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The Girl Who Embodies the Hope of the Future – Part 01

Wonder Girl Episode 20

Illustration & Story by Bon & Coup

Comic Manhattan, August 1930 Issue

Ten years had passed since the neo city of Babylon fell into the hands of the villain Grim Reaper.

“Darn it! How did it come to this?!”

Youngsters, clothed in grey overalls, carried heavy piles of bricks in their arms, trudging along slowly.

The streets were filled with children dressed the same. Grim Reaper’s henchmen, dressed all in black, cracked their whips and mercilessly beat any worker who fell behind in pace.

The procession continued towards the black tower. The building, towering against the cloudy sky, was as tall as a sword piercing the heavens. The workers were forced to toil endlessly for the construction of the tower.

Grim Reaper’s satisfied laughter echoed from somewhere in the sky.

“I hate this! Will peace ever return to this city?”

In the middle of the queue was a young Chinese man—Linlin. After ten years, he had grown quite a bit older. He marched slowly, biting his lip in frustration. As he passed by the black tower, he looked sadly underneath the pedestal. This was part of his daily routine.

A closer inspection revealed a petite and adorable girl holding up the base in place of a broken column.

Tears welled up in Linlin’s eyes. “Candy!” he cried, watching the girl. “Wonder Girl! I can’t believe this is how things are now.”

Once upon a time, Wonder Girl had flown around Babylon City as a super hero, but now she was merely a pillar of the tower. She gritted her teeth to prevent herself from falling. Her face was pale. Her once vibrant blue, white, and red outfit had turned gray after exposure to wind and rain. She was as motionless as a stone statue, resembling more a decorative column carved in the likeness of a person than a living being.

“Brave and strong! Her name is…” Linlin whispered softly and looked down.

Suddenly, he heard an eerie rustling. He looked up, still biting his lip, and saw Grim Reaper flying past with his black cape fluttering in the cloudy sky. His triumphant laughter echoed throughout the city. The youngsters trembled in fear.

The bottom of Wonder Girl’s outfit rippled faintly in the eerie wind. Her silver hair fluttered gently.

Her hair…

“Hmm? Huh?”

Linlin stopped in his tracks.

Hair? It moved? Could it be?! He tilted his head in thought. Ten years ago, Grim Reaper tricked Wonder Girl and cut Wonder Girl’s silver hair, the source of her power. Candy lost her Wonder Power then. Ten years have passed since. I-I see. Ten years have passed!

Linlin whirled around. He could hear what sounded like the earth rumbling.

And he saw Wonder Girl slowly lifting the bottom of the tower and raising her head. Her once pretty and lively face had turned gray by exposure to the elements.

She blinked and opened her eyes. Her blue eyes sparkled. And so did her magnificent silver hair, which had grown again over the past ten years.

Linlin gasped. “Candy! Your hair, the source of your Wonder Power, has grown back!”

Wonder Girl’s lips curled at the sound of his voice. She hadn’t smiled in a long while. Linlin, too, couldn’t help but smile like he did in the past.

He tossed the pile of bricks aside and ran to his dear friend Wonder Girl. He wiped her face with the sleeve of his work overall and gently dusted off her clothes. Then, her blue outfit began to shine again. He took out a blue star from his pocket and stuck it on her forehead.

“Candy, it’s me! Your friend Linlin!” he said eagerly. “Your hair has grown again!”

“Y-Yeah. Could you help me a bit?”

“Got it!” Linlin nodded, almost on the verge of tears. “I’ve been waiting for this moment. All this time… I’ve been waiting!”

The young workers, marching ahead, also noticed and dropped their bricks in surprise. They gathered in front of Wonder Girl.

They watched with mouth agape as the tower began to rise. Gradually, they started chanting words long forgotten.

“Brave and strong!”

“Everyone…”

“What’s that girl’s name again?”

An eerie silence fell upon them.

Linlin nodded. “Remember, everyone.” He wiped away tears and shouted, “Her name is Wonder Girl!”

Instantly, cheers erupted, shaking the ground.

“Wonder Girl!”

“Wonder Girl!”

“Wonder Girl!”

The chant echoed loudly. Encouraged by the cheers, Wonder Girl exerted even more strength. The girl with silver hair lifted the dark tower.

The time had come. Now, it was time for Wonder Girl, the champion of justice, to strike back!

She pushed a fallen pillar under the tower to replace her, then nodded to herself.

Suddenly, she was engulfed in cheers.

Th-That thing was heavy, Wonder Girl thought, breathing heavily. Remember. When Wonder Star, my home, was destroyed, Wonder Queen said, “Use your power for what you believe is right.” And I will do that now!

She nodded vigorously, then turned to Linlin. “Linlin, please get everyone out of here.”

“Got it! Count on me!” Linlin pumped his fist.

Wonder Girl leaped and soared into the cloudy sky. Her long silver hair danced gracefully behind her. Cheers and applause filled the air. Linlin guided everyone to safety.

In the vast sky, Wonder Girl and the villain Grim Reaper confronted each other. Sparks flew as they glared at each other.

“I warned you not to get in my way!” Grim Reaper barked at the superhero.

“But I will! To restore peace in Babylon City! To wield my Wonder Power for what I believe is right!”

“Grr…”

The wind howled. Wonder Girl’s silver hair rippled majestically. Grim Reaper’s black cloak flapped like some living creature.

The wind swept the clouds, revealing the sun bit by bit. The long-lost clear sky began to illuminate the city. Grim Reaper squinted, blinded by the brilliance.

Wonder Girl struck a defiant pose with both hands raised.

“Say your prayers, villain!”

“Y-You little…”

“Hey, Grim Reaper.”

“What?!”

Wonder Girl chuckled. Her face was as lively and adorable as it was ten years ago.

She tilted her head. “Have you ever danced with an angel in the light?”

With a battle cry, Wonder Girl’s Wonder Power surged towards Grim Reaper, shining brightly. The citizens below watched nervously.

The ultimate showdown with Grim Reaper!

To be continued!

---

“I, Grim Reaper!”

The grand hall fell into an eerie silence, only the wind howling through.

Coup de Grâce’s gun aimed straight at La Guardia’s forehead. His large and well-built figure was concealed by a pitch-black cloak, and muscles unnaturally bulged on his shoulders. A black skull mask hid his expression.

La Guardia, holding a golden lizard pipe, remained still. Despite staring down the barrel of the gun, she showed no signs of fear.

“The monster of the New World, La Guardia!”

Coup de Grâce’s words prompted a defiant smirk from La Guardia. Any earlier apprehension from her confrontation with Victorique seemed to vanish, replaced instead by renewed vigor.

“I’m sure you haven’t forgotten, witch! Sixty-five years ago today, you stole the belongings of my dear Nonna, the real La Guardia, got off the ship, and vanished through the blue gate!

The hall stirred. Mayor Emigré and his wife exchanged glances.

“Nonna took in the baby you abandoned, Toto, and raised him despite the hardships. She was an innocent and trusting girl. She never doubted the woman she had befriended on the ship. She believed that Betsy must have had some reason for disappearing, and that her luggage was stolen by someone else. Then, nearly twenty years later, here in New York, Nonna witnessed the Miss Cigarette parade. As it got closer, she saw the woman named La Guardia leading the procession, and her face was unmistakably Betsy’s. It was then that she finally realized what truly happened. But Nonna never uttered a word of complaint, nor did she blast you. She just lived out her life quietly in a corner of the metropolis until her dying day!”

“Hmph… Enough with your old whining, boy.”

La Guardia smiled smugly, staring at the gun barrel.

Between them stood Bon Vivant, bewildered, his gaze darting back and forth. Mayor Emigré looked at his son with concern. It was hard to tell what kind of expression Coup de Grâce was wearing behind the mask.

“The baby you abandoned was my father! Which means I’m also your grandson… not that you knew!”

“What?! So me and Coup are cousins? Toto’s the half-brother of Emigré… Our fathers are brothers? What the hell? Did we hit it off so well because we’re related?” Bon Vivant groaned, terribly perplexed. “Uncle Toto from Little Italy’s grocery store in episode five of Wonder Girl is dad’s brother?”

Coup de Grâce raised his voice. “Unlike my good-hearted Nonna and my serious father, I can’t exactly say I’m the gentle type. I’ve lived a bit of a thug life. I resented the Bluecandy family, and the Apocalypse tower you built by sacrificing my Nonna, the real Wonder Girl, taking away her future, and stepping all over it. But no matter how much I hated them, the upper-class society was a whole different world, unreachable for the poor. I thought I couldn’t take vengeance. Then, I met Bon while he was running away from home, and the pain and regret I thought I had forgotten turned into the ancient evil—Grim Reaper—and began to gnaw at me!”

Bon turned pale. “It can’t be. You’re the one who caused this incident? Because you got close to me? I… I…”

“I heard at church that misfortune is the punishment for past sins. If that’s true, then it shouldn’t be us receiving punishment. The beginning of a family’s history is important, my ass! You committed a grave sin on the very first day and lived your life like nothing happened. You should be the one suffering! On behalf of the heavens, I will mete out divine retribution!”

“I really wish you wouldn’t joke around like that.”

La Guardia started making shrill, monkey-like laughter. The guests stirred in surprise.