A while later, Luke's class was in the school bus on their way to the countryside to look at wild flowers. The children were happy and were singing: "Here comes our jolly old bus, jollying along..." But unfortunately the wasn't exactly jollying along. It was huffing and puffing and battling up a hill and no one could be certain it would make it...

"Here comes our jolly old bus, jollying along!"

Suddenly the bus came to a juddering halt and children were thrown forward in their seats. Some even slipped right off their seats onto the floor!

"What's up?" the bewildered children called.

Source

Luke looked out of the window and immediately saw why the driver had slammed on the brakes. There was a boulder in the middle of the road. Luke's sixth sense tingled. He sensed a real threat, he was sure of it, and when he leant out of the window and looked up he immediately saw what it was that had filled him with such dread.

Some of the children had also seen the man in the white costume and white mask racing across the sky - and they were screaming with terror. The man looked like a ghost and was built like a wrestler...and above his head he held a boulder.

As he flew nearer, Luke realized he was going to drop the rock onto the busload of children. Some were already piling out of the bus but Luke could see they would never get clear in time. No one was looking at Luke - they were all too busy trying to get out of the bus.

Could it work? Luke thought in a flash.

"Presto," he whispered desperately.

It worked!

Instantly he was transformed into Mighty Pip-Squeak and he hunched himself out of a window, heading straight for the musclebound hulk in the white costume. Luke didn't feel afraid for a second, because he could see he was now the same size as he white-clad man.

Mighty Pip-Squeak caught the man by surprise and he dropped the rock he'd been carrying. It plummeted earthwards and landed with a crash that shook the whole area, but at least it hadn't fallen on the bus!

Luke - or rather Mighty Pip-Squeak - clenched his fist and delivered such a devastating punch it sent the rock-hurling villain tumbling helplessly through the air.

"Stay here!" the bus driver ordered as children tried to run after the duelling super-beings as they vanished behind a nearby hill. The white-clad man seemed to be retreating from Luke as fast as he could, but Luke was gaining on him. Then the man suddenly spun around and stood his ground.

Travelling at great speed, Luke tried to avoid him - but it was too late. He flew straight into his fist!

"Uughh!"

It felt as if Luke's jaw had been dislocated and he was so stunned he dropped to earth like a brick.

"Uughh!" he exclaimed again as he hit the ground.

Nearby the white-clad man landed nimbly on his feet. Luke tried to get up, but was still too stunned. The man was standing over Luke in an instant. He grabbed him and hauled him to his feet. "So you're the great Mighty Pip-Squeak, are you? Let me tell you, we are going to take over the school and there's nothing you can do to stop us!"

"You'll never take over the school while I'm around," Luke said, gritting his teeth with pain.

"Ha! The school's just the beginning," sneered the man. "We're going to take over the whole town. Then the province and finally the whole country! But before all that we need headquarters - and the school suits us perfectly."

"Who are you and where do you come from?" asked Luke, although he'd realized by now the man was a super villain from an enemy planet. Luke knew he had to keep him talking until he'd caught his breath and regained his strength.

"If you're Mighty Pip-Squeak then I must be Major Bully!" the man laughed. "But for convenience let's call me Powerman."

Feeling better again Luke suddenly unleashed a punch that caught the villain in the stomach. Powerman staggered back and Luke charged into the attack before he could regain his balance. Another punch, this time to the chin. The villain reeled back and instead of counterattacking he put his hands together above his head and soared off into the sky.

Luke shook his buzzing head, still too groggy to go after him - and the villain vanished in the distance. He heard footsteps approaching and quickly whispered: "Presto!" In an instant he was Luke again.

"Are you hurt, Luke?" the bus driver asked when he saw him.

"No, sir."

"Did you see them?"

"No."

"Well, come back to the bus. It seems to be safe now. And dust yourself off - people will think you've been in a fight."

Luke was worried. He'd caught Powerman by surprise. He knew they'd meet again and then he might not be so lucky.

To be continued

For Part 1, click here
For Part 2, click here
For Part 3, click here
For Part 4, click here

---

---