The Whole World Is Watching
Meanwhile At The Hero Association…
Metal Bat POV
"I thought you said he could barely stand a week ago." Bang said as we stared at the bruised and battered Christan. "I also said he craves a challenge. He'll try to protect that city no matter what it takes. He'll fight, till he collapses." I told them before Tornado slammed her hands on the table. "That's idiotic. Some no rank reject needs to learn his place and sit on the sidelines." Without looking away from the screen I spoke. "You'll never see him on the sidelines. That's just ain't his style." After I said that, Rank 11: S-Class hero Superalloy Darkshine spoke up. "Should we intervene? I mean, it is technically a civilian facing down multiple monsters at once." There was a small silence in the room before Atomic Samurai said something. "No. Well not yet at least. This is a good opportunity to see the vigilante hero in action. Let's enjoy the show." He told us as we all looked back towards the screen. 'Not gonna lie, I wanna see what he can really do too. I hyped you up asshole. You better kickass otherwise I'll kick your ass myself.' I thought before we continued to watch the broadcast as Christan began to dodge their attacks.
Third POV
While huffing and puffing, Christan stands there after barely evading three attacks one after another. With his hands up looking ready for more as the girl monster tells them that it won't be long before he falls unconscious. "Ladies and gentlemen of T-City, it seems the vigilante hero is backed into a corner due to these odds. This may be the first and last time we see him." The news anchor said as the cameras focused in on Christan's face again. As this happened Christan had flashbacks of his childhood, as he remembers all of the times Tanya and her friends would gang up on him. 'Once a failure, always a failure. You can't change that.' Tanya said to him as he laid down on the ground, beaten and bruised. 'What do you know? What's the difference between you and me, huh?' He'd ask her before she along with her friends would laugh. 'Aside from the obvious,' she stepped onto his chest, driving her heel into his chest. 'The difference between your stupidity and genius, is that genius has its limits. Learn your place in the world. For someone like you, there is a glass ceiling you'll never get past. Learn to live with being below average."
She told him before she kicked him in the face. This memory made the present Christan grit his teeth. 'To hell with limits. I'll hit my ceiling and breakthrough it!' He thought as his body started to shake. "Now look at this. He talks a big game but he's shaking in his boots. Easy pickings." One of the monsters said as they closed in on him. This a light chuckle out of Christan before spoke. "You think you can understand what I really am? No one knows what I am capable of," Steam began to emit from his body before as he clenched his fists. "Let me show who you think you're scaring!" He yelled out as searing heat was potent in the air. Back the Association, the S-Class are confused. "What's he doing? He's smoking. And not in the normal way." Puri Puri Prisoner said. "This just got a lot more interesting. Show us your firepower, kid." Atomic Samurai said as they then a bright light from the screen, almost filling the room in sun-like light. "The hell!" Tatsumaki said, shielding her eyes.
Christan had bursted into a violent fiery blaze aura that reached high enough to almost hit the News copter. Though they quickly raised up higher as the News anchor spoke. "Truly a spectacle to be seen up close. The vigilante hero is not giving up with a fight it seems. Fellow T-City citizens, I hope we all can give our strength to this young man. He may need it." The camera then tried to focus through the fire but then the fire just went out suddenly revealing Christan standing there with steam still emitting from his every pore. But while everyone was just standing there waiting for him to make a move the metal monster attacked first by throwing the wrecking ball at Christan from behind, however Christan without hesitation spins around catches the ball with one hand. Before then redirecting the ball towards the red beast monster. 'What strength?!' Is all he could think before he was hit with the wrecking ball, taking him out of the battle. "Wildman!!"
The metal monster yelled out as he tried to pull back the wrecking ball but as he did that Christan engulfed his hand in fire and cut the line, severing the ball and line. Just then the spike monster launched a spike at him, to which he used his fire hand to block it. He continued to fire spikes at Christan, but Christan used the wrecking ball to shield himself from the spikes. "Now he's hiding like a coward." The spike monster said. "Can't I have a weapon too? It's only fair since he had one. Learn to share." Christan sarcastically says to the monsters before he then propels the wrecking ball toward the spike monster. But as it was coming towards him the metal monster jumped in front of it. "Not on my watch." He said as he used his bare hands to destroy the wrecking ball. However, he didn't notice that Christan had been closely following behind the ball, catching him completely off guard. This impressed Silver Fang back at HQ. "I don't what he did earlier but whatever it was it turned this battle around. Using the wrecking ball as cover. He's quite innovative for such a youngster." This would be added on by Superalloy Darkshine. "Yeah, and his strength is quite surprising for a guy of his size to catch that wrecking ball like that."
Back to the fight Christan then punched the metal monster in the stomach and then lifted him high above his head. Using him as a shield for the feathers coming from above. 'He's using Steele's body as a shield and he's figured out the timing of my attacks.' The winged monster thought as he slowly descended. "You're wide open!" The spike monster shouts before then throwing several spikes at Christan while he is distracted, but Christan easily catches the spikes. "Thanks. These will do just the trick." He taunted the monster before he threw the spikes with blinding speed at the winged monster as he was coming down, effectively taking him out of the fight. "Hey, put me down, you white-haired bastard!" Steele yelled out while being held up. The spike monster, attempting in a last-ditch effort to avenge his fallen comrade attempts to lunge at Christan with a large spear, but once again uses Steele as a shield. By piledriving him headfirst into the ground, in-between the attack. Stopping him dead in his tracks. Slightly stepping out from behind Steele's upside down body, Christan looks to be smiling. "If we're keeping count, I'd say that's half the field. Don't ya think?" His words looked to shake the remaining monsters as they started him down looking hesitant to make a wrong move. He then smiled with blood coming out his mouth before saying. "Gods, meet the Devil." The anchor spoke. "Amazing, what a sight. The tables have turned. As you can see the vigilante hero has apparently undergone a harrowing transformation and is currently dismantling these hidias monsters, one after the other." She said before they resumed watching.
"What the hell's going on? Just a second ago we had him on the ropes and now he's taken out half of us." The spike monster said, holding his spear tightly. "Gyoro Gyoro was right to want this man in his ranks. This is a dangerous man we've encountered. He's nothing short of an Apex Predator. He must be put down, NOW!" Monic's cyclops-like eye began to glow a bright blue before he fired a bright and brilliant light at Christan. Which Christan dodges all the while running to his next target, the girl monster. "Ivelisse!!! He's headed your way! Don't let him get near you!!!" Monic yelled out to her as she tried to get away from him but she couldn't shake him. Causing Monic to stop firing. 'This bastard...is following Ivelisse so I don't have a clean shot. I can't shoot!' Monic thought with frustration as Christan was neck and neck with her. "Hey, what's wrong?! You were talking all that good shit earlier about how scared I was but now you're running away and leaving me all lonely. I thought you had my powers!" Christan then strikes her with a barrage of punches and kicks that brutality hurt her. Causing her to stagger and bleed from the mouth from the pummeling. But as he was doing that she engulfed her hand in fire like he had earlier and attempted to slash down at Christan but he blocked her attack with his forearm.
"You want to know what your big mistake was, Ivelisse?" Christan asked her as he held her wrists in place. "What mistake?!" She angrily asked with blood dripping from her lip. "It's my stolen powers!" He then starts beating the tar out of her while saying. "Every muscle, every cell! My body is made from a lifetime of intense battle! But you took my powers and assumed that means we're the same! But you just copy what you see!" A fiery aura begins to slowly envelope him with every punch and kick landed. "You feel the firepower in your cells, but you don't really understand it. Because you didn't build it! And you'll never learn to think like a failure like ME!!" Christan punches her so hard, his fiery aura vaporizes a large portion of the ground. As she stands there wobbling and bleeding. She looks up at him trying to hold her hands up to fight. 'How can there be such a huge power gap between us?!' She thought as fear truly set in on what she had gotten herself into before she attempted to retaliate with a punch, but Christan dodges the punch and headbutts her. "That's the spirit! Keep it up!" He says to her while a few meters away, the spike monster decides to intervene. "He's just toying with her. Ivelisse!" He yelled out. "Pipedown over there. You'll be getting some too soon." Christan said with a taunting gesture.
"It's a trap, Quill! He's toying with her to draw you in." Monic told him before Quill ignored his warning and charged in to save Ivelisse from this brutal onslaught. 'Quill will fall too. But the vigilante is running out of strength. So we'll win in the end.' Monic thought as Quill went to drill Christan with a forward thrust from his spear but Christan skillfully intercepted the spear and counters with a left punch to Quill's face. Before continuing with a consecutive string of blows to his chest using Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist. This immediately alerted Bang back at the Hero Association, causing him to stand up from his chair. "Silver Fang? Is that what I think it is?" Atomic Samurai asked him while sitting up. Bang then confirmed his thought. "Yes, it's my Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist. It's a very unorthodox use of it though. Likely due to him not learning from my dojo. This Christan fellow is quite fascinating. Heaps of potential." Bang said while stroking his mustache. "Hmph. Anyone can throw a couple of punches. Nothing special." Tatsumaki said before yawning. Back to the fight, Ivelisse works through the pain and tries to strike Christan, but he nails her hard in the stomach with a sole kick. Knocking her into a street light, removing her and Quill from the battle.
"You dropped your shields. Your too unruly to ever be among our ranks." Monic said from behind the winded hero as blood flowed down his forehead, staining a bit of his white hair. But Unbeknownst to him Zenko's pet cat Tama jumped out of the window and walked behind Christan. This caused Zenko to run outside to get her. "Ladies and gentlemen it looks like we will be able to sleep easy tonig-. Is that child and a cat?!" The news anchor said getting Metal Bats full attention. "That's my sister and Tama!" He yelled outstanding from his chair in a frenzy. The whole room at a loss of words as they then saw Monic remove his visor revealing a giant blue eye that quickly shot a large beam of blue energy that was much larger than anything that he did before. Metal Bat could do nothing as he stood there and watched in terror. "Damn It!" He shouts. Zenko couldn't get out of the way quick enough so Christan attempts to plant himself with his hands out ready to protect Zenko and Tama. When the blast hit him, he was barely able to hold it back as he was being pushed backward quickly. Zenko cradled Tama as she watched as Christan struggled to keep the blast from hitting them. "The NEWS helicopter and S-Class were deadly silent watching the screen.
During this struggle, Christan was reminded of Tanya's words from before. 'Once a failure. Always a failure. You'll never be anything more.' He then would remember what Zenko told him earlier today. 'You're nothing like that mean lady. You're not a monster like her. Even if no one else sees you as a hero, just know that I know you're a hero.' His thoughts were cut off by Monic speaking again. "You still resist! You stubborn fool! Even the great Vigilante Hero has limits!" He angrily shouted which was followed up by a loud thud that made Monic get pushed back a little. The confused cyclops then saw the unthinkable. Christan was beginning to punch the blast repeatedly. With every punch sending shockwaves through the city as he drilled his way towards the horrified cyclops, who could nothing aside from watch. Everyone watching was glued to the screen, hoping for the best. "You say I have limits huh! Limits this! Limits that! But there's one thing you people never realize," Christan shouted while still barreling through his attack as steam began to emit from his put with every punch landed. Then finally he got right up to Monic and jumping into the air, cocking his arm back, showing that his body was encased in fire. "I have no limits!" He screamed as he punched Monic in the eye, stopping the blast and the last of the X-Monsters. As Monic fell onto the ground Christan dropped to his knees with his arms slumped down in front of him.
With a smile on his face, he puts his hands up in victory. "I did it!" He said as he struggled to keep his arms up before they dropped back down. "He won. The vigilante hero won!" The news anchor said as the helicopter began to descend to get the first word from him. Bad had his hands together like he was praying and thanking a higher power along with Christan. Zenko then ran up to him along with Tama and hugged Christan as he struggled to laugh. "I knew you'd win," she said as she noticed his ripped clothes. His bandages were hanging off and bloody along with his white hair being stained with his blood. "Now let's get you back inside. You always come out of each fight even worse than the one before." She told as she helped him stand up. As he got to one knee he felt a sharp pain in his back. 'Oh right.' He thought as he yanked out the two metallic feathers that were logged in his shoulder. He let out a loud scream and began to breathe heavily as he dropped the feathers on the floor.
"Amazing. Well before I was neutral about this ghost story of a man but after what I've seen today, that boy is nothing short of a hero in my eyes." Bang said as he nodded to himself with his arms crossed. "Not gonna lie, I was rooting for the guy by the end. I agree with Silver Fang. Kid ain't a threat." Atomic Samurai stated with his closed. A couple of other S-Class heroes agreed with them but a few saw it differently. "I'm not saying that he didn't get the job done, what I'm saying is that he's too reckless. He claims to protect the city with his life but he burns down a majority of the city while he's doing it. We don't need another Tornado of Terror in the world." Rank 13 S-Class hero, Flashy Flash said before Tatsumaki began yelling at him, which just got a calm response out of him. "This vigilante is your fault to begin with. He only gained these abilities because of your foolish actions," he said as she glared at him as her green aura reappeared. "Now, before I was rudely interrupted, I'm saying that he may not be a monster but he is a threat." This swayed a few of the other heroes that hadn't said their piece already to agree with Flashy Flash. This only left Tornado as the only hero to not say anything about him. "Tornado, you have anything to add?" Child Emperor asked her as the rest of the heroes awaited her answer. She looked annoyed and was about to speak but was stopped by an explosion from the screen. "What the?! What was that? I thought he took out the last one." Darkshine said as everyone looked back at the screen.
Christan slowly turned around as Zenko and he were almost at his place and his eyes widened when he saw what caused the explosion. "Hey, hero. I believe it's time for round two. I hope this isn't inconvenient for you." The voice made Christan stop in his tracks. With red veins in his eyes, he never broke eye contact. "Shit! That's the bitch from before," Metal Bat said which got a confused "Who?" from the other heroes. The camera then focused on their face. "The bitch we fought the week before, Tanya Winters." He said as her wry smile was clear as day on the screen.