CHAPTER THIRTEEN

The Big Battle

I pushed open the back door of the bank like a boss! It gave me kind of a rush. I guess Grandpa’s pep talk worked. But where was Captain Tornado? I scanned the lobby and spotted Gavin and Felicia—they were spinning in circles, each trapped in a mini-tornado!

Meanwhile, Captain Tornado was in the vault, counting the money with the help of more little tornadoes.

Quietly, I snuck over to my siblings in the shadows, careful not to alert Captain Tornado to my presence.

“Are you okay?” I whispered.

“Yeah, just too dizzy to multiply,” Gavin said. He looked green from vertigo.

“And I can’t use my super strength when I’m stuck in a storm,” Felicia muttered. “That’s the only reason I haven’t kicked his butt yet, in case you’re wondering.”

“I’m just glad you’re safe,” I whispered. “I’m sorry that I dared you to do this. It was dumb of me.”

“Well, we were the ones who came,” Gavin said. “It’s not all your fault.”

“It’s ours too,” Felicia agreed.

“That’s actually quite touching,” said Captain Tornado, emerging from the vault. “My family is never that nice to one another.”

“We meet again, Captain Tornado!” I said, trying to make my voice sound as tough as I could. “Release these innocents right now, or you’re going to have a big problem!”

I was shaking in my shoes, but only a little. Captain Tornado sighed. “Kid, come on. We’ve been over this. You make ice cubes. I can conjure tornadoes. You’re no match for me. Please go home before you get hurt.”

The supervillain went right back into the vault. He was using his wind powers to put money in large bags. A giant tower of money flowed into his bag with ease. I had to admit, I was jealous of Captain Tornado’s awesome powers.

“Captain Tornado, time to face me!” I said as threateningly as possible. But my voice cracked. (It happens. I’m a growing boy.)

“Okay, fine,” he said with a sigh. “If you really insist on fighting, I guess I’ll give you one round. Come on. Give me your best shot.”

He didn’t think I was a threat. I was genuinely insulted. I’d show him!

I concentrated as hard as I could.

This was my big moment. I know I’d thought that before, but I swear this time it was real. I could feel my body charging itself with ice power. The feeling kept growing and growing. I felt like I was about to explode. When I couldn’t wait any longer, I pointed my hands at Captain Tornado and let loose!

A dozen small ice cubes shot out across the floor in front of him. Most of them didn’t even hit him. They landed at his toes.

“Oh man, kid,” Captain Tornado said. “Ice making? That’s rough. And I thought my powers were lame.”

“You do?”

“Well, not now, but when I was younger,” Tornado said, walking over to me. “I went to school at Villain Academy, and kids were mean! They were always saying how crummy and dumb my powers were.”

“That’s what my brother and sister say about me all the time!” I said.

“But I worked hard, and eventually I made my wind power into tornado power. And now I’ve shown them. Most of those jerks are locked up in jail, or stuck with boring desk jobs. Me? All I do is rob banks every few years and then spend the rest of my time on vacation. My point is, keep at it. You’ll get there.”

He added, “Try to keep in mind, you don’t need great superpowers to be great. My brother doesn’t have any powers, and he’s a successful banker! It’s not about what you have, it’s about what you do with what you have.”

Was I really getting another pep talk from this supervillain?

“Thanks,” I said. “You seem like a good guy—so I’ll tell you what. If you leave now, out the back door, I won’t call the cops for five minutes.”

“Come on, kid,” Tornado said. “Game over. You can’t beat me.”

“But I have to try,” I said, hoping I seemed commanding enough. “That money isn’t yours to take. Other people worked for it, and they keep it here so it’s safe. And this town is under my protection.”

Captain Tornado sighed. “I guess I’m going to have to fight you, then.” But as he took a step toward me, he slipped on some of my ice. He lost his balance and flew wildly into the air, doing three—no, four!—flips. He landed flat on his back with a giant CRACK!

“MY BACK!” he shouted. All the tornadoes suddenly vanished. “I can’t move! I twisted my back. Ouch ouch ouch…”

Did this mean I had won?

“Peter, you did it! You stopped Captain Tornado!” shouted Felicia.

“I don’t believe my eyes. You actually did it,” said Gavin, his jaw dropping in disbelief.

I stopped Captain Tornado. I STOPPED CAPTAIN TORNADO! I felt like nothing could ruin this moment.

That is, until Mom and Dad showed up.