"…I don't fucking believe it." He said as the realisation that he and his people had bitten off far more than they could chew finally dawned on him.
He took a few steps back as he broke into a cold sweat and just shook his head.
"O-Okay, I get it… it was a mistake trying to shake you down, I get it. See the thing is though, you've already done my crew in, so I can't just let you leave this fuckin' alley without punishing you for your transgression… it's about the damn principle."
The Leader was clearly on the verge of soiling himself, but was also clearly determined to punish Visuveus. The ex-con was completely silent, and he just stood with his fists still clenched, his breathing still heavy and loud. The Leader let out a roar as his entire body was engulfed in flames, and said flames swirled around him and into the sky like a type of flame tornado. After letting out an almighty yell, the Leader channeled all the flames around his arms and then fired them off in Visuveus' direction. He felt them hit something, and there was some kind of resistance that it was putting up. The Leader however was caught completely by surprise as he saw a figure leap out right from the middle of the flame tornado. The first thing he saw was Gigi's contorted and flaming body burst out from the flames, but the body was quickly tossed to the side and Visuveus cut through the air before a massive hand grabbed him by the face. Visuveus then dashed towards the wall with the Leader flopping in the air like a deflating blow-up doll, before being smashed into the wall such a monumental amount of force, it was any wonder how the wall itself didn't crumble. An almost inaudibly muffled scream of pain was made in vain, and Visuveus held the goon Leader up high with his back pressed against the wall. The two made eye contact, and the look in Visuveus' eyes actually made the thug shudder.
"…I fucking warned you, did I not? I told you to find another mark, didn't I?" Visuveus questioned, speaking for the first time since warning them.
His voice was chilling, yet still had the odd crack which hinted at him struggling to keep his composure.
"I told you more than once to leave me be, you fucking IDIOT!!"
Visuveus' voice was starting change as he gradually became louder. The look in his eyes became more intense as he applied more pressure with his hand, squeezing even tighter. The harder he squeezed, the more muffled cries of pain filled the clearing, and before long, the goon Leader was grabbing Visuveus' forearm with both hands. They started glowing as if he was trying to use his Powers too fend the tall ex-con off, but the pain that was radiating from his face was enough to throw off his focus and render his powers useless. Visuveus' body began to shake as his eyes grew wide and he began to bare his teeth as he squeezed.
"I'm out here trying my absolute best to abide by these fucking rules, to obey the law, to be a law abiding citizen, yet it's like the entire fucking world is conspiring to keep me pinned down. I TOLD you to leave me alone! I TOLD YOU!!!"
This this time, Visuveus' voice was completely different, as was his demeanor. His face was contorting with a plethora of emotions; however, rage was the primary emotion being felt. The goon Leader was now wailing constantly, and was even kicking and squirming, as if the pain was getting to be too much. The wails grew louder and more panicked, and it didn't take much longer until the Leader screamed, and then a loud pop and crack could be heard as his entire jaw was crushed. The pressure produced by Visuveus' hand was enough to shatter the goon's jaw, and he screamed and squirmed frantically.
"It's okay if I kill this one, and only this one, right?!" Visuveus boomed. "He was the principle instigator, and made his hounds attack me, didn't he?! So taking this piece of shit out counts as self-defense, doesn't it?! I'm not violating a damn thing if I rip his jaw right off, and then his tongue, then break his arms and legs, and then let him bleed out and fucking DIE, right?!"
Visuveus pulled the goon away from the wall, lowered him down to face level and slammed him against the wall once again. This time however, he stepped right in and stood with his face mere centimeters away from the goon's, staring intensely into his eyes.
"I ASKED YOU A FUCKING QUESTION! IT'S OKAY FOR ME TO RIP THIS MOTHERFUCKER APART, RIGHT?! I'M SIMPLY DEFENDING MYSELF, AM I NOT?! I AM JUSTIFIED IN KILLING THIS PIECE OF SHIT IN THE MOST PAINFUL WAY POSSIBLE, AM I NOT?! HUUUUUH?!?!?!"
Visuveus' body was shaking violently with intensity, his face was twisting and contorting so much, it looked like blood was this close from bursting out of it. His voice was cracking severely, and the look in his eyes was so unbelievably forceful and unyielding, the goon Leader let out a final blood curdling, fear filled scream before his eyes rolled into the back of his sockets. He hung limp and his trousers suddenly went from being moist to being drenched, before the smell of shit filled the air as this thug soiled himself in every way possible. Visuveus continued to hold him up as he spent just a few moments focusing on his breathing, as if making a conscious effort to calm down. After a particularly deep and deliberate breath, Visuveus finally released the goon, who slumped down into the pool of urine and feces before staking a few steps back just in time to avoid getting anything on his clothes.
"…you know, if you're going to follow somebody and intrude on their private business, the least you could do is answer them when they speak to you."
There was a brief and chilling silence in the clearing, as even the flames that continued to persist despite both Flame Powered users being out cold, smoldered in silence. Soon enough, footsteps filled the space and Visuveus turned around slowly to see a tall figure emerge from an alley into the clearing. This person was wrapped in a trench coat, and a hat was shielding their face from being seen.
"How long have you known?"
"Since you entered the courtroom." Visuveus answered as he started walking towards the person in the coat.
"Seriously? How?"
"It's Summer. Who walks around in a trench coat in this weather? Also, you aren't fooling anybody with that disguise. The nose and moustache are clearly fake, and those glasses? Ugh."
Visuveus slid his hands in his pockets as he approached the disguised person, shaking his head the entire time. The one in the disguise looked at the carnage in the clearing and sighed.
"Shut it – nobody recognised me, so the disguise worked."
"If anybody spent even two minutes just looking at you carefully, they would see just how terrible the disguise was, and then would see right through you. Let's be honest here."
The more Visuveus spoke, the calmer he became, with his body visibly relaxing and becoming less tense. The person he was speaking to approached Visuveus as well, and when the two met somewhere in the middle of the clearing, they just looked at each other.
"This is quite the mess, Vi."
"I know, Evan… but they attacked me first, did they not? I was acting in self-defense."
"Do you think that Nisha is going to care about that? She already has it in for you, and that wristband records everything."
"The conditions of my parole are strict, sure, but… I used no Powers, Super or otherwise, I did not attack anybody first, and I let these idiots wail on me just to be extra sure."
"Does it count as wailing on somebody if nothing actually hits? I mean seriously, how is your ability of avoiding getting hit with even a droplet of blood or sweat seriously still a thing?"
"I just know where to stand to avoid getting hit."
"Trust me, I know." Evan said with a shake of the head. "And just how did your Transference get better after a decade in prison? I had flashbacks as I watched you fighting these thugs, lifting the Limiters and increasing your physical abilities like you did back in the day. Only now, you've become more adept at releasing two Limiters at once. I don't remember you being able to increase both Speed and Agility to the same level back in the day."
"Yeah, well when you're in prison, you really do have nothing but time on your hands. If I didn't do anything, I would have regressed even further than I have."
Evan looked at Visuveus, who was now looking at his own hands, as if lamenting just how much weaker he had become.
"Dude, we can't hang around here for much longer. Some B or C League Heroes are probably already on the way, so let's get out of here."
"Yeah, I have to go back to the halfway house anyway. I promised my boss I'd try not to do anything stupid, so…"
"The ship has already sailed on that one, Vi."
"Yeah, you aren't lying." Visuveus said with a shrug. "Anyway, later."