"I still don't understand how this AI can't recreate your appearance no matter how much it tries, Jolie," I said, scrolling through the images on my phone.
Jolie looked a bit upset seeing them and said:
"It's hard for AI to recreate my beauty, especially my bun tied with a purple ribbon that my aunt gave me.
And why on earth were you using photos of me without my permission to make those anime-style images?!"
She seemed a little annoyed and defensive, moving her arms. I explained my reasons calmly:
"I didn't mean to upset you, Jolie. I was just a bit bored and decided to try this out."
Jolie calmed down and said:
"Well, that explains a bit. But I must admit, the AI does draw me with some nice hairstyles."
I smiled and cut in:
"I'm glad you admit you liked the images a little.
But let's stop talking about that — today's the day we go to Nicaragua to stop the massacre Daniel Ortega is planning against the opposition."
Jolie nodded:
"You're right, we can't waste time talking when we have a mission to complete.
But those girls Ortega sent to kill me four days ago — their names were Azucena, Nycolle, and Monserrat. The last one said she knew you.
Do you know anything about them, Índigo?"
I sat down to explain:
"Yes, they were past love interests of mine. I even had a short friendship with Monserrat because I was the one who designed her superhero suit — I called her Jazzgirl or something like that."
I pictured myself working on the suit of my ex-friend. Jolie, surprised, said:
"No wonder! But that crazy Nycolle almost suffocated me with her damn barrier!
And wow, I didn't know you had experience sewing. That's where Monserrat's tech in her suit came from when she helped me beat her at Juan Santamaría Airport."
I nervously said:
"That's one of my few hidden talents I was too embarrassed to tell you about. Maybe you could teach me more about it?"
"And it's a shame what happened to you while training with Mailen, finishing that math homework and learning more about my chi," I added, my voice shaking.
Jolie, a bit scared, said:
"Yeah, thanks. That was the second most torturous thing I've experienced after one of my exes belittled me for who I am."
"Anyway, let's say goodbye to your mother, your grandfather, and your brother José Santini so we can head to Nicaragua," Jolie said, closing her eyes and putting her hand behind her back.
I answered:
"Alright, I'll do it right away."
After that, Jolie and I went to say goodbye to my mother, grandfather, and brother José Santini.
"Alright, goodbye Mom, we're off to Nicaragua," I said, waving my hand.
My mother, still worried, said:
"Take care on your trip, son. Remember not to get too intense with Jolie during the journey."
She put her hands on her face as she reminded me. I replied:
"I'll try to avoid that. But she's just my friend, nothing more."
My grandfather, saying goodbye, added:
"Take care, remember to calm down and don't stay stressed so much, Índigo."
I responded normally:
"Okay, I'll remember, Grandpa. Goodbye."
My brother José Santini, teasing as he said goodbye, said:
"I hope you send that mustache guy to the river, but are you really going to go dressed in that nerdy superhero suit? How ridiculous you look, Índigo Vicente."
I got annoyed and said:
"Stop making fun of my suit, Santini! But goodbye too."
After saying goodbye to my family, as we left the house, Jolie said, reacting to what they said:
"I don't understand why your mother said that. You've never gotten intense with me, and I've been at your house for a week.
Also, I didn't know your middle name was Vicente. I hope you don't make me all flustered when you dare to sing to me forever."
Jolie moved her arms exaggeratedly as she got on my anti-gravity motorcycle. I said, getting on too:
"She said that because even though I have female friends, she thinks that someday I'll get intense with them or harass them. She told me when we met.
And by the way, Vicente is my grandfather's name, Joaquín," I clarified as I prepared to start my anti-gravity bike.
Jolie said:
"I get it. Sometimes I feel your mother is way stricter than mine, since she would never have done that when she met you at the airport.
But now start your bike so we get to Nicaragua as fast as possible."
Jolie tapped her shoe on my anti-gravity bike. I said:
"Alright, to Nicaragua and beyond!"
We went straight to that country, exactly to a base near a volcanic fortress.
When we arrived, Rosario Murillo surprised us, saying:
"Well, look who's here — the diva with grandma hairstyles and Índigo. I see you have a new suit, similar to your young superhero."
Rosario Murillo appeared and said something about my suit while striking a pose like Frieza.
I said:
"Yes, it's pretty comfortable to beat old witches like you, Rosario," standing ready to fight and threatening her.
Jolie took a fighting stance and said:
"Índigo's right. We're going to send you packing, you malnourished old lady, especially for calling me 'diva with grandma hairstyles.'"
Rosario Murillo, intimidated, responded:
"So you lazy ones dare insult me to fight with you?
Well, if you want a fight to get to my dear husband, you'll have it. But I assure you, you won't expect my surprise attack."
Rosario Murillo prepared to load some water in her canteen.
Then we started fighting her. Jolie chose to transform at will, using a small fraction of her power without needing to say "by the power of Quetzalcóatl."
Murillo started throwing powerful water streams that almost gave us trouble, but luckily, we managed to block them using capoeira and northern Shaolin kung fu techniques from my friend, slightly damaging the old lady.
Then she counterattacked, controlling water with that Brazilian martial art I used earlier. She broke part of my suit's mask and Jolie's Aztec skirt, revealing a bit of her upper thigh, and causing a little bleeding.
Before she could throw hail from her clouds at us, I threw one of my electric discs from my pants, leaving her paralyzed.
But just as we were about to land the final blow, she said:
"Oh, what luck you cowards have, but I hope you have the same when you go to 1857!"
"Opening time portal!" Rosario Murillo said, beginning to open a portal to the past.
Surprised, I said:
"I don't know what's happening, Jolie. It seems that portal wants to send us to the past."
My hair blew with the wind. Jolie looked at me surprised and said:
"Yes, it seems so, Índigo. But if it sends us to that year, my chi can adapt our clothing to the era."
Before she finished, the portal sucked us quickly into the past. While this happened, Jolie's Aztec necklace activated and began altering our clothing to fit the time period we were about to arrive at.
When we landed, we found ourselves on a rocky surface near a cliff.
Jolie said again:
"I know that old Venezuelan woman sent us to the year 1857, but what happened in your country during that time?" Jolie asked, turning to look at me. I checked the locator on my suit and said,
"It seems she sent us to the last year of the Central American war against William Walker and the filibusters."
As I looked at the locator again, an image of him fighting Costa Rican soldiers appeared in my mind. Jolie, knowing part of the history, said,
"I think I know a little about that. A coworker once told me about the war — how that lost ancestor of Putin wanted Costa Rica and the rest of Central America to become a slave state of the United States. Also, he said the national hero of Costa Rica, Juan Santamaría, burned down the inn on April 10, 1856, and that the country lost about 10% of its population to a cholera epidemic during the war."
She told me this as an image of Juan Santamaría burning the inn during the Second Battle of Santa Rosa played in her mind. I replied,
"Yes, that's what happened. It was also very harmful to my country's population during that time — the same time the horrible Rosario sent us here." I clenched my fist.
Jolie replied,
"Even though it was hard for your country, at least you had a big victory."
"But now we have to find a time portal back to the present to stop that mustachioed Ortega and send that old troublemaker Murillo packing," Jolie said, trying to cheer me up as she waved her hand toward the landscape.
Calmer, I said,
"You're right. Let's start with that store over there." I pointed with my finger.
"That sounds good. I can fly us there now that we have your anti-gravity bike," Jolie said, blushing a bit.
Confused, I answered,
"Yeah, sure, but how can you fly wearing that long, fancy dress? It might tear with my boot!" I waved my hands, pointing to my boot.
"Don't ask, Índigo. This dress and necklace were designed based on the skirt I wore when we danced in the plaza in Tampico. So as long as you don't kick while flying, it won't tear."
"Just give me your hand." Jolie fixed her hair in a ponytail and got ready. Nervously, I said,
"Okay, I guess I'll try not to kick you during the flight." I took her hand, and we flew toward the store.
Flying with someone holding your hand was difficult, but we made it. Inside, we asked several people if they knew about a time portal back to the future, but no luck. Frustrated, I said,
"Damn it! We asked more than ten people, and nobody knows about a portal to the future!"
Jolie hit me lightly with a fan and corrected,
"Watch your language, Índigo. If we want to find that time portal, we have to behave here."
"Why don't you ask that guy drinking wine over there who looks pretty down?" Jolie said, covering her face with the fan, pointing at the man next to us.
I said politely,
"Good afternoon, sir. Do you know of a time portal to the future?"
The strange man with a black beard and elegant suit looked at us and asked,
"Yes? Who are you young people?"
Jolie answered,
"Good afternoon, sir. I'm Jolié María Ávila, born in Mexico, and this is my dear fiancé, Índigo Vicente Pereira."
Confused, I said,
"But we're not even dating, Jolie."
"Ouch!" I exclaimed, raising my hand as she lightly hit my foot with her white heel.
Jolie apologized,
"Sorry, he's just not used to this kind of commitment."
"Anyway, back to the conversation: we come from the future, but Rosario Murillo sent us here just as we were about to defeat her. Now, we need to find a portal back to our time to stop a Nicaraguan named Daniel Ortega, who plans a massacre against opponents of his authoritarian regime."
"We're also looking for some threads that can fuse two lovers, taken by a Russian named Vladimir Putin," Jolie explained while fanning herself.
The man replied,
"I see. So you're from the future and want to return to defeat a Nicaraguan."
"I'm Rafael Mora Porras, president of Costa Rica. I'm leading the country's forces alongside other Central American nations to prepare William Walker's surrender."
"But it would be an honor to help you. I heard there is a time portal on the coasts of Puntarenas, and I can take you there," Rafael said seriously.
Excited, I said,
"All right! My chi lets me control machines or metal as weapons, and my beautiful fiancée's necklace lets her transform by invoking the power of the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl. So, will you help us?"
Rafael said,
"Yes, but on one condition: you come with me. Your fiancée, with such a beautiful appearance, would be in danger on a mission like this. She should stay seated and watch while we find the portal."
Jolie, angry, said,
"Hey, sir, you're really pissing me off, you idiot!" She clenched her fists and dropped her fan. In her mind, an image of an active volcano appeared, showing how angry she was.
Trying to calm her, I said,
"Calm down. I'll try to fix this so you don't feel underestimated for being a woman." I grabbed her shoulders.
Still mad, she said,
"Okay, you have the floor, Índigo. Because I'm about to punch Abraham Lincoln's face!"
I explained to Rafael,
"Stop treating her like that. She doesn't know what happened to her. When she was 10, she lost her aunt to criminals, and she trained hard to become stronger."
"Three women almost killed her the day I learned about my chi. She's helped me and saved me many times, so my fiancée isn't just a pretty face, as you think, Mr. President!" I said, looking him in the eyes.
Surprised, he said,
"Wow, you surprised me, kid. Your fiancée may be beautiful, but from what you say, she's impressive."
"Sometimes I underestimate her potential, but I love my children and my wife," Rafael said, accepting his mistake.
I said,
"I'm glad you understand now. So, will you let her fight?"
He answered,
"Yes, as long as she's very careful." He raised his hand to his head.
Jolie happily said,
"Thank you, sir! I'll be careful." She grabbed her fan again and held my shoulder to thank me, but I said nothing, trying to go along with this, even though I'm not used to it.
After a long talk, we left the store. Using some wooden boards from the place, I created an electric anti-gravity bike powered by Jolie's thunder powers.
We headed to Puntarenas, passing through old Costa Rica, to find the time portal back to the future.
While walking near the coast of Puntarenas, Jolie and I had one of our typical conversations:
"Looks like you're not the only one with hidden talents, Índigo," Jolie said, walking with her fan.
I looked at her and said,
"Yeah, sure, but why did you hit my foot so hard with your heel? That hurt a lot."
"And why were you pretending I was your fiancé when we're not even dating?"
I brushed a branch off my boot.
Jolie replied,
"Don't complain, Índigo. I learned these manners from a refined 19th-century lady for a festival performance in Tampico in June 2024."
"I also used it so we'd blend in this era. Plus, you were playing along."
"Sorry if I hit your foot too hard. Sometimes I don't measure my strength," she said, putting on some lipstick and removing another leaf from her shoe.
I said,
"That explains a lot and clears some doubts I had."
"But you should be careful with your punches, friend. Hey, who's that guy over there by the time portal?"
I pointed at a man who looked like Putin.
Rafael Mora Porras said...
"That bastard Walker!" shouted Juan Mora Porras, clenching his fist.
"It looks like some damn filibuster told him about our plan to use the portal and return to the future," said Jolie, horrified, stomping on the rocky ground.
William Walker gave them a cruel smile and spoke in a mocking tone.
"Exactly, my dear brown-haired lady. One of my soldiers told me everything about your little plan to go back and stop this Ortega fellow from carrying out his... 'project' on those dissenters.
But if you thought I'd surrender just because of that, you're dead wrong. My men and I will make sure you two lovebirds never leave this timeline."
As he finished, Walker took out some strange medicine vials, each glowing with different effects.
"That won't happen! You will surrender, no matter the cost, Walker!" said Mora Porras, taking a combat stance.
"Indigo, Jolie—go up front and stop the soldiers before the portal closes! I'll take care of William Walker myself!"
"Got it! We'll handle the filibusters!" I said, stepping forward with determination.
"This reminds me of when we fought those soldiers in that ancient temple—right before I awakened my chi," said Jolie with a spark in her eyes.
"So, this'll be a piece of cake. Alright then... By the power of Quetzalcoatl—transformation!"
In an instant, her form shifted.
"Let's do this!" I said, putting my mask back on.
The battle began. Walker's men took those pills, enhancing their strength and speed, and charged at us. Jolie launched powerful gusts of wind and thunder, making some of them bleed, though they pushed forward through the storm. I crafted a pair of makeshift gauntlets from wooden planks and managed to take down three of them, but hurt my right arm in the process.
Meanwhile, Mora Porras was brawling with Walker. The enemy had the upper hand, but the Costa Rican leader fought fiercely, landing brutal hits—headbutts, strikes to the stomach, and even a sharp kick between the legs, followed by a relentless barrage of punches.
We were getting overwhelmed.
"There are too many of them, Indigo! I can't keep going like this—I'm exhausted!" Jolie shouted, blood on her face and arms.
"I don't know what to do—what's the plan, Mora Porras?" I asked, looking at him, panic rising.
"You two have to return to the future—now, before the portal closes!
It's too dangerous for you to stay here! And here, take this—it's a fragment of the thread you were looking for. I've been keeping it in my pocket this whole time!"
He struck Walker again and tossed me the glowing fragment. I caught it mid-air.
"But... what about you?" I asked.
"I'll be fine. General Cañas and a battalion of Costa Rican soldiers will arrive soon to back me up!" he shouted.
Jolie looked at me, worry in her eyes.
"He's right—we can't waste time. Give me your hand, Indigo. Do it for me... and for the people we have to save."
"Okay. Let's go—there's still so much we have to protect in our time," I replied, grabbing her hand.
We jumped into the portal. During our journey, Jolie's Aztec necklace lit up again, reverting our clothes to their modern forms. We landed right where we left off—back in our timeline.
Rosario Murillo stood before us, shocked.
"What!?
You... you little brats! I thought you were done for after I sent you to that hellish era!"
I wiped blood from my face and said coldly,
"Looks like fate wasn't on your side, Rosario. That war and its suffering didn't write our names in its tombstones."
Jolie stepped forward, calm but fierce.
"And now we're going to finish this once and for all, you bony old witch."
She summoned a gust of wind as we launched our counterattack. Our strategy was simple: Jolie pushed me with a powerful blast to give me momentum. As I dashed forward, Rosario tried to slow me down with jets of water and even ice—but I broke free after three strikes. I hurled my electric discs, stunning her completely.
Then, using my chi, I conjured shaolin-style spirit fists and struck her nine times—enough to knock her out, but not harm her too badly, considering her age.
"We beat her way faster than expected. Honestly, if this were a Samurai Jack situation, we'd be stuck fighting her for 50 years," I joked.
"Don't celebrate just yet, Indigo," Jolie warned. "There's something way worse going on—look, over at Ortega's volcano fortress."
I turned to see what she was pointing at and immediately felt the hope drain from me.
"Oh no... we're too late."
We stared in horror as Daniel Ortega executed a political opponent at the summit of the volcano, his fortress looming in the background like the mouth of hell.