The Perfect Run

As it turned out, Wardrobe had an entire floor of Il Migliore’s tower dedicated to her.

Ryan and the Panda waited inside an elevator, as it slowly climbed towards their destination. The duo could see the sun illuminate New Rome through a glass window, Ryan glancing at Rust Town while his sidekick sang a Spider-man cartoon tune to himself.

It was May 10th, and Psyshock would soon attack the orphanage.

Ryan’s cell phone buzzed to the tune of I Got You, Babe, drawing him out of his reverie. “Quicksave Deliveries, yes?” he said while answering the unknown caller. “We will deliver your mail, no matter how many corpses it takes!”

“There is a logic in this world,” Fortuna’s furious voice said on the other end of the line. “Everything that can go well for me in this universe, does. You violated the natural order!”

“Wait, how did you get this number?” Ryan asked, curious but not surprised.

“I typed it at random.” Goddamnit, her ability was overpowered. She could probably stumble onto the Dynamis conspiracy by sheer luck if she wanted to. “Nobody talks to me like that, Quicksave! I have men throwing themselves at my feet, millionaires, celebrities—”

Ryan hung up on her. “Who was it, Sifu?” his panda disciple asked him.

“A loony fan,” the courier replied dismissively, even as Lucky Girl kept trying to call him.

“Oh, I had one of those too! She tried to kidnap the Panda because she loved his smooth fur. The Panda… the Panda had to run.”

“Couldn’t you... you know…” Ryan looked into his eyes. “Eat her?”

“I-I can only eat bamboo in panda form, Sifu! Meat makes me want to vomit!”

The Danish warlord Nidhogg had drunk a Green Elixir and became a kilometers-long, near-invulnerable serpent. While Timmy drank the same kind of potion, only to become… that.

There was no fairness in this world.

“Sifu, why are you looking at me like that?” the Panda asked, a little anxious.

Ryan sighed and put a hand on the poor animal’s shoulder. “I will always support you, young disciple. No matter what.”

“I…” Ryan thought the Panda might start crying. “Thank you, Sifu.”

The elevator finally reached Wardrobe’s floor and the duo stepped inside.

After the ascent, Ryan had expected something luxurious, but nothing like this. The rugs in the welcoming hall had probably cost a fortune, all the chairs were made of refined leather, and the walls had been covered with artistic designs like an art gallery. Fashion and girlie mags were piled up on fancy wooden tables.

“Come in!” Wardrobe called them from another room. The new hero team followed her voice and passed in front of shooting studios, including darkrooms, props, and various photography equipment.

Eventually, they made their way to a lobby whose walls were covered with thousands of model pictures and cloth designs. Wardrobe was facing a tough customer around a table, a paper sheet and pencil in hand.

“No!” Felix the Atom Cat said, sinking in his chair in front of the hero fashion designer. “I’m not wearing a cat latex suit!”

“Felix, don’t be a child,” Wardrobe protested, “it would be form-fitting, and won’t restrict your movements in a fight.”

The young hero crossed his arms and pouted. “My outfit is good enough.”

“What? How can you say something that stupid! You take that back!”

“Personally, I suggest a Valentino suit with a cat-themed tie, but I think the outfit is already taken,” Ryan mused out loud, waving a hand at the heroes. “Hi, I’m Quicksave, and this is my trusty Panda sidekick.”

“Oh, hello, I’m Atom Cat,” Felix replied, a bit gruffer than usual. Ryan had missed him.

“Hi, I’m Wardrobe! But you can call me Yukiko, or ‘Yuki’ for short!” She was Japanese, huh? Ryan would have said Korean. She smiled brightly at the two, making her unbearably adorable. “Nice to meet you! Please have a seat!”

“She’s so cute…” the Panda muttered under his breath, before trying to sound dignified. “The Panda greets you too!”

“You’re the new guys, right?” Felix asked as they joined the fashion debate. “Shouldn’t you be at the newbie seminar or something?”

you, kitten?”

waste time watching corporate videos instead of actually

looking at the Augusti rebel’s white gymnast clothes. “Wearing this is a crime against humanity, Felix. Follow Quicksave’s example! Look

“I am so glad to finally

“I will take

what she said,” Ryan replied, Wardrobe chuckling while Atom Cat rolled his eyes. “Anyway, I am told you will be my goddess as far as fashion goes, but I’m

blank paper sheet with her pencil. “I thought about a Valentino-style suit with artificial fibers, but

“Cashmere?” Ryan asked, hopeful.

as an island of sanity in a world gone mad. “Dark purple,

the courier suddenly hit the brakes, before she went too far. “That’s

but I found a

tie, we’re

costume… it was wonderful. The perfect

of a tie? That was a stroke of

as if

conflict between your violent spirit and society’s rules! Can you truly live up to your duty to the law, or will you stay true to your wild, single-minded pursuit of justice? That’s your message. That’s your conflict.” Wardrobe pointed at the drawing.

about my bipolarity?” Ryan asked, now giddy. “What do you do

black, light and darkness

have been converted! Yours is the

of them now,” Felix complained. “We’re

me?” The Panda asked, hopeful. “Can you make

“I thought about leaving you shirtless, with two bullet bandoliers

Timmy’s face deflated. “But I don’t

you can use it or not,” Ryan enlightened him.

your transformation, and maybe a pair of sunglasses. You’re no longer just a panda. You’re Rambo Panda, the last of your kind, fighting an eternal war for the

bear. When he glanced at Wardrobe and remembered how Mortimer

Ryan told

smile. “It’s okay,

looked at the costume, utterly mesmerized. “What about the car? Can

case,” Wardrobe promised, grinning at the two. “So, you’re okay with the costumes? Of course you are. Once

“And afterward we go patrol in

Atom

in the field,” Ryan argued. “It’s like baptizing a ship, except you use the blood

a little skeptical. “Go to

“Uh, yes?”

have thought not attending would hurt his

“One must confront evil, instead of waiting for it to come

I understand, Sifu!” The Panda put his hand on his chest. “The Panda shall support you, as you

Genome on the back, before glancing at a confused Felix. “Do you want to come too? I don’t have cat litter in the car

the Cat asked,

a moment in the life of a man, where he must take charge of his own future! Where he must break the chains of corporate hierarchy and stand

invading my personal space, please?” Felix asked, leaning back

milk you like a cow! They’ll harvest your happiness and turn it into cash, until you stand for nothing but a

Felix interrupted Ryan and pushed him back. “You know what, even if you’re clearly off your meds, you’ve got a point. About time someone confronted

asked with her usual enthusiasm.

leave your atelier without

will officially join the Pro League next week, after we finish filming the new Wyvern movie,” Wardrobe said happily.

a finger at

few hours later, Ryan drove through the streets of Rust Town in a brand new costume. Wardrobe sat at his side, while Atom Cat, that fashion disaster, had

window. No matter the loop, nobody ever got used to Rust Town. Even the Panda—the Panda—seemed

Wardrobe admitted, her fingers twitching.

Ryan said, a lighthearted

said, moving closer to his

persona that isn’t copyrighted right? Fictional or not? Does that mean you can change