as my now-sworn enemy as the sound of approaching footsteps snapped me back to reality.
Swiveling around, I laid eyes on Beast Boy, now in his human form, sporting a grin wide enough to light up Times Square.
"Dude, that was wild! I've seen some crazy stuff, but taking down a villain with a wave of rats? That's a whole new level!" Beast Boy exclaimed, radiating the excitement of a kid on a sugar rush. His energy was infectious.
"You're not the usual hero type, huh? What's your deal, and how'd you do that?!" His curiosity bubbled over, an eager grin plastered on his face.
"I'm no hero, bud," I replied with a nonchalant shrug. "And that rodent orchestra wasn't my doing; it was all this guy..." I gestured toward Rattigan, who had scampered over my body and now perched on my shoulder like a furry sovereign surveying its kingdom.
Beast Boy's eyes practically lit up with excitement, like a kid in a candy store. "No way, that's so cool...!" he exclaimed, eagerly reaching out to pet Rattigan. However, his enthusiasm was met with a swift nip, prompting him to recoil with a yelp. "Whoa, feisty little guy, huh?" he chuckled nervously, holding his finger.
"Sorry about that... Rattigan isn't as friendly as he looks," I added with a smirk, fully aware of the rodent's unpredictable nature. "Anyway... don't you have somewhere else to be?" I raised an eyebrow at Beast Boy, who seemed to snap out of his fascination at my words.
Instantly, panic flashed across his face. "Oh, right! I gotta help the others!" With a swift transformation into an eagle, he took to the skies. "I'll catch you later, dude!" his voice echoed before fading into the bustling city sounds.
