Chapter 13: Cornered Rat

"Oh boy, I can't wait for the fellas to come over," Butters said to himself cheerfully while he washed his hands at one of the bathroom sinks. "At least I won't be alone all weekend."

Half an hour of detention had passed without any sign of Trent or contact from Boss. Mr. Mackey also wasn't paying close attention to his prisoners because he was looking over the students' progress reports, so Stan, Kyle, Cartman and Butters stopped pretending to do their homework and ignored the strict "No cell phone use during detention" rule to play games or surf the web on their phones. Before he got a hall pass and left to use the restroom, Butters sent Kenny a text explaining the plan for when detention was over and asking how he was feeling. To his excitement, Kenny texted back right away that he could come over and his fever was going down. Stan and Kyle were skeptical about the latter part of the message when they saw it, but simply asked Butters to remind him to get some rest. They were just glad Kenny wasn't insisting on fighting anymore and chuckled when his next reply was a sarcastic "Yes mom" and an emoticon with its tongue sticking out.

"Let's see," Butters murmured as he dried his hands, "I think I have enough pillows and blankets for everyone. Kenny can have the air mattress, and there's soup in the pantry-"

"No!" a voice suddenly cried from the hallway. "Stop! D-don't come any closer!"

"Uh oh. It sounds like Tweek got caught trying to help Craig escape again," Butters remarked. "Oh wait, Craig didn't get detention today…"

He listened closely as the screams grew louder and realized that the voice was Gary Nelson's, not Tweek's. He opened the door and watched in shock as the hall monitor sprinted past sobbing and clutching his arms, which were as red as his hair.

"Help!" he yelled. "Officers, I need backup!"

Butters went out into the hallway to follow Gary and accidentally collided with another boy running past, sending both of them toppling to the floor. Butters rubbed his head and sat up to see it was a boy in a stained black hoodie with the hood pulled over his hair.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't see you coming! Are you okay?"

The boy raised his head and glared fiercely at him. Butters gasped and scooted back, his eyes wide with terror. The hood and bandaged nose did nothing to mask the same livid, scowling face he'd seen many times in his nightmares.

Trent's glare hardened at Butters' reaction. "Well, at least you recognized me right away," he huffed in annoyance.

Butters quickly scrambled to his feet and tried to make a run for it. He only made it past a few lockers before Trent's bulky arm wrapped around his waist from behind and his hand clamped down over his mouth. Butters frantically struggled and made muffled cries for help as Trent dragged him back to the boy's bathroom and shoved him inside.

"You seem to have recovered nicely since our last meeting, Butters," the bully said casually, releasing him and locking the door. "Did you forget you can't run from me?"

"W-what are you doing here, Tr-Trent?" Butters stammered, backing up against the wall of the first stall and shaking like a house in a hurricane.

Trent pulled down his hood and checked the stalls to make sure they were empty. "I snuck in here to look for Stan, Kyle, Cartman and Kenny, but there's a group of ginger kids trying to throw me out like they've been expecting me. I think those pieces of shit paid them to do it. Have they learned nothing from last time?!"

The bully angrily punched the door of the second stall to open it, making Butters flinch and yelp in fear. He could almost feel his arms tingle in remembrance from getting the same Indian burns that were now bruising Gary's pale skin.

"Well, it doesn't matter," Trent continued as he walked back over, "I needed new punching bags anyway. And I have to admit, this school doesn't look half bad. It's a lot different from how I pictured it all of those times when I was in my cell…"

He trailed off with a melancholy look on his face, then scowled again and balled his hands into fists. There were deep, red lines around his wrists from the strain of breaking the handcuffs. Fearing it was now his turn to be a punching bag, Butters burst into tears and flung himself down at Trent's feet.

"I'm sorry, Trent!" he cried and clasped Trent's ankles. "I'm so sorry I crashed into you! I didn't see you coming, I swear! And I'm sorry you were sent back to juvie! I had nothing to do with that, I was in the hospital! N-not that I'm blaming you f-for putting me in there, I-I know I deserved it! P-please don't beat me up again! I can't take another Polish bike ride!"

Trent listened patiently to Butters' groveling and waited until he'd descended back into sobs before reaching down and prying his hands off of his ankles.

"Calm your fucking tits, Butters. I already settled my score with you. I only brought you in here to ask you something, so get up and stop slinging snot all over my boots."

Butters, unsure if he'd heard Trent correctly, timidly stood up and wiped his eyes and nose with his sleeve.

"That's better." Trent glanced at the locked door and empty stalls as though they were eavesdropping, then moved closer to Butters. "Tell me, do you know Mysterion?"

"Mysterion?" Butters repeated, both confused and relieved that his question wasn't about where his prey was currently hiding. "Yeah, I know him."

"Are you one of his friends?"

Butters hesitated a moment before answering. Kenny was his best friend, but his inner Professor Chaos still held a grudge against Mysterion for stopping his crimes and allowing the Coon and Friends to imprison him in their holding cell for so long. He and Dougie had even decided to put their supervillain schemes on hold for the time being after they learned of Mysterion's return because they knew he'd try to stop them as usual.

"Yeah, sort of." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I'd, uh, say I'm more of an acquaintance in his eyes."

Trent shrugged. "Works for me, as long as you can tell me more about him."

"Oh, uh, sure… but why are you so curious about Mysterion? Did you hear about him in juvie?"

"I didn't know about him until I witnessed him saving a little girl two days ago. Ever since then he's piqued my interest. He seems pretty hell-bent on protecting this town."

"He is, but he's very good at it," Butters admitted. "He always knows when someone needs help."

"You don't say," Trent grumbled. "I'm surprised he didn't show up to stop me from beating up some of those gingers."

"Did you want him to?" Butters asked, his head cocked in confusion.

"… Not particularly," Trent said after a pause. "Is he the only superhero in South Park? Does he have a sidekick?"

"Well, he used to be part of a group of superheroes, but they disappeared a while back," Butters answered. "I think he's working alone right now."

"Oh." Trent frowned in disappointment, but shrugged it off. "That must take a lot of time and commitment. But all work and no play would make him a dull boy, right? Does he have a girlfriend?"

"No, not that I know of," Butters answered truthfully.

Trent frowned again and rubbed his chin. "Hmm. Well, then he must care about the people he saves if he's that dedicated. Is there anyone in town he's especially protective of?"

Butters' eyes involuntarily widened as Karen's face flashed across his mind, but he didn't dare say her name out loud. He looked down and hoped Trent hadn't noticed, but it was too late.

"There is?" Trent asked expectantly. "Who is it? What's their name?"

"W-why do you want to know?" Butters asked, backing up against the stall again.

"The best way to defeat an enemy, Butters, is to know their weaknesses."

"What do you mean? You said you didn't know Mysterion…"

"I don't, but somehow that bastard knows all about me and that fire! And ever since I came back, he's been stopping me from getting my revenge!"

"He has?" Butters asked in awe.

"Where do you think I got this from?" Trent demanded, pointing to his bandaged nose. "Twice now he's swooped in and attacked me when I had those guys cornered! Well, all of them except Kenny. I don't know where the fuck he is."

"Gosh!" Butters exclaimed and put a hand to his mouth. He looked surprised, but was actually hiding an amused grin at the fact that Trent was beaten up by Kenny in disguise. And just beaten up in general.

"Don't flatter him," Trent scoffed. "Mysterion may have caught me off guard a few times and taken my switchblade, but he sure as hell can't take a punch. He could barely walk after I was done with him yesterday."

Kenny's hurt? Butters thought, looking genuinely surprised now. Why didn't the fellas tell me?

"But physically beating him isn't going to work anymore," Trent continued. "In order to get those guys and my switchblade back, I need to know what makes him tick so I can use it against him. That's where you come in, Butters."

Butters nervously wrung his hands. "I-I don't think that's a good idea, Trent. You don't know what Mysterion's capable of…"

"I didn't ask for your opinion, I'm asking for information," Trent snapped. "Now tell me, do you know this person he's really protective of?"

Butters forced himself to meet Trent's gaze. Even though he was still trying to wrap his head around the situation, Karen was his friend too and he didn't want the bully anywhere near her.

"No," he answered firmly.

Trent narrowed his eyes. "'No' as in you don't know, or 'no' as in you refuse to tell me?"

Beads of sweat formed on Butters' forehead, but he held his ground. "I'm sorry, Trent, but I'm not answering any more questions."

"Why not?" Trent demanded, seizing Butters by his collar. "You don't want to get involved? You think your parents will ground you? Is that it?!"

"N-no, no!"

"Then tell me who it is, you little rat!"

"I'm not a rat!" Butters shot back. "I don't tell other people my friends' secrets!"

"I KNOW THAT!" Trent yelled and slammed Butters up against the stall. "You wouldn't tell the police who was really behind that fire, and now you're screwing me over again!"

"I said I was sorry, Trent!" Butters cried and struggled to break free. "Please let me go! I have to get back to detention!"

"If you're really sorry, then stop pissing me off and tell me who Mysterion cares about," Trent ordered. "Trust me, I have other ways to make you talk."

"Trent, please! Mr. Mackey will have my head if I don't get back soon-"

"Your head's going in one of those toilets if you don't answer my damn question right now!"

"M-Mysterion would do worse things to me if he found out I told you!" Butters blurted out with tears in his eyes. "I-If anyone tries to hurt the person he cares about, he loses control!"

Trent let that sink in for a moment, then slammed Butters against the stall again. "Are you trying to insult me?!"

"W-what? N-no, of course not!"

"You're more scared of that spineless coward than ME?! Well I can easily fix that!"

Trent yanked Butters forward to drag him into the stall and give him a swirlie. Butters panicked and, before he realized what was happening, his hand flew forward and punched Trent in the face. Trent immediately let go of him and staggered back with his hands over his nose and mouth. Butters, horrorstruck at what he'd done, wasted no time in unlocking the bathroom door and sprinting down the hallway like his ass was on fire.

"Oh no!" he cried. "Oh no, no, no, no!"

Hi everyone! :D I'm SO sorry for the hiatus, I was busy and had a bit of writer's block. And I'm so happy they brought Karen back this season and gave her those cute pigtails! I added her new doll to Chapters 10 and 11, I couldn't resist ;). Stay tuned for the next chapter!

I meant to explain this earlier, but Kenny/Mysterion and the others didn't recognize Trent right away because he'd been the furthest thing from their minds since his second arrest. Butters was able to because I figured he's still haunted by what Trent did to him.