RAPTORMAN TRIPPED.

1774, DECEMBER 10th, SATURDAY 6:00 pm.

Light reflected off of Raptorman's snout as he played with his phone. Being bored, he had been glancing at today's trending internet celebrities that lived in MoveCity. The latest of which being a spunky scorpion-tailed girl with neon pink hair.

She and her boyfriend had gained ten thousand followers practically overnight when they did a live broadcast of themselves sneaking behind DeathTech's enemy lines. It made their popularity explode to the point where all other news stations were jealous.

Everyone was talking about the war non-stop, but only these two managed to get footage up close and personal. Speaking of which, it seemed they had begun a new broadcast.

He clicked play.

"Hola, reporter Venny Adventura here with my cameraman, y mi amor, Rad Strider. Live from my blimp, together we bring you, the rad news!"

The pink-haired girl turned to an image of a world map with multiple countries flashing red. With the tip of her scorpion tail, she pointed to the one that was the home of all Create users.

"While Cross might have us trapped in the Create continent, it seems their border patrol es no bueno when facing DeathTech. For D.T. has already invaded multiple countries," Venny said. "In fact, right now a Cross blockade has been destroyed by DeathTech forces!"

The camera leaned out of the blimp's window and showed the burning remains of Cross naval ships out at sea. Raptorman nearly dropped his phone. Were they flying near the border? Ballsy! Cross would be furious if those two left the Create continent. Even accidentally was a big no no. Oh, he was subscribing to them for sure. They had moxie.

"Unfortunately for those living in the Humane World, a handful of Edward Death's forces have already been slaughtering people left and right. Who knows what destruction will be wrought if an entire army sail across the ocean." The camera returned to Venny as she spoke. "Normal humans stand no chance against these flesh-warping soldiers. Even the augment of a Create User is meaningless when these abominations can absorb you with one touch. How will the United Government react to thi—"

An explosion rocked the screen and the cameraman ran towards the window. Aiming towards the water below, glints of light approached the blimp.

"Venny! Missiles!"

"Chinga tu madre, HOLD ON!"

The video ended abruptly; Raptorman sighed.

It seemed DeathTech invaded the humane world rather quickly after declaring war. Fortunately, MoveCity hasn't been attacked since Edward's declaration. As long as D.T. left his home alone, it wasn't Raptorman's problem.

If anything, Cross deserves to be brought down a peg. As far as he was concerned MoveCity was neutral ground. Uninvolved in that silly war.

Still, they had to be prepared in case DeathTech attacked them a second time. He had to remember to ask Melody to invent some defenses. For now, he had other things to focus on.

Rumors were spreading of Raptorman doing things he knew he hadn't done. Acts of violence so out of character that it was as if someone was purposefully trying to slander his name. Was it an imposter? Dharma in disguise? The V.P.D. police chief didn't strike him as the kind of girl to stoop that low.

There was a knock on the door and a moment later Milkman stepped in.

"Good lord! What happened!" He exclaimed.

"Huh, what?"

Raptorman paused. Then his fingers went to his face and trailed the cuts and scrapes that lingered there.

"OH! That. It's nothing. I just... Fell down some stairs," he said.

Milkman's expression was dumbfounded. He stared there, with his mouth agape, for quite some time.

"You... Fell down some stairs?"

"Yep."

"With your level of augment?"

"Correct."

"Augment that can withstand the world exploding?"

Raptorman didn't respond. The silence filled the air until the atmosphere became awkward.

"It was a lot of stairs?"

The Milkman grimaced at him; Raptorman burst into laughter.

"Don't worry about it," he chuckled. "Now what can I help you with?"

"Right... Melody wanted me to give you these documents," Milkman said. "It's the design for the arena in the upcoming decennial MoveCity tournament."

"Ahh, my left-hand woman sending my right-hand man."

"She also said something really smart, both intellectually and rude, that I decided to forget."

Raptorman chuckled. "Well I look forward to reading these. I can't wait to see how she outshines the one from seven years ago."

"Hard to believe it'll be ten years soon," Milkman nodded. "Where does the time go?"

Raptorman's eyes lingered on the documents. The blueprints for the newest arena showed some interesting designs, including some massive pillars that caught his eye.

"You know, before Cross kidnapped me, before I got a dinosaur mutation, I was a jeweler," Raptorman said. "I would sell rings, necklaces, fancy watches... Back then I secretly used Create to make and sell such accessories. I took the risk cause I was desperate for money."

He sighed; his eyes lingered on the documents.

"I don't know if I'm the best person to rule MoveCity... I know the tournaments are designed to pick a ruler, but all they prove is who's the strongest," he said. "But while I sit at the top. I want to make our home a better place for children. A place where they are free to experience life. Real life. Not confined to sterile, white hospital rooms... That's why I'm going to win this tournament too."

"For what it's worth, I could think of no better person to lead this city," the Milkman smiled. "Well then... I best be going."

"Thank you Milkman," Raptorman said. "Have a good day."

With a nod, he left. The mayor-king stood and stretched. His hand rubbed at a cut on his chin and his mind meandered back to the earlier events of this morning.

It wasn't a large crowd, but certainly a brazen one. Not many people tried to attack Raptorman – not many were fool enough to. It would have been effortless to stop them, but something was wrong here. They accused him of acts of violence he didn't commit. Being at certain locations during times when he was otherwise preoccupied.

Raptorman was fast, but even he couldn't be at two places at once.

A punch was thrown – it didn't harm him in the least. There was no reason to defend himself, none of them were strong enough to damage him. So he stood there and tried to talk; no one felt diplomatic at the time.

Surprisingly, there was one person strong enough to hurt him. The man must have been a famous Create user with that level of strength, but Raptorman didn't know him. Each punch exploded with a shockwave of force, shattering concrete and destroying nearby buildings. Despite that, the best the man could do was scratch him.

That was the difference between a powerful create user and a General level one like Raptorman. A vast gap in strength – like comparing a mortal to a god.

Such surface-level wounds weren't worth the effort to raise a finger. So Raptorman stood there, took a weak beating, and waited for everyone to wear themselves out.

By the time the man had exhausted himself the surroundings looked like a bomb had gone off. Utter destruction just from the backlash of his barrage of punches. In the entire area, Raptorman was the only thing that seemed relatively unharmed.

It was when he threatened to punch back did he finally get some answers. Having an entire day to reflect on it, he had come to a decision. There was a doppelganger out there. An imposter was trying to defame him. But who?

"I'm going to have to keep an eye out for my evil twin," he muttered. "Honestly... To walk away from a fight that intense with only a few scrapes. I must have become really powerful."

He walked over to a window and stared out at the vast city below him.

"MoveCity... That's all I have left of him," he whispered. "There's a reason I became this powerful... I will do anything to protect his memory."

With that, Raptorman left his office.