Voidspeaker leaned back against the couch. He had his arm wrapped around Chronolock, who was leaning against his chest. He looked down at her.

 

She was looking up at him.

 

Their faces grew closer.

 

Closer.

 

Until they were almost touching.

 

And then…

 

“Guys, code pink!”

 

A void grew between the two in a single instant of time, the pair now on opposite sides of the couch. Voidspeaker heaved a dramatic sigh. Chronolock simply frowned and glared at Wonder Knight.

Wonder Knight grit his teeth as he held his hands up defensively.

Why did he have to be the one to take the blame for this?!

 

…

 

…

 

Oh…right…

Pink Star skipped into the room, humming a happy tune. She waved at Wonder Knight and Icy Rose, then turned to the pair on the couch. She tilted her head.

 

“Huh? Why are you guys sitting so far away?”

 

“N-No reason…we uh…we just…”

 

Chronolock just glared at Wonder Knight again.

 

“Huh, well no matter! Hey guys, listen listen! I have a date tonight!”

 

Aurora Legion’s jaws dropped. Well, except for Icy Rose, who simply smiled.

 

“Congratulations, Pink.”

 

“Thanks, Rose! And it’s with Jeremy…”

 

Pink Star placed her hands on her cheeks as they flushed. Meanwhile Wonder Knight tilted his head.

 

“Huh, Jeremy? Like, Jeremy from our old school? Huh. Didn’t think he would…I always thought he was…”

 

There was a yellow flash across the room. Chronolock seemed to blink across the room as she covered Wonder Knight’s mouth.

 

“That’s great, Pink. We’re very happy for you.”

 

“Thanks!”

 

The group made some more small talk, then Pink Star skipped out of the room.

And then Aurora Legion dropped to their knees, tired looks in their eyes. Wonder, Void, and Chrono all spoke as one.

 

“““Jeremy…please don’t let us down!”””

 

Icy Rose glanced around at the three, raising an eyebrow.

 

“...you know, you guys are kind of weird.”

 

---

 

Pink Star smiled as she walked down the nighttime street. She turned to the person next to her. Her eyes widened.

He was looking at her too.

Both their faces flushed slightly and they turned away.

Her smile grew.

 

Finally!

 

Finally!

 

The two walked in companionable silence for a while longer, until they reached the gates of the International Academy for Gifted Youth, where Pink Star was currently staying. She crossed her hands behind her back and turned to look at her partner, her eyes turned up as she glanced up at him.

 

“Thank you for tonight. I had a lot of fun.”

 

“Ah…yeah, me too. Thanks for coming with me.”

 

Her face flushed lightly. She took a deep breath.

 

“You know…I wouldn’t mind…going again sometime.”

 

“Um, thanks.”

 

She blinked.

 

“Um…is that…no good?”

 

The boy looked away. Her stomach dropped.

 

“Oh, no, it’s fine…it’s…”

 

She started to sweat.

 

“It’s…what…”

 

“It’s just…well, it’s not you…but…”

 

No.

 

“D-Don’t get me wrong, you’re a great girl, and I had a lot of fun tonight…it’s just…”

 

Don’t.

 

Pink Star wrapped her hands around her arms and began to whisper.

 

“No…don’t say it…don’t say it…”

 

“I…think I’m not into girls. I’m really sorry…I wanted to see…and you really are the girl I like most, so I wanted to give you a fair shot. I’m really sorry about this…”

 

Pink Star froze.

Her right eye began to twitch.

She began giggling.

 

“U-Um, Amy? Are you all right?”

 

She broke out into a full blown laughter.

 

“It’s funny…it’s really funny!”

 

He began backing up.

 

“A-Amy?”

 

“I…I live in a society, don’t I? Yes…that must be it. Ahahahaha…AHAHAHAHAHA!!!!”

 

“Um…I, uh, think I better get home now…I’ll see you later?”

 

The boy slowly backed into the night as Pink Star continued to laugh.

 

---

 

Wonder Knight and Voidspeaker crept down the hallway, tiptoe-ing each step of the way. They continued to glance ahead.

 

“What are you two idiots doing?”

 

Voidspeaker screamed.

Chronolock held her head. Her courageous boyfriend, folks.

Why did she love him, again?

 

“Shhhh! Chrono, don’t sneak up on us like that!”

 

Chrono just stared at him with half-closed eyes.

 

“We’re not the ones sneaking.”

 

“Neither are we!”

 

“You sure about that?”

 

“Positive!”

 

Chronolock crossed her arms and turned towards the girl to her side.

 

“Oh really? Rose, what did it look like to you?”

 

Icy Rose nodded.

 

“Sneaking. Definitely sneaking.”

 

“Oh come on, not you too, Rose!”

 

“There you have it. So spill it out, what were you doing?”

 

“Nothing.”

 

“Wonder, what were you doing?”

 

“N-Nothing…”

 

Wonder Knight averted his gaze.

 

“Wonder, look at me.”

 

Wonder Knight slowly turned to face Chronolock. He began to sweat.

In approximately five seconds he threw his hands up.

 

“W-We didn’t mean anything bad, I swear! We’re just worried about her!”

 

“Who?”

 

“Pink Star.”

 

Chronolock narrowed her eyes.

 

“And what does that have to do with sneaking? You following her around at night? I could’ve expected from Void but I’m disappointed in you, Wonder.”

 

“Hey!”

 

Icy Rose also narrowed her eyes as Wonder Knight continued to sweat. Voidspeaker let out a sigh and stepped in front of Wonder Knight.

 

“Look…we wouldn’t do this…but she didn’t seem like she wanted to talk to us. And she definitely didn’t seem ok.”

 

“Explain.”

 

“S-So we asked her how her date went.”

 

Chronolock sighed and slapped her forehead.

 

“I told you just to leave it alone and let her tell you herself.”

 

Voidspeaker looked away.

 

“R-Right, but well, she didn’t say anything at all.”

 

“You know she would’ve come screaming if it went well, right?”

 

“H-Hey, we were curious! But then, she started acting really weird!”

 

Chronolock crossed her arms and frowned.

 

“How so? I’d imagine most people wouldn’t act normal while being pestered about a poor date by two guys in relationships.”

 

“W-Well, for one she was constantly laughing.”

 

“Weird given the situation but it’s Pink. She likes to laugh.”

 

“And her eye was twitching even though she had this weirdly huge grin on her face.”

 

“I see…”

 

“And she stared at us for about five minutes without saying anything at all with her eyes as wide as they could go.”

 

“Um…”

 

“And she also wasn’t blinking at all that entire time.”

 

“I-I see…”

 

“Then she mumbled something about if she couldn’t find one…she’d make one. And then she ran off towards the training rooms.”

 

“R-Right…”

 

“So, um, we figured…we should check on her…”

 

Chronolock and Icy Rose exchanged glances. Chronolock shook her head and sighed.

 

“Ok. Fine. Your hearts were in the right place with the sneaking. Even though it was to solve a problem YOU caused. So we’ll go check on her. Just NOT in a creepy way. Understand?”

 

Both boys spoke in unison.

 

““Yes, Ma’am.””

 

And then followed…behind Chronolock. She held her head and sighed once again.

 

---

 

The group made their way to one of the training rooms. They could hear Pink Star giggling from outside, the door left slightly ajar.

 

“I-I’m all right, it was just a little scary.”

 

The group stopped. Chronolock turned around to face the other three.

 

“All right, let’s check on her.”

 

The boys audibly gulped.

 

“But…c-could we stay like this, just a moment? Thank you! You’re really…the best.”

 

Chronolock heaved a dramatic sigh as they hid behind Icy Rose.

 

“Cowards. Fine. Pink, it’s Chrono. You ok?”

 

Chronolock made her way towards the door, placing a palm upon it when she heard Pink Star’s voice.

 

“That’s why…I really love you…Wonder…”

 

Time froze for Chronolock.

She felt a chill run down her spine.

She slowly leaned forward, peeking through the gap.

 

There stood Wonder Knight in his full hero uniform…made entirely of pink light. He held Pink Star in his arms as she wrapped hers around his neck. He smiled softly at her.

 

Chronolock gulped.

 

“Y-You love me too? Really? I love you so much, Wonder!”

 

Chronolock nearly jumped as Voidspeaker stepped behind her, whispering in her ear.

 

“What is it, Chrono? What do you…see…”

 

The self-proclaimed portender of inexorable doom, the one who peers into the void...felt inexplicable dread.

 

Wonder Knight tiptoed towards them, leaning over the group to peer through the gap.

 

“W-What is it, you guys…what do you…see…”

 

He froze. The strongest and most courageous of a new generation of heroes...wanted to flee with every ounce of his being.

 

Icy Rose tilted her head, and slowly stepped towards the door, leaning underneath Chronolock to peer through the gap.

 

The girl who ruled over ice and frost…felt her veins run cold.

 

The group stepped back and all turned to stare at Wonder Knight.

 

"Wonder, be honest, what did you do?"

 

“D-Don’t look at me! I d-didn’t do anything!”

 

“Really?”

 

“Really!”

 

“Well something happened, bro.”

 

“I wouldn’t lie about something like this!”

 

“So…um…what do we do?”

 

The group fell silent at Chronolock’s question. They glanced around at each other. Icy Rose reached into her pocket.

 

“...l-let me call Dr. Ueda.”

 

---

 

A few days later, Pink Star walked into the break room.

Aurora Legion exchanged glances. A heated conversation took place with their eyes, ending with them all staring at Wonder Knight. He glanced around at each of the members but not one of them flinched.

He gulped, stepping forward after a deep breath.

 

“H-Hi Pink…h-how are you?”

 

“Oh, I’m good, thanks for asking!”

 

“Good…t-that’s good.”

 

Chronolock just held her forehead.

 

“Um…about Saturday…”

 

Icy Rose frowned. Voidspeaker shook his head and crossed his arms repeatedly in an ‘X’ shape.

Pink Star’s face flushed.

 

“I was training a new power.”

 

“Um.”

 

“I. Was. Training. A. New. Power.”

 

Wonder Knight gulped.

 

“G-Got it.”

 

He said nothing more as she walked past him. He whispered to himself.

 

“...I’m so sorry Pink. We’ll find you someone…I swear. Hang in there…please.”

 

And so it was that Pink Star unlocked a brand new power.