Glide arrived at the alley, his breath steady. He'd been trailing behind Swiftstep, knowing the younger hero had taken off after the boy. He'd left his sidekick to keep an eye on the situation, but now things seemed to have spiraled faster than expected. As he rounded the corner into the alley, the scene ahead made his heart leap in a way few things did these days.
Swiftstep was there, as expected. But what he hadn't expected was the struggling figure in his partner's arms.
It was the kid.
Glide's eyes narrowed, focusing on the struggle. He watched as Swiftstep grappled to keep a hold on the boy. He could tell Swiftstep had the upper hand—or at least, it looked that way—but something felt off.
'What the hell…?' Glide thought, his instincts kicking in. Swiftstep had him, yet there was hesitation in the air. He could almost sense it, like things were about to shift.
And then, it happened.
Just as Swiftstep leaned in, the boy twisted. Glide's eyes widened in surprise as the kid managed to break an arm free from the hold, moving with surprising speed and strength. Before Swiftstep could react, Calvas's elbow shot backward, connecting squarely with Swiftstep's face.
'No way…'
He saw the impact—a solid, brutal hit. Swiftstep's head snapped back, the shock clear on his face. It wasn't just the force of the elbow that stunned him, but the fact that it had even happened. His partner staggered, momentarily losing his grip on the kid.
For a split second, everything seemed to freeze. The disbelief on Swiftstep's face, the flicker of resolve in the kid's eyes as he realized he'd actually hurt the hero.
Then, the moment shattered.
He bolted, his body low as he pushed off the ground, sprinting out of Swiftstep's grasp and towards the mouth of the alley.
Glide didn't move immediately—he was still processing what he'd just witnessed. The boy had slipped through Swiftstep's grip like water through fingers. He wasn't just fast—he was unnaturally quick.
'What's going on with this kid?' Glide thought, his mind racing.
Swiftstep, for his part, looked momentarily dazed, a hand reaching up to touch his face where the elbow had connected. Glide could see the faint marks of pain etched into his partner's expression, mixed with confusion.
But there was no time to think.
Glide snapped into action, his eyes darting to the figure of the kid just ahead, heading for the alley's exit. His hand instinctively raised, his mind already calculating the distance between him and the boy. He couldn't let him slip away.
"Swiftstep!" Glide called, his voice calm but commanding, "Get up! We're not done."
Swiftstep shook his head, trying to regain focus, but it was clear he hadn't expected this.
But Glide? He was ready.
He stepped forward, his body poised to take over.
Glide's sharp eyes tracked the boy's desperate sprint towards the alley's exit. The kid was running with everything he had, his face twisted with determination, his eyes wide, searching for a way out—any way out.
'Kid's not giving up, I'll give him that,' Glide thought, watching the scene unfold in front of him.
Every step he took seemed to be filled with pure desperation, like he knew this was his last shot, his final chance to get away.'He's not bad,' Glide mused, already calculating his next move. 'But this is over.'
Just as Calvas was about to reach the mouth of the alley, it happened. Like a puppet whose strings had been cut, the boy's legs buckled. His knees hit the ground hard, and his body sagged, folding against the weight of exhaustion. Everything stopping all at once. But even as he fell, Glide could still see that flicker in the boy's eyes.
The fight was still there.
'He fought to the end,' Glide thought, almost impressed. 'He didn't give up.'
Without thinking, Glide shot forward, his feet barely touching the ground as he crossed the distance between them in an instant. He caught the boy just before he hit the pavement, his arms wrapping around his limp form, steadying him before he could collapse completely.
For a brief moment, Glide looked down at the kid in his arms. He was unconscious now, the fire that had been burning in his eyes extinguished, but there was something about him. Something Glide couldn't quite put his finger on.
"He's a tough one," Glide muttered under his breath, almost to himself, before calling out, "Swiftstep, you good?"
Swiftstep, still holding his nose, trudged toward him, his face a mix of annoyance and pain. "I think the damn kid broke my nose," he grumbled, his voice muffled slightly by his hand.
Glide let out a loud, booming laugh, the sound echoing through the narrow alley. "Ha! Broke your nose, huh? The kid's got more fight in him than you gave him credit for."
Swiftstep's eyes narrowed, his posture stiffening as he shot Glide an irritated look. "Oh, sure, laugh it up. It's not funny! The little bastard caught me off guard," he snapped, his words laced with frustration.
But Glide couldn't help himself. The sight of his sidekick being outmaneuvered by a kid was too good. He chuckled again, the sound rolling out of him. "Caught off guard by a kid half your size. Now that's a story to tell."
"Glide," Swiftstep growled, the irritation clear in his voice as he pulled his hand away from his face, revealing a faint trickle of blood. "I'm serious. It wasn't normal. He hit me with strength that came outta nowhere. And his speed… I thought he didn't have a quirk…"
Glide raised an eyebrow, his eyes flicking down to the unconscious boy in his arms. "So the kid's got a quirk after all, huh?"
Swiftstep nodded, still wincing as he touched his nose again. "Yeah, One moment I had him, the next he's slipping outta my grip."
Glide's grin widened, his boisterous nature taking over. "Kid's got some tricks up his sleeve. Gotta respect that." His voice was full of energy, as if this was the most exciting thing to happen all week.
But Swiftstep wasn't in the mood to laugh. "Respect? My nose is probably broken, and you wanna talk about respect?" He shook his head, annoyance dripping from every word. "This wasn't some cute kid playing tag. He almost got away—again."
Glide's amusement softened slightly, his expression growing more thoughtful. He glanced down at the boy once more. "Yeah… almost." He paused, his gaze lingering on Calvas's face. The kid looked young. But despite that, there was something about the way he'd fought back, even when all the odds were stacked against him.
"Don't take it personally, Swift. The kid's not ordinary," Glide finally said, his tone more serious now.
Swiftstep sighed, frustration melting into a resigned kind of acceptance. He let his hand drop from his face and muttered, "Yeah, no kidding."
Glide stood up, hoisting the unconscious Calvas with him. "We'll take him in," he said, his tone final. "Figure out what the hell just happened. And make sure you get that nose checked out."
"Yeah, yeah," Swiftstep muttered, rolling his eyes. But even through his irritation, there was a flicker of respect for the boy.
Glide smiled down at Calvas, a newfound curiosity settling in. "Guess we've got more to learn about you, kid," he muttered.
As Glide hoisted the kid up, a flicker of memory surfaced—a glimpse of a past encounter.
He'd asked for something strange back then, easy to brush off and forget. Glide chuckled faintly, shaking his head to clear the thought.
After a brief pause, he motioned for Swiftstep to follow. This wasn't over, not by a long shot.
But Glide couldn't help but laugh again. This kid, he thought. He's going to be interesting.