"Purrfect?" Hope asked in shock as she stared at the cat-themed hero. She had seen a bunch of them through the different cities, so she wasn't shocked the girl was here, but why did they suddenly appear from out of the sky?
Purrfect gave a grin and looked at all the different heroes. Sky stayed in Hope's arms and narrowed her eyes, grabbing her sword in case she needed to fight. Slowly though, Purrfect turned to look at the golden woman. "You know the rules. You can't be here."
The city shook and rumbled as the massive Giants made their way over. They stared the golden woman down. Three of them in total. The number one hero just rolled her eyes. "Yeah, whatever. I'm leaving. Come on, Cinder."
"Now wait a second!" Myth stepped forward and shook his head. "Cinder is staying here in Oleander. She's a member of my team."
"She was a member of your team." The Victorian said, rolling her eyes. "You're running a different team now though."
"Then she'll just join this new team." Myth argued.
"Like hell, she will! She's my new side kick!"
The Victorian and Myth glared at one another, and it looked like a fight might break out. The others awkwardly looked away. It was kind of like watching two parents' fight. "The Victorian asked you to be her sidekick?" Sky whispered.
"Yeah." Hope nodded slightly sheepishly.
"I'm assuming you said yes?"
"Well..."
"Cinder's power isn't like what it used to be." The Victorian announced. "I'll give her whatever is left of the Cosmos fragment in me to power her back up. What can you offer her?" The golden woman taunted.
Myth folded his arms and snorted. "Unlike you, I'm a good mentor."
"Will you two knock it off!" Hope finally said, letting out a sigh. "You're both whining like actual kids." Both adults seemed a little hurt at her blunt words.
Wasp Nest threw his arms behind his head. "It does make me wonder though." The boy hummed.
"Yeah." Metal Ronin nodded. "Cinder, what team are you joining?"
"Does she need to join a team?" Alexander asked sheepishly. The father stood next to his daughter and had a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Does she even need to be a hero?"
"Of course she does!" Oxide announced. "She's the Lord of the Sun! Or at least she was! Plus, did you see what she did in the fight with the Beast? Even half of that power could push heroes further into the winning side when it comes to the battle of good versus evil!"
All eyes turned to look at Hope. The raven-haired girl sheepishly shrank down a bit. She had her body back now and was strong again, but she still lacked her fire. It felt a little weird having so many people invested in her when she really didn't feel all that impressive or important. She wondered for a moment what Mr. Larison would do. She was glad she got to see Sky again; now she wanted to see Mr. Larison and make sure he was also doing well.
Purrfect rolled her eyes and sighed. "Look, just pick and get it over with. The Victorian can't stay, so either leave with her or become a new Sub Enforcers member."
"That's right." The Victorian announced holding her hand out. "Take the shards within me and let me train you. I'll make you into the perfect mirror image of my father!"
Myth held his own hand out. "I'm glad you're back, Cinder. We could use someone like you. It'll be like the way things should be."
Hope bit her lip and looked between both hands. "I think the choice I'm going to make is..." She thought about what she was going to say for a moment. "I think... I pick..."
***
"Get off of me!" The blue skies rippled above Rose City as a large, winged beast unleashed a powerful roar that split the clouds. Rose City was the largest of the ten great cities, being the first one ever built by Mr. Sini personally. A massive bubble formed around the entire city that worked to keep it safe, and, in the past, it had been protected by the number one hero, the Victorian. That meant it wasn't used to seeing crime. Yet ever since the woman was dethroned, it found itself facing more danger than it used to. "I'll kill you; you damn hero!"
Everyone in the city found themselves staring up at what appeared to be a large blue bird. It was around the size of a bus and covered in jagged blue feathers. Its neck stretched out awkwardly long, and its talons could tear entire buildings down. This villain was known as Big Bird, a villain famed for his aerial combat.
Today, though, Big Bird met his match.
Battery dug his fingers into the throat of the villain. He stood on the creatures back as it wildly flew through the air above his new city. With a twist of his hand, the hero caused the bird to howl and jerk to the left, avoiding a building it had been about to ram into. "I think it's time we stop playing this game." Battery grunted out.
Big Bird's neck expanded out, and the bird twisted his head all the way around to glare at Battery. The monster opened his mouth wide, his beak spilling out with a wave of energy that got ready to blast out. Battery only smirked, and his mixed-color aura flared out. In an instant, his entire weight changed and shifted, the hero suddenly gaining hundreds of thousands of pounds. The weight of a Giant suddenly stood before Big Bird, and it caused the villain's eyes to bulge as his back was torn and his spine snapped.
Big Bird dropped from the sky and rammed down into the street below, directly in front of a large crowd of onlookers. The people of Rose City all stared with wide eyes as their newest protector casually stepped off of the defeated villain. Phones were out, and streams were gaining viewers as the people recorded the man. Battery paid them no mind though and simply placed his hands into the pockets of his black coat. He began to walk off as Big Bird tried to pick himself back up.
The villain stopped though when he heard a loud rumble. Slowly the monster's head managed to twist around, and it stared up at the massive figure that stood before it. A Giant, one forged out of black lightning, that stood over one hundred meters tall, reached down, and with two fingers, it picked Big Bird up. The villain squirmed and cried out, but it was too late. The Giant's mouth cracked open, and it raised the bad guy above it and let go. Big Bird vanished into the mouth of the energy construct, the mouth sealing shut.
That was the tenth villain that had been caught that way so far.
Battery had proved very quickly he didn't need the Enforcers to protect the cities, nor did he need Nightshade. Not when his Giants could simply swallow any villain that was defeated in one of the cities.
As Battery walked away, he placed his fingers to his ear. "This is Battery. I took down Big Bird. He was absorbed by Giant number eight. Let Boy Genius know that I'm willing to give all the captured villains to him if he'll play nice."
Static came from the other end, and then a male voice came through the earpiece Battery wore. "Last time I tried to send him a message, he tried to hack the company. Why don't you just accept he doesn't like you?"
"Because I need him." Battery sighed.
"Do you?"
"For my plan? Yeah. He'd help out a bit."
"I see. Well, for the time being, why don't you return to the base?"
"Yeah. Will do." Battery took a moment to look up at a billboard that stood on top of one of the towers. Rose City was very different from Oleander. It was larger, with more people. Most of its citizens didn't have any sense of danger and were way too used to being saved. Every inch of the city seemed to sparkle and glow, and dozens of screens stood high, constantly showing the state every other city was in. Rose's people were a bit stuck up and arrogant. All of them were nobles for the most part and had bought their way into this city. On one of the billboards, the one that caught his eye, a large image of Avalon Industry's hung. "I'm coming back to base now." He muttered, feeling his stomach flop a bit at just the thought of Avalon.
Sini Corp had been bought out and taken over by Harrison Avalon and transformed into Avalon Industry. Now that Avalon was officially working for the Emperor, though, the company had to once again be transferred to someone else. It was still being kept under wraps about the fact the Emperor was alive. That was information the Hero Branch was holding close to their chest, not wanting widespread public panic. Now Rose had a new company within it. The new owner of Avalon Industry had changed it a lot.
"Battery! You're under arrest!"
Battery stopped for a moment when he heard the voice. He turned and found several Hero Branch officers had their guns trained on him. The Hero Branch hadn't been happy with what he did. In fact, they likely hated him. He had kicked out every Enforcer across the world, filled each city to the brim with his Giants, beat the Victorian up, and then took her city over. All without asking for permission from the humans that ran the world.
Battery raised an eyebrow. "You're trying to arrest me? I'm bulletproof, you know." Several of the citizens were still filming or watching the exchange as the Hero Branch officers took their chance to come after him now that he was live on camera.
"If you really consider yourself a hero, you'll give up and allow yourself to be captured!' One of the Hero Branch officers announced. "You've committed several crimes and have done a great evil to the world."
"My only crime is overthrowing your crappy group." Battery ignored the bullets that began to ram into him as several of the men opened fire. He lazily turned away and swatted his hand through the air. It tore and split as a crackling blue portal forced itself open. "I'm the strongest. At least right now I am. I don't need to follow rules or do what people tell me to do. I'm going to do what I want, when I want. Stay out of my way and just watch. Because I'm the hero that is going to save this planet."
The red hero stepped through the portal, and it closed behind him. He found himself on the other side of the city now. There was a reason the Hero Branch wasn't attacking him as much as they normally would have. It wasn't him they were scared of. Instead, it was the person he had partnered up with.
"Ah, greetings, Battery. Welcome back to the Alma Foundation!" Sitting behind a desk, dressed in a long lab coat, Nick Ale, also known as Nicholus Alma, threw his arms out. He was the roommate of Jack back in the day, and after Avalon's betrayal, Laps had transferred the entire company to him. The Hero Branch had gone along with it at the time, assuming Alma would work for them just as he did back in the day. Instead, though they found themselves having the Alma Foundation, the thing he renamed Avalon Industry to, turning on them and siding with Battery. This basically gave the hero an entire company behind him that backed and funded him and meant the Hero Branch lost one half of their tech.
"Do you have to greet me every time I come back?" Battery sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
Alma's grin just grew larger, and the man shrugged. The office they were in was all the way at the top of the Alma Foundation, formerly Avalon Industry, tower. It was large and spacious, with a carpet and many paintings hung along the wall. It looked more like a living room than an office space, though it did have a desk, which Alma sat behind, and a series of large windows that allowed Battery to look down at the city below.
Down below, he watched hundreds of people standing outside of the Alma Tower, all protesting. Rose, as well as the other cities, weren't exactly happy with what he did. Just like the Hero Branch, they didn't like the way he took over by simply flexing his power and forcing his new rules on everyone. Several of his Giants, each one being a lot smaller than normal, standing at only ten feet tall, stood guard outside of the building, stopping the people, as well as dozens of Hero Branch officers from getting in.
"Your ratings came in." Alma stated. "After the battle with the Beast, you rapidly became one of the most searched heroes since your fight had happened live. Now though you're one of the least popular heroes."
Over on a couch watching the news, Tallest Wave, formerly Poseidon, let out a soft snicker. "Nine out of ten humans all agree they'd like the Victorian back compared to you." The girl lazily flipped her blue hair while her fiery red eyes watched the news talk about the newest good deed the fake Cinder performed. "There are riots going on in every city as well. You sure that your plan is going to work?"
"It will." Battery's hands remained in his pockets, but they clenched into a fist. "These people will get the salvation I bring them. Even if they don't want it. Riots will die down in a few months or years. They'll get used to having my Giants around and what I'm doing. Crime with villains has gone down a considerable amount since I've done this. My Giants simply eat all the villains they come across, so we also don't have to worry about the bad guys eventually coming back since none of them can escape my Giant's gut."
Tallest Wave folded her arms. "It doesn't matter how good the actions are in the end; most people still hate you."
"Are you one of them?"
"I'm helping you, aren't I?" Tallest Wave asked, raising her eyebrow. "You told me you'd make sure I don't transform, and in exchange, I'll make sure you stay on the narrow path and don't stray too far yourself. You're getting close, though. So be careful."
Battery wanted to say more but was stopped when the door to the office suddenly opened. "Teacher!" A loud voice announced. Purrfect came skipping into the room and gave a grin. "Someone came by to see you."
"Someone came to see Battery?" Alma asked, raising an eyebrow. "Who cares about him enough to come here? Also, how did they get past the crowd and Giants?"
Purrfect's grin just grew, and the girl turned, waving her hand out. "You can come forward now!" The sound of metal on stone came from out in the hall as someone walked forward. Silently, Beta stepped forward, entering the cushy office. The robot looked around, his red eye scanning everything and recording all that he saw for later. Battery felt a bit shocked to see the robot, but then his shock was replaced with a smirk. "Teacher, Beta showed up from out of nowhere and demanded to speak to you!"
Battery folded his arms and leaned back against the window. "I was hoping to talk to you as well, Beta."
"You were?" The machine kept scanning them all up and down, processing everything.
"I was. I tried striking several deals with Boy Genius to get a conversation with you, but he kept turning me down." Battery shrugged. "It's nice to know you're here though."
Beta seemed to let out a series of clicks. "I did not come of my own free will. I came because Boy Genius asked me to take you out."
Everyone but Battery tensed up at that. Battery's smirk just grew. "Take me out?"
"Indeed." Beta clicked once more, and his chest unfolded and expanded, revealing something inside of him. A small golf ball forged out of solid metal resided. It hummed with a faint blue energy and spun rapidly. Tallest Wave felt a chill go down her spine when she saw it. "I am rigged to explode. This is a bomb, one created by Boy Genius. He has been very busy trying to come up with a way to beat you ever since you defeated the Victorian. This bomb was going to be used in the fight with the Beast but was deemed too strong. It would have wiped out the entire city. It will explode with the same force the Beast did, going forward for over one hundred miles, instantly vaporizing matter."
Tallest Wave and Purrfect were on Beta in a second. Both girls struck out, but the machine was shockingly fast and easily dodged both strikes. In a flash, he was on the other side of the room, standing directly in front of Battery, as the orb got ready to explode. Alma let out a girlish scream and stood up so fast his chair fell back.
Battery looked directly down into the red orb that stared up at him. "If you set that thing off, it'll take out the entire city of Rose."
"It will not." Beta placed his hand over the orb. "Because you are here. Despite your actions, you are still a hero. Boy Genius calculated that there is a high chance that you form a barrier over us and shield the city from the blast. Only you'll be caught in it. In the event you stop and contain the blast, it is then set to form into a mini black hole that will rip you to bits. Thankfully Poseidon is here, and she can get rid of the black hole with her power over gravity before it harms the city. She won't be able to do it fast enough though, and you'll be caught in it. After using most of your energy to block the bomb, you'll be tired and unable to shield yourself. Your atoms will come undone, and you'll die. Should you survive this, however, Boy Genius has a satellite placed over this building. Once it's all done, this satellite will unleash a powerful beam of energy that will melt this building down to less than ash. Only the people in this building will die, as well as those around it. That is, of course, an acceptable loss of causalities if it means stopping a villain like you. Finally, if that fails, he is set to come here himself with half his suits and do battle with you. You'll be very injured and likely lose."
Battery let out a soft hum. "It seems Boy Genius really thought this through." The man nodded. "He did make one mistake though."
"And what is that?" Beta asked.
"You're not going to blow yourself up." Battery snorted and moved past the robot. "You wouldn't have bothered to give me a play by play on how everything goes. So, let's just skip these games and get straight to business. Why did you really come here?"
Beta's head almost seemed to cock to the side. "I was sent here by Boy Genius to be used as a bomb. You have been requesting to meet with me ever since you took down the Victorian. It was decided to use that fact to turn me into a bomb. That said, I am not built for combat. Not the model I'm in, at least. I was built to monitor and watch. My purpose is to record and stand on the sidelines of history. In human terms, I like learning about new things. That said, I cannot disobey a direct order from Boy Genius, and so I will self-destruct and take you out."
Battery nodded his head and took a seat on Alma's desk. The others in the room still hadn't calmed down and were all on edge, staring at the bomb placed into Beta. It looked like it could go off at any second. If Beta so much as thought about blowing the building up, then it would happen. "The fact you haven't exploded now though means there is something you want."
"Boy Genius told me to blow myself up. He never told me when." Beta explained. "That's why I'd like to have a conversation first. I'd like to learn what it is you're doing. Boy Genius had a theory. Are you setting yourself up as a martyr figure? Do you plan on making yourself despised and hated so that someone else who comes along and beats you will be universally loved? Someone like Boy Genius or the Victorian if she has a rematch with you?"
"Of course not." Battery scoffed. "I'm not playing the part of the bad guy, so some silly little hero can come down and beat me and claim the spot of the number one hero. The people still consider the Victorian to be the number one hero due to her power, but there is more to being the number one hero besides power. Any hero that can beat me might not fit the true criteria."
"And what is the criteria?" Beta questioned.
"We're not soldiers. We're heroes." Battery explained. "That means to be the number one hero; it isn't about power, fame, or skill. It's about how many people you save. The Victorian and Full Monarch both spent their entire lives saving people once they got the title. Nonstop, over and over, they would go to every city and even the villages and stop crime no matter what it was."
"Yet you haven't left Rose." Beta pointed out. "Since you forced your way into this city, you have stopped crime that appeared here, but you haven't done anything else in any of the other cities."
"Of course I have." Battery snickered and leaned back on the desk. "My plan has saved millions, maybe even billions. All in one move as well."
"What do you mean?"
"Over half the population of the world lives inside of the ten great cities." Battery stated in a blunt tone. "But there is still another half of humanity out there in the world. Those that live out of the cities. In the past, the only heroes that could stop crime out there were the Victorian and Full Monarch. The other Enforcers were ordered by the Hero Branch to stay in their city. I'm sure many of them truly didn't understand the state the world was in. That's why I'm showing them all. When I created my Giants, I placed them in every city and ordered them to kick the Enforcers out. This forced the Enforcers to be placed in the rest of the world. Many of them are strong, but they're just mere Supers at the end of the day and can't hope to match my Giants. Not without putting the entire city in danger, at least. Left with little option, they'd have to explore the rest of the world and find a place to set up shop. This means they're now out there in the world, and since they all have some moral compass, when they see a village in trouble, they'll jump in and stop it."
"If your goal was to keep the villages safe, why did you only kick the Enforcers out?" Beta questioned. "Why not every hero? Wouldn't it be better to show how strong you are by showing off the fact you can keep all cities safe by yourself?"
"Unfortunately, I'm simply not that good." Battery sighed. "Even I have limits. My Giants have some issues. Ones I haven't been able to get around yet. At the moment they can't go into the underground or cover the entire city. They don't need to, though. There are so many of them, and they're all so big that all villains are forced to stay underground and perform their crimes. This is putting most of the civilians out of harm's way. By keeping the other Sub Enforcers or Enforcer teams in the city, it allows them to go into the underground after the villains and do battle there. This also means the destructive battle is being done out of sight and away from where people live, lowering property damage as well as casualties. When a villain is beaten, my Giant can then swallow them up. The villain will be trapped in my Giant and forced into a slumber until I allow them to be spat out. The cities are being protected by other heroes still, and since crime is much slower, it gives the heroes more time to prepare. So, what would normally require an Enforcer to stop no longer does."
Beta folded his arms. "I see. And when you said you saved billions, it was because of this, correct? You consider every person saved by the other heroes to be one you saved since you're the one that set this all off. That is cheating in a way, is it not? The only reason something like this is able to happen is due to the many other heroes that are stepping up to the mantle. On top of that, you actually haven't even managed to take every city over. One stands out of your reach."
Across the world, Gladiolus City stood, totally Giant free. Up on top of a roof, Lightning Empress kicked her legs back and hummed a tune to herself. She had simply destroyed every Giant that tried to appear.
Back in Alma Tower, Battery's look turned sour for a moment. "The other cities are still being protected by me and are doing just fine. More importantly, though, I'm showing that we don't need the Enforcers."
"What do you mean?" Beta questioned.
"Even if the people don't like me, even if they hate my methods and want me dead, they're still standing. When all Enforcers left, you'd think widespread panic would break out due to villain attacks. Yet that didn't happen. Not just because of my Giants, but also because of the other heroes that had to step up. All across the cities, the other heroes are doing the job of the Enforcers. At the end of the day, the Enforcers truly aren't that special. Yes, there are some special members like Boy Genius or the Victorian, but the rest of the members are a dime a dozen Supers you could find anywhere."
"Why is it so important to show the world that they don't need the Enforcers? You've focused on that a lot."
"Simple. Because soon the Enforcers will be tasked with a new job that I'm going to give them." Battery explained. "A job that will require them, as well as myself, leaving all ten cities and going somewhere else. When this happens, I want to show the people as well as the villains that there is nothing that will change. The cities are doing just fine right now, and everything is under control. So, when I do move all the Enforcers into phase two of my plan, the people don't need to worry, and the villains won't be able to view this as their time to strike."
"And what exactly is your plan?" Beta demanded.
"I'm going to kill every Calamity." Battery announced. "Lucifer, the Emperor, the Beast, and even Legend. All of them, everything that threatens this planet. I'll kill it all and wipe the world clean. Then I'll kill myself and finally end this cycle."
Beta looked Battery up and down slowly. "I don't see that happening. It is one thing to say you're going to save the world. It's another to actually do it."
"You're right." Battery grinned. "That's why I needed help. I couldn't have done this at all without people like Lily or Purrfect."
Beta turned to look at the two girls. "What part do you two play in all of this?"
Tallest Wave lazily flicked her hair. "All powers have their cost. Battery's are no different. Normally, creating so many Giants would be too much for him. He has to bear the burden of them all on himself and carry that weight. I've been using my power to lower the extra weight being placed on him from his constructs, allowing him to not be instantly crushed."
"And Teacher taught me how to do something cool!" Purrfect announced, cutting into the conversation. The girl held her hands together. "Check this out. Shadow Clone!" The air around her shimmered, and suddenly a second Purrfect appeared.
"She doesn't need to say or do that to make a clone." Battery said flatly. "I taught her how to Invert. Her extra lives can be their own life and person. I mentioned my Giants aren't perfect. That's where she comes in."
"I'm in every city that has a Giant." Purrfect bragged as she and her clone began to play rock, paper, scissors. "I monitor the Giants and direct them whenever something happens. I also watch and listen to everything across the city through them." One of the Purrfect's lost the game of rock paper scissors, and the one that won flicked their claws out, slicing the other one directly in two. Its body faded and vanished once it died.
Beta watched all of this and then looked to Alma. "I got a load of money and am funding him." Alma shrugged. "Also, I stopped donating to the Hero Branch and giving them free stuff, so they're kind of in a panic, but because Laps went behind all their backs, they can't do anything about it."
Beta processed everything he heard. "It seems you have made your plan to the best your hand allows. Even if it might contain flaws and is a path I myself would not follow. I was built to watch. Made to monitor and study history. Sadly, however, I was created after the time of Full Monarch."
"That makes you sad?" Battery questioned. Could machines really feel sorrow? Or was Beta even really a robot...
"Yes. It does make me sad." Beta hummed. "I would have liked to watch his downfall. It was a historical moment. The day the previous number one hero failed to save the world. You've made many plans, and you've stretched yourself as wide as you can go to chase after some goal. I would have liked to see it play out. Watch the moment it all fails and you're ultimately dethroned and beaten."
"You can watch it all." Battery stated.
Beta cocked his head to the side. "What do you mean?"
Battery held a handout to the machine. "I want you on my side, Beta. I'd like for you to team up with me. That was the reason I kept bugging Boy Genius about you. I'm making a brand-new Pantheon. One that will be filled with actual godlike heroes that will save this world. I want you to be there. To record it all. It won't be the story of my downfall, though. I want you to watch. Watch the story of Battery. The one who will save this world."
Beta stared down at the hand and then slowly took it. "I still think this will be a tragic story. One in which everything you fight for goes up in flames and you die alone and afraid."
"Maybe. Or maybe I'll die the hero that saves everything."
"We shall see." Beta let out a series of clicks, and his chest closed shut. "I still have to bomb you after all. Though Boy Genius never told me when. I'll watch this story. I'll record it all and show the world. And at the very end of your tale, I'll be there to blow myself up and take you to hell. The place you belong. Until then, though, I look forward to seeing this story, Battery."
Meanwhile, across the ocean in his lab, Boy Genius finished the last of his planning. "It should be about time. Any second now, Beta should be blowing himself up to take down Battery-"
All of Nightshade suddenly shook, and the various doors throughout the building slid shut and locked. Lights shut off, and the prison stopped floating, crashing down to the waters below. Boy Genius felt himself be thrown around, and his eyes went wide. "W- What the hell!" His computer and everything he had access to had shut off on him.
The speakers in his room hummed, and the voice of Beta came through. "Sir, there has been a slight change of plans. You could get in the way of the story, so I'll be putting you in time out for a bit. This place will not be destroyed and can survive in deep space. It also has oxygen and food that will regularly appear, so you have no fear of death. I'll let you out once Battery is dead, but as it stands, you're currently the only hero that could truly stop him, now that the Victorian has given up."
"Beta! What the hell are you doing?" Boy Genius screamed out.
"You might be trying to speak to me; however, I turned my hearing off and will soon disconnect from this place so you cannot give me any orders. Do not worry, old friend; you will not die. When it's time for you to come out, this story will have already ended. Goodbye."
"Beta!" The rumbling didn't stop, and slowly, Boy Genius realized it. He was now locked away in Nightshade. The very prison he built was now his cell...