"I just wanted to take a loan out but here I am livestreaming a fucking, I mean freaking bank robbery." A bank teller held his phone's camera just barely above the counter where he was hiding under.
If one looked through the lens of the phone recording the sight in front of it, they would see a group of superhumans joining together to deal with a single superhuman.
[Yooo! Isn't that Stopwatch?!]
[I see Nightwatch too!]
[How the hell did Martial Master get mixed up with these kids?]
[Don't underestimate our Starsies Girl! She's an up-and-coming star, you know?!]
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"You all called me stupid. Said I was too dumb to be a successful villain. What kind of lame power is color in the first place? Now, I'm here to show you I'm not to be taken for a fool! You think anyone would just decide to rob a bank?! I need to take care of my family and I need cash now! Bills and illness wait for no man." Denis spoke what was on his mind.
The heroes listened to the deranged tattooed villain monologuing his head off as they scoped out the scene. All the bank security were colorless and moping in some kind of depressive state. Not a single one of the hostages were colorless like that but at the same time they weren't resisting or trying to run free now that the heroes appeared on the scene. Either his power was a lot more dangerous than it looked or he had backup hiding somewhere.
"Don't bother looking for anyone else. I'm here alone. I couldn't risk having anyone betraying me and putting my baby at risk."
"I guess you didn't think about us in your plans right?" Starsies Girl smirked as the power of stars gathered around her right fist.
"Have you forgotten I have a bank full of hostages, you stupid girl?" Denis waved his hand and multiple people turned various colors rapidly.
Screams filled the bank but then quickly stopped as those people fell over unconscious. Drool leaking from their mouths, eyes wide open, and bodies limp. Denis held his hand over another group of people as he saw the other heroes preparing to move in. Then he smiled.
"Don't forget heroes. Your job is the protect the innocent, not arrest and beat-up the weak." Denis cackled as changed the color of several people grey. "Follow me and if anyone tries to stop me, throw your lives away for me."
"Is there any reason for living?" A grey hostage muttered.
"I might as well... Not like there is any other reason for me to go on."
"I just wanted to take out some money man... Now I feel like dying..."
"Stop!" Stopwatch yelled, momentarily pausing Denis and only. "Go in now and knock him out before he can do anything else!"
Starsies Girl, Nightwatch, and Martial Master immediately moved in. Martial Master reaching the supervillain before anyone because of his superior physical state. Stopwatch focused all his energy in keeping Denis paused. Once it looked like everything was about to conclude with Martial Master's flying kick to Denis's skull, a mishap occurred that threw everyone for a shock. There was a hidden superhuman affected by the color villain's superpower!
"I don't have any reason to live, so why should you?" She spoke in a depressive tone as she took on Martial Master's kick straight to the dome.
Martial Master couldn't even utter a cry as he felt the full power of his own strength inflicted against him. He fell to the floor of the bank unconscious from the girl's superpower that could inflict damage back to the sender. In the time it took for that to happen, a few other grey hostages ran at Stopwatch. Starsies Girl and Nightwatch readied themself to incapacitate the hostages without hurting them. The few that didn't run after the heroes grabbed Denis and his money bags before running out the entrance.
"I can't stop them all!" Starsies Girl yelled.
She made several of them hover in the air with her star power but it could be seen that it was a very draining process as in a matter of seconds they could be seen slowly floating down. Nightwatch tried his best to incapacitate the controlled innocents but without any powers, he was mostly helpless. Once he ran out of gadgets to tie up anyone, they just ran right past him. The woman that took out Martial Master was heading straight for Stopwatch but he was still in the middle of keeping the supervillain immobilized.
His eyes shook with fear as looked at the grey woman slowly walking toward him. Martial Master was a well-known superhero with a high accomplishment rate for dealing with supervillains. He was stronger than most, more skilled than acclaimed martial artists, and clever enough to survive in this era of heroes and villains. Stopwatch only got into the hero business recently and knew that whatever could take out a veteran like Martial Master could definitely stomp him into paste!
"Don't be afraid. Life is meaningless, anyway. What's there to be afraid of when there's nothing to miss after your gone?" She listlessly spoke.
"Please wake up..." Stopwatch begged.
"Pain is only temporary." She responded.
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The viewers in the livestream were blowing up the chat with over 100k views in the stream. All of them watched as Stopwatch didn't run away but continued to use his superpower and keep the main villain down. The controlled superhuman soon knocked out Stopwatch by gently placing her palm on Stopwatch's forehead. After that it was a rather somber sight. The police were just as helpless against the suicidal controlled hostages and could only watch as a group of them escorted the supervillain into a car and away from local law enforcement.
[Wait, wasn't this that one loser from a month ago? He tried this exact same crime but because his powers sucked, he immediately got busted and even lost against the cops?]
[Ooh! Ooh! I know who you're talking about but this guy can't be that guy from that video! He didn't have all those tattoos back then and he could only change his own colors from that video.]
[Prison does change a man. Maybe he got the tattoos there.]
[But that doesn't explain how his superpower could change! If he could do what he did today a month ago, then he wouldn't have been arrested last month!]
[What video!? Someone link the video!!!]
[ppp.notashadylinkipromise.com]
[Nah bro, what the hell was that!? Why did they beat him so hard in that video? I'd go crazy too if cops brutally abused me like an animal then sent me to prison.]
[Didn't he say that he was only doing this for his family or whatever? Doesn't that mean whoever they are is probably crazy sick or something?] This user has been banned.
[Leave the investigations to the police officers. No more discussion on the new villain's personal life.] Mod.
[Man, it always ruins my mood seeing heroes lose. I don't even wanna take my math test next class anymore.]
[Bro I was a big fan of Starsies Girl until she lost today.]
[This fucking kid! Go focus on your studies instead of watching livestreams at school!]
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Two weeks have passed since Denis's successful bank robbery. He stood in the presence of several other well-known supervillains who suddenly showed up in his home. Once he took in their appearance, he prepared himself for battle. After his big bank robbery, he did look up some of the current supervillains just because he had nothing better to do after paying his daughter's hospital bills.
"Your tattoos are gone." One of them noticed.
"Why are you in my home?" Denis got ready to bring back those tattoos in an instant as he turned himself completely white.
"Please settle down, Denis. We're not here to cause you any harm or anything of the sort to those that you care about." The one in the middle spoke with an air of relaxation.
"Then what are you here for?" Denis kept himself white.
"We're here to hire you, of course. After watching your little bank robbery, some of us thought that your ability would greatly help us in our goals."
"A job...?" Denis murmured. That was the last thing he thought this group of criminals wanted with him.
"That's correct. You need money, we need your emotion-controlling power. I'd like to make this transaction as simple as it can be. I may be known for my big plans but not everything requires such careful dedication." Mind Master, dressed in an exquisite business suit, spoke genuinely.
"I see..." Denis wasn't against it. Finding a proper job after that bank robbery was impossible. "Is the pay based on commissions?" He asked.
"That's right. Every job you pull off with us, successful or fail, we'll pay you. Of course, successful jobs will be paid higher and if the job succeeds only thanks to you, you'll get a bonus." Mind Master smiled.
"I'm in." Denis didn't hesitate any longer. "When do I start?"
"Tonight." Mind Master got up along with his cohorts.