Jason had heard idle talk about a person brutalizing criminals and low ranking Villains alike. Rumors, he had first assumed. But, when he felt something watching him from a few hundred meters away, he wasn't surprised.
*****
"Trigger!"
Michael's eyes widened as his breathing hitched. His eyes frantically darted around the tight alleyway, looking for a way to avoid getting hit. He locked on to the only bit of cover in the alley.
He tumbled, throwing himself to the ground, hiding behind a steel trash can, filled with all sorts of trash. He heard the clattering of the steel hitting the ground.
But, then, he felt his cover moving. He looked up as the trash can he felt behind him disappeared. It was floating above him.
'Shit.'
Michael rolled before hearing the word, "Trigger." The trash can smashed into the ground, practically exploding into a flurry of waste.
'He can throw it omnidirectionally?! The hell is up with this broken ass Quirk!?' Then, even the safety of being on the ground was taken away, as Michael started floating at the word, "Trigger."
He looked at Jason, noticing three fingers were taken up. 'One for my backpack, jacket, and pants, that's how he's making me float,' he near instantly realized as he felt them pulling him.
"Muffle, Darken!" Michael wiggled an arm free from his jacket, and pulled out a flashbang. Pulling the pin and tossed it.
Jason, upon seeing the flashbang clicked his tongue, pointed a finger at it, and said, "Trigger," twice. Throwing both Michael and the flashbang to the opposite end of the alleyway.
"Gah!" he let out a groan of pain after landing on his back. He scurried to his feet and as soon as he noticed the flashbang went off untoggled Darken and Muffle.
Deciding he was out of his league, Michael did the smart thing. He turned around and began running. Stomping his heel into the ground, Glide activated.
"You're annoying, you know that?!" He heard Jason yell, but Michael didn't even entertain the idea of responding.
"Gas Mask, both the HPSC and the police have been informed of Trigger's location." He finally heard some good news, but hearing it made him pause as he ducked into an alleyway to catch his breath. His hands on his knees, his back bent, and his head down.
"He doesn't know they're coming?" he inquired with a strained voice.
"No. He's still chasing after you, it seems," she replied concisely. His thoughts raced at a million miles an hour.
'He's going to get away if I run, won't he? Jason clearly isn't any normal C-Rank Villain, and I don't even know if there are any Heroes who can take him in this damn dumpster of a city! And of course I encounter a fucking powerhouse the one time I don't bring my poison! I knew I've been too lucky lately.' His breathing soon slowed down, his heart still drumming to it's own tune.
'Where's Caleb when you need him?' Michael thought, knowing his Quirk would be a good counter to Jason's. But upon thinking of his brother, he remembered the words he had said to his older brother.
'A Hero running away at the first sign of danger... isn't the type of Hero I want to be. It isn't very inspiring,' Michael chuckled as he shook his head. Having rested enough, he stood up straight.
"I don't like that laugh, you're not thinking of doing something stupid, are you?"
"I am, what about it?"
"... Do you need me to buff you?"
"Can you get here that fast?" Michael retorted, and she stayed silent. Manami could buff him within two hundred meters, unfortunately, he was on the opposite side of the town. Her range would increase with time, and training, he was sure of that.
But at the moment, the Quirk didn't have either. 'I guess I'll have to try that,' he grimaced.
"How far away is he?"
"Three blocks."
"Fuck," he growled, "I don't get paid enough for this!"
"You don't get paid at all," she so kindly pointed out.
"Exactly!"
He opened his backpack and grabbed two syringes. One labeled Adrenaline, the other Cortisone. Which mimicked cortisol but was more powerful.
Jamming both into his outer thighs. He injected it and waited for a few moments.
'I hope it's fast-' He felt it in a dizzying rush, it felt like his blood was burning. His heart sped up gradually, but as more time passed, the quicker it went. His heart was pounding so hard and so fast that it felt like someone was performing a drum solo in his chest. It hurt to the point that the thought of it bursting wasn't unimaginable.
'Oh. Oh shit. I think, I think the dosage was a bit over the recommended amount.' He placed a hand onto the alley wall to steady himself. Soon, a tingly sensation broke out all over his skin. He looked down at his free hand. It was trembling like no tomorrow.
"Are you okay? Did you go Hysteric?"
"Hysteric? Ha, is that what we're calling this?" he proposed with a small laugh.
"Any other ideas? But, seriously, how are you feeling?" She asked worriedly.
"I feel great," he said before quickly adding, "and terrible! A bit numb too. Warm as well, very warm. I've never had this much energy before." His thoughts were a bit all over the place.
"Well, you're gonna get to spend it real soon, h-"
"-He's here." Michael's eyes narrowed as he pressed his heels into the ground and glided to the side. A flurry of pipes, two stop signs, and bricks struck where he just was.
"You better be recording this Manami," he whispered.
"Always," she promised.
*****
"You aren't gonna run away again?" Jason taunted. Gas Mask didn't respond, just staring at him.
It happened in an instant. Gas Mask threw up his arm and a steel cable shot out from his, going past Jason's body.
With what looked like a flick of his wrist, Gas Mask was sent flying forward. The Cable was pulling him like how a person skiing on snow, wster, or a person with rollerskates holding onto the back of a car bumper.
Jason threw himself to the side, barely avoiding a collision with Gas Mask.
*****
Michael detached the steel cable with a simple word command so he didn't go crashing into a wall. He spun around a few times, stabilizing himself before staring at Jason, or rather, where Jason went curiously.
The Serial Murderer had ran away at the slightest show of force. "Track him," he ordered Manami.
"He's flying."
Of course, since Jason could use Michael's clothes to make him float, he could do the same for himself. If only some Heroes had half the ingenuity Villains did.
"He's heading towards his base, the abandoned warehouse."
*****
"Be careful. This is his turf."
"I know," Michael said, still on his adrenaline high.
Shooting the lock of the warehouse door, he stepped back, grabbed it using a steel cable, and pulled it open with strange ease and strength, considering it was a push door. Surprisingly, Jason didn't throw anything.
He stepped through it.
"Trigger!"
Diving to the side, multiple red metal beams stabbed into the ground. Michael stared at Jason with a blank expression.
"Trigger!"
Jason smirked, and Michael's expression soon filled with disbelief. Jason's hands were raised over his head, pointing behind him. At a big, blue, cargo container. It took up the warehouse from one wall to the other. Michael instantly snapped into action, darting to one of the walls of the warehouse.
"Magnet."
"Trigger." Jason didn't give him any time. Before he knew it, the big cargo container was sent flying at him. It flew through the air at Michael the long way with alarming speed. He moved on instinct.
With his magnetic boots, Michael glided up the steel wall of the warehouse in an arc, he managed to avoid the cargo container. But the warehouse didn't, the entire front of it being destroyed as it skidded against the ground. Michael did a side roll as he fell to the ground, dodging the steel beams which fell from the collapsing roof as they shot at him due to Jason's quirk.
"Trigger! Trigger! Trigger! Trigger!" He threw and threw, and threw. He dove over the wave of objects coming at him from nearly every direction.
Shooting a cable at the wall right behind Jason, he made it so it pulled him at full force as he collided with him.
They hit the wall with so much force it broke, and then... hit the ground hard. Bouncing a couple times and skidding to a stop. Only one of them got up.
Michael. He barely felt the pain with all the adrenaline coursing through his veins. He stood up shakily, feeling as though he couldn't breathe, yet he knew he needed to finish the job.
He stumbled over to Jason, pulling out a serrated knife that wasn't poisoned. He turned the man who was unconscious and face down, onto his back, before straddling him.
"You like using that Quirk of yours so, so much... how bout I change that?" Grabbing one of Jason's hands, which was soft and well cared for. He could tell Jason never worked a day in his life with hands like these.
"Mich- Gas Mask, what're you doing?" He ignored her.
He then... began cutting.
One finger, two, three, four, five! It was mid-way through the sixth when Jason regained consciousness, kicking and screaming.
Michael shut him up with a punch to the face so hard he was sure he broke his own knuckles in his right hand as Jason's head connected to the ground. It was like punching concrete.
He was also pretty sure he just fractured Jason's skull too, but he couldn't even bring himself to care. He finished cutting off the rest of Jason's fingers just in time for him to hear Manami say,
"A Hero and some police officers are closing in."
"You got all that?" Michael asked, as though he didn't hear here.
"What?"
"Did you get all of that on camera?" he asked once more.
'That's what you're focusing on?!' She thought in absolute disbelief.
"Uh, yeah, I did."
"Good," he let out a deep sigh.
"Please, Admirer, guide me to my cousin's house. And remember to blackout all the camera's in the city so I'm not traced, like always," he requested.
*****
He knocked on the door to his cousin's apartment. He knocked a few more times. After not getting a response within five minutes, he banged on the door, rattling it. After two minutes, the door opened. The young woman who greeted him had brown hair down to her shoulders, along with hazel green eyes.
"Michael, what are you doing here at two A.M.?" Sarah asked, rubbing her eyes. But she froze upon getting a proper look at his appearance.
His face was completely flushed, sweat covering it's entirety, as though he were splashed with water. The strange clothes he wore was completely coated in dirt and were a bit damp in places. Also why was he holding a gas mask to his chest with his forearm?
"Oh my God, Michael, what happened! Are you okay? Are... Jesus Mike, are those guns!?" All Michael could do was hold up a hand to her as he massaged his temples with the other.
"Listen, Ser, can you just, like... hold your questions for now? My head feels like it's being split open in thirty-two different ways and my heart is beating so fast I'm pretty sure it's going to explode. If this isn't the early onset of a heart attack, I don't know what the hell is," with that said, Michael began undressing.
He threw his Gas Mask somewhere, kicked off his boots, unstrapped his backpack, and struggled desperately to get out of his zipped leather jacket, forgetting there was even a zipper. Seeing him in such a state, Sarah couldn't help but hold her tongue and help him out pf his jacket. She then put a hand on his back and guided him to the couch.
He collapsed onto the furniture, laying on it, one of his feet resting on top of an armrest, the other touching the floor. Sarah sat on the floor next to him after getting him an ice pack. She pressed it against his head.
He looked at her. "That... that feels better. Thanks Ser, sorry for suddenly throwing this onto you," he apologized. She just smiled. But, after looking into his eyes, she noticed something strange.
His usually brown eyes were completely black. Michael's pupils were extremely dilated, having expanded so much they covered the entirety of his irises.
With a frown, as he drifted to unconsciousness, she began using her Quirk. Her Quirk, Strong Heal, was a stronger than average healing Quirk. But since it was stronger than other Quirks in the same category, it required both the receiver and user's stamina.