Chapter 132: New Heights, New Gear

The Firelights' workshop was bustling with activity as Ekko worked alongside Powder to adjust to his new height and enhanced abilities. The aftermath of the perfected Shimmer serum had left him stronger, taller, and faster, but it also left him needing new equipment to match his capabilities. His Swordbat, once perfectly balanced for his shorter frame, now felt awkward and unwieldy. And his hoverboard, while reliable, needed an upgrade to keep up with his increased speed and agility.

Ekko held the Swordbat in his hands, his fingers running along its familiar contours. The weapon had been with him through countless battles, but now it felt... inadequate. Its length and weight didn't match his newfound strength, and he could no longer wield it with the precision he once had.

"We'll need to reforge it," Powder said, her voice cutting through his thoughts. She was seated at a nearby workbench, her goggles pushed up onto her forehead and her hands busy dismantling the casing of her Zapper pistol. "If you're going to keep using that thing, it needs to be bigger, stronger, and maybe—"

"More deadly?" Ekko suggested with a grin.

Powder smirked. "I was going to say 'more balanced,' but deadly works too."

The two of them spent the next several hours sketching out designs for the upgraded Swordbat. Powder's ideas were as creative as ever—retractable blades, reinforced edges, and even a mechanism to charge it with energy for an extra punch. Ekko nodded along, impressed by her ingenuity but occasionally reining her in when her ideas veered toward the impractical.

While waiting for the metal for the Swordbat to be smelted and forged, Ekko turned his attention to his clothing. His old jacket, pants, and boots were now too short, and his sleeves and cuffs barely reached his wrists and ankles.

"This is ridiculous," Ekko muttered, holding up a pair of pants that looked more like capris on his taller frame.

Powder giggled from her corner of the room. "I think they're cute," she teased.

"Yeah, well, I'm not trying to be cute," Ekko retorted, rolling his eyes.

Powder crossed the room, pulling out a measuring tape. "Alright, Mr. 184 Centimeters, let's get you fitted for some new threads."

Ekko groaned but stood still as Powder took his measurements, her hands brushing against his shoulders, arms, and legs as she worked. "You know," she said, a sly smile on her face, "you're actually pretty built now. Maybe we should get you something sleeveless, show off those arms."

"Pass," Ekko said quickly, though his cheeks flushed at her comment.

As the Swordbat upgrades were underway, Ekko and Powder turned their attention to his hoverboard. The old board, while durable and reliable, was no longer fast enough to keep up with his enhanced speed. It needed to be lighter, more aerodynamic, and capable of handling sharper turns and higher jumps.

"We should use Hextech," Powder suggested as she examined the board's worn-out components. "It'll give you more control, and we can integrate a power core for longer battery life."

"Hextech's not exactly easy to come by," Ekko pointed out, frowning.

Powder winked at him. "Good thing we've got connections in Piltover, huh?"

Over the next few days, they worked tirelessly on the new design. Powder brought in a small Hextech core she'd been working on with Caitlyn's father, Tobias Kiramman, and Ekko helped integrate it into the hoverboard's frame. The new board was sleeker, with a reinforced chassis made of lightweight alloy and stabilizers to keep it steady at high speeds.

When they finally tested it in the open streets of Zaun, Ekko couldn't hide his excitement. The board responded to his every movement, zipping around corners and soaring over obstacles with ease.

"This is amazing, Pow!" he called out, his voice carrying over the hum of the board's engine.

Powder, watching from a distance with her hands on her hips, grinned proudly. "Told you it'd be worth it!"

That evening, as the two of them sat on the edge of one of Zaun's many towering structures, Ekko couldn't help but feel a sense of gratitude for Powder. She'd been by his side through everything—his transformation, the battles, and now the rebuilding of his life.

"You know," he said, breaking the comfortable silence between them, "I don't think I could've done any of this without you."

Powder turned to him, her expression softening. "You're stronger than you think, Ekko. But... I'm glad I could help."

He smiled, reaching out to take her hand. "You do more than help, Pow. You make me better."

Her cheeks turned pink, and she looked away, but her fingers tightened around his. "Well... somebody's gotta keep you in check, right?"

Ekko chuckled, leaning back against the railing. "Yeah, somebody does."

With his upgraded Swordbat and hoverboard complete, Ekko felt more prepared than ever to face the challenges ahead. But there was still much to be done—Zaun needed rebuilding, Piltover needed uniting, and the mysterious shadow that had taken Ambessa loomed over them all.

As he stood on the edge of the platform, looking out over the city he loved, Ekko felt a renewed sense of purpose. Zaun and Piltover were counting on him, and with Powder by his side, he knew he could rise to the occasion.

"We've got this," he said quietly, more to himself than anyone else.

Powder stepped up beside him, her arm brushing against his. "Damn right we do."

The two of them stood there for a while, watching as the lights of Zaun flickered to life in the darkness, a beacon of hope in a world full of uncertainty.