In Fuyushima...
Mr. Sato stood up, slowly turning toward the mysterious woman who broke into his lab. "Hmm? You, a villain, know how to bring back my son?"
She nodded. "In the short time since being empowered, my boss has found some inquiring…things about these abilities many of us now possess."
"Is that right? And why should I entrust you lot with the care of my child?"
Serratine pulled up a picture of Justice on her phone and showed Mr. Sato. "Because we want more power, and we would greatly appreciate your help in doing so."
"Ahh," Mr. Sato realized. "You wish to recreate the Mass Empowerment Event. Is that what they are calling it, nowadays?"
Serratine nodded. "The same way you initially created us, we want to use the boy's weapon to make ourselves stronger and more expansive. After all, what good is a syndicate without a stack of powerful members?"
Mr. Sato stared at her for a moment. "I would like a meeting with your boss. Then I'll make my decision accordingly."
"Of course, Director."
Meanwhile, somewhere else…
Mykhail walked through the town streets, calling Yasuda's name. "Yasuda! Yasuda? Man, how hard is it to find one hyperactive kid?"
He continued block after block, but to no avail. People even started to look at him a bit weirdly. "Guess they don't like the yelling. Maybe I should try a different approach."
Once he was sure no one was looking, he used his speed to quickly search the surrounding area. After about a second, he found Yasuda back in the fight club where they first fought: Snake Alley.
"What's he doing back here?"
After dealing with the bouncer, Mykhail walked through the doors, where various club members were battling. Pushing past marveled spectators, he noticed Yasuda watching a fight in the Ring, with Yuuma by his side, visibly nervous.
"Yasuda," Mykhail said. "Why'd you slip away?"
Yasuda turned towards Mykhail in an instant. "Mykhail! You found me!"
"Well…yeah. You're not that far away."
Yasuda tugged on Yuuma's arm repeatedly. "This is my older brother, Yuuma! He wanted me to come to the club with him!"
Mykhail sized him up and down as Yuuma did the same.
"Who's this pipsqueak?" Yuuma asked.
"This is Mykhail!" Yasuda introduced. "He's a new friend, he's a superhuman, and he's also known as Just—-!"
Mykhail quickly covered Yasuda's mouth. "Ha! Well, that's enough about me! Introductions done!"
Yuuma leaned in closer. "Wait, you're a SUPERHUMAN?"
Mykhail groaned. "Damn it, he's said too much."
He scratched his head. "Yeah, uh…I've got a power or two. Nothing special."
Yuuma's eyes lit up. "Wait, kid, you can help me out then! Yasuda, is he strong?"
Yasuda nodded. "Very!"
"Uh…" Mykhail muttered. "What are you guys plotting?"
Yuuma put a hand on Mykhail's shoulder. "Well, look. When I first got my powers, I kinda made a few mistakes and now I've got a huge debt to pay off. If I don't, he'll kill me, my brother, and our whole family."
Mykhail stared at him, baffled. "It hasn't even been two full weeks since powers started appearing! How did you get in debt so fast?"
"It's a long story."
Mykhail sighed. "Well, I guess I can't let Yasuda die. He's too useful. So, what's your little plan? Why do you need me?"
Yuuma grinned. "I'm gonna enter this massive tournament the Villain Syndicate is holding tonight! If we win, their boss is giving the winning party over 10 million dollars! That's more than enough to pay off my debt!"
"Huh…" Mykhail thought. "So that mysterious guy wasn't lying, they are having a full-on battle royale! But this doesn't make any sense…who would be strong enough to put fear in this guy's heart?"
Mykhail cleared his throat. "Sure. I'll help."
Yuuma pumped his fist. "Awesome! That makes a full team! You, me, and Yasuda!"
"But who's even extorting you?" Mykhail asked. "They've gotta be pretty powerful for you to have your stomach in a knot."
"They are," Yuuma admitted. "It's a high-ranking member of the Villain Syndicate. The second in command. Calls themselves Neon. I can't tell if they're a guy or a girl, but all I know is that I'm not gonna cross 'em. They vaporized a full-powered superhuman just for talking back to them!"
"A member," Mykhail noted. "I see."
Mykhail gestured to the ongoing fight in the Ring. "What's the point of you coming here, then? Do you plan to fight?"
Yuuma shook his head. "Just watching techniques and battle tactics. Once we go into that tournament, everyone's gonna be gunning for a spot in the Syndicate, not just for the prize money."
"Well," Mykhail remarked. "Drop the address of this tournament so we can get in, get your money, pay off your debt, and get out."
Yuuma scratched his head. "That's the thing…"
Mykhail lifted an eyebrow.
"I don't actually know where it is," Yuuma admitted.
Mykhail slapped his forehead, but Yasuda raised a hand. "I can track it! Leave it to me!"
"Your fate is in the hands of an 11-year-old," Mykhail scoffed. "Are you happy?"
Yuuma's face turned red as Yasuda pulled out a Villain Syndicate paper. "I nabbed this from one of the fighters here! If we use the process of elimination, we can locate where it was sent!"
Yasuda focused and squinted at the paper. He could see the fingerprints on it, the material used, and he even saw a faint bit of writing on the bottom, which read: "Underground Station B-5."
"Found it!" Yasuda announced. "We need to go to the subway station on B-5! That's where the event is being hosted!"
Mykhail patted him on the back. "See, this is why we can't let you die."
Yuuma cracked his knuckles. "Alright, team. Let's go win some dough!"
The three made their way to the subway station, exiting the fight club. A masked man at the bar chuckled to himself, watching them leave. "More raw talent, ehh?"
Meanwhile…
Kaori was inside her room, doing pushups and sit-ups in gym clothes while old footage of the news played on her TV, showing Justice in battle alongside the other two members of Team Zero.
"That sword…" she mumbled. "So strong."
She also noticed Serratine and Fujio's attacks on the team. "That looks like fun. Maybe an actual challenge."
She sat up and wiped the sweat off her face. "I need to find out the truth. That entire group is suspect. I know they're hiding something, but what?"
She stood. "They must think I'm stupid. Playing around like little children in a field. Wait until I see them again."
Someone knocked on her door. "Kaori, dear! Your food is ready!"
"You said it would be ready thirty minutes ago, MOTHER."
The woman behind the door stammered and immediately began to explain. "I'm sorry, dear! The stove cut out while I was in the middle of making the dish! I think it might be due to all the power you're using up in this room, but don't worry, it's—-!"
"Are you blaming ME?" Kaori inquired.
"No, dear! Never! Please, whenever you're ready, come and eat!"
"That's better," Kaori said. "I'll be down soon."
As her mother walked away, Kaori turned off the TV and changed her clothes, dressing in a more casual manner. Once she went downstairs, she saw her mother and father sitting at the table with meat, sushi, and rice on their plates, nervously waiting until she got there.
"This food better not be cold," Kaori remarked, sitting down.
"It's not, dear!" her dad insisted. "Your mother made sure it was perfect! Please don't hurt us!"
"Quiet," Kaori ordered. "I'm trying to eat."
She took her fork and started plopping pieces bit by bit into her mouth, and after a few bites, she stopped. "This food is bland."
Her parents gulped as her eyes glowed and three large shadowy apparitions appeared behind her, one holding a sword, one holding a bow, and one with enlarged fists. As her parents clung to each other, Kaori waved her hand and the shadows disappeared. "But I'll let it slide, this time."
Her parents sighed a sigh of relief. "Thank you!"
Kaori quickly finished her food and got up. "Clean this up."
Her parents quickly nodded as Kaori retreated to her room. Her dad brushed the sweat off his forehead.
"Man," he worried. "Ever since our daughter became a superhuman, she's been acting like a different person!"
Her mom wiped tears from her eyes. "The powers she's got, they're not gifts, they're a curse! Any wrong move, and she could wipe us out! Even the entire school is terrified of her!"
"Maybe she's still our daughter deep down?" the father wondered. "Maybe this is just a phase! That's it! A phase!"
"I hope so," the mother replied. "We can't live like this any longer!"
Kaori got into her bed to take a nap, using her shadows to clean the room up. As one closed her blinds, she noticed Mykhail, Yasuda, and Yuuma walking past her street, talking about things she couldn't hear.
"It's him again…" Kaori realized. "Hey, you."
She pointed to one of her shadows. "Follow them. I want information."
The shadow phased through the window and trailed after the three boys, just as Kaori lay her head back down. "This time, I'm going to get my answer."
Meanwhile, outside Kaori's house…
"How much further until we reach this subway station?" Mykhail asked.
"It's about 40 minutes away!" Yasuda answered.
"FORTY?"
Yasuda nodded. "Yep!"
"Screw this," Mykhail said. "Grab onto me, you guys."
Yuuma and Yasuda did so, a bit confused. In the blink of an eye, Mykhail took off, both boys still holding on. By the time they let go, they were in front of a subway. "Is this the right one?"
"Yeah!" Yasuda confirmed.
Yuuma got on his knees and hurled. "Man…you! You're fast!"
"Helps get the job done," Mykhail shrugged. "Now let's see what this little tournament is all about. Hopefully it isn't boring."
"Wait," Yuuma interrupted, holding a pair of masks. "Put this on, you guys. You don't want your faces seen under there."
After putting on their masks, they all entered the subway, immediately feeling an eerie sense of dread. The entire subway was empty, but there was a red arrow pointing down the tracks.
"That's probably the directions," Mykhail noted. "Left we go."
They walked down the tracks, unable to see anything but a faint light in the distance. After minutes of walking, they reached the light, which was a ceiling light that hung over a door. The door had a red X on it.
"I'm no villain expert," Mykhail said. "But I think this is our ticket."
Yuuma pushed the door open, and there was a flight of stairs leading down behind it. The three shared a look before walking down the stairs. It didn't take long to get down them, and once they did, another door awaited them, this time with a masked villain standing guard.
"Greetings," the man said. "Are you here to partake in our Selection Tournament?"
"Is it the one with the money?" Yuuma asked.
The man nodded.
"Then hell yeah!"
Mykhail could almost feel a grin coming from the man's face as he opened the door. "Then good luck…"
Behind this door was a massive lobby where various other superhumans were waiting. There was a check-in spot where a mischievous young lady was standing, waving for the three to come over.
"A new team!" she exclaimed, delighted. "Amazing. What name will you three be going under?"
"Uhh…well…" Yuuma stuttered.
"Team Khail," Mykhail suggested.
"The hell—-?"
"I like it!" Yasuda agreed. "Yay!"
"That's an interesting choice," the woman commented. "Okay, Team Khail. As the last team to sign up, you'll be fighting the first arrivals! They call themselves Team Bulldogs!"
"What…?" Mykhail questioned, a cringeworthy look on his face.
"You may wait over there," the lady smirked, pointing to a tunnel nearby. "Once the match begins, that tunnel will open, taking you into a large arena we've made down here."
"Thank you," Yuuma acknowledged. "Let's go, chumps!"
He led Yasuda and Mykhail to the tunnel, and behind the faint glass, Mykhail could see a massive arena, and many people lined up to watch. There was even a throne built at the highest row, right in the center. A figure in black robes sat there, a masked individual by his side.
"That looks like a boss if I ever saw one," Mykhail thought. "I hope I wasn't wrong to leave my sword."
After a few tense minutes of waiting, an intercom rang out. "The first match of the Tournament shall begin! Team Khail vs. Team Bulldogs!"
"You boys ready?" Yuuma asked.
"Yeah!" Yasuda replied.
"I hope," Mykhail stated. "This should be good."
The wall blocking them off from the arena opened, allowing them to enter as hundreds of spectators watched.
"It's GO time!" the intercom announced. "Do your best! Fight hard! And try not to die!"
"Great advice," Mykhail mocked. "Let's see who they got."
As Mykhail's team made their way inside, they could hear the thundering steps of those coming from the other tunnel: their opponents.
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
—-