The Other Side

In a secret location in northern Germany…

Several people in lab coats observed a white room through a glass. Inside the room, two bulky humanoid creatures fought. Whenever their fists collided, the entire area shook. The scientists took notes on the fight, and they analysed the data given to them by their sensors. Finally, the door to the observation room opened, and a young-looking scientist entered the room. "Professor!" One of the scientists said as he stood up. "I didn't expect to see you here!" The so-called professor didn't seem to acknowledge the scientist and simply walked towards the glass.

Everyone stopped watching the fight to look at the professor. "From now on, I will be personally observing the test subjects," The professor stated. "I want to make sure perfection is achieved," he said while watching the two test subjects' fight. "To think our greatest creation to date was defeated by an unknown person using a single punch…." The man then began to grin. "It is frightening yet fascinating at the same time. To think that we can still get even greater heights!" The professor then turned to look at the rest of his scientists. "We must get our hands on the DNA of whoever defeated TS-04567. I want a group of you to dedicate themselves to finding this person; failure is not an option."

"Understood!" All the scientists replied in unison. "Albert…" A rough voice called. The professor looked up to see an elderly man, also dressed in a scientist's clothes. "How's the project going?" The professor, now named Albert, responded. "Ah, Mr Paulus, do not worry, I have everything under control," The elderly man, Paulus, raised an eyebrow. "Is that so because your little pet who escaped a few weeks ago was just killed, wasn't it?" Albert scowled, and Paulus simply sighed. "I let you do as you please as long as you deliver me what I want, so I will turn a blind eye, but you must remember our bargain. Bring me the cure to this mortality!" Paulus exclaimed.

Albert retained a severe look, but then he answered. "And I shall deliver as promised. But, for now, you should go to rest; I wouldn't want you dying on us before we discover the key to immortality now, would you?" Paulus also remained stern. "Your time is running out," The elder replied, turning around to leave the room. "And so is mine…."

Floating City, Headquarters of the League of Heroes, middle of the Pacific Ocean…

Psyko Girl opened her eyes in a panic, only to be immediately blinded by the ceiling's light. She covered her eyes and, on instinct, started to rub them too. When her eyes had adjusted, the heroine immediately grabbed her head as her focus shifted to the next thing bothering her. "My head is going to explode…." She muttered to herself. Psyko Girl began to recollect the events of what had transpired, and thus she began to remember. She remembered the monster, how it had beaten her, humiliated her. A scowl formed on the heroine's face as she gritted her teeth. "That bastard… I will make them pay!" She exclaimed while still holding her head.

Then, she remembered something else. A blue figure walking towards the creature and stopping its punch like it was nothing. Then, her heart began to race, and her breathing became heavy as she remembered the feeling… Such overwhelming presence… One she had never felt before… One of unparalleled power that transcended everything she had ever encountered. Then, a small boom resonated throughout her ears, as in her memories, the beast, the so-called pinnacle of evolution, was now gone. "Just… What was that?" She wondered, finally getting her breathing under control.

The door to the room Psyko Girl was in was opened, and a female doctor walked in. The doctor was shocked to see the heroine awake, although she was seemingly lost in her thoughts. "Oh, Psyko Girl! I wasn't expecting you to be awake already!" She exclaimed. The heroine simply turned to look at the doctor with her usual stern expression, remaining silent. "Sun Eater, Diamon Knight and even Karma are still unconscious."

Psyko Girl scoffed. "Of course, they are weaklings, don't even try to compare us," The heroine replied, now looking annoyed. "And yet…" She said on her own mind. "I find myself in the same place as them…." The young heroine thought while clenching her fists. She then turned to look at the doctor again. "Bring me Supervisor Breman here, now," She ordered her caretaker. "Huh?" The doctor replied. "I'm sorry, but I think the supervisor is currently in my meeting…." The doctor stopped talking once she saw Psyko Girl's glare. "Did I stutter?" The heroine asked.

The two women stood in silence, one with a look of anger and the other one of fear. When Psyko Girl took her time to analyse the expression on the doctor's face, she was taken aback, and she stopped glaring and looked down, sighing. "Listen, I'm… I'm sorry… Just… Bring Breman here, will you? There is something important I must discuss with him…." The doctor was surprised by the apologetic nature of the usually ill-tempered hero, but she decided to not press the matter any further. "Y-yes… I will get him to come as soon as possible. Excuse me." Psyko Girl watched as the doctor left the room, and then she sighed once again, resting back against her bed. "And you are supposed to be a hero, Adrienne…."

A few hours passed, in which Psyko Girl was left waiting, but finally, Supervisor Breman arrived at the heroine's room, carrying a tablet under his arm. "Oh, Psyko, I must say you never cease to amaze me; when Dr Anne told me you were awake, I almost couldn't…." The supervisor was cut off by Psyko using her powers to shut his mouth. "Let's get to the point, Breman, who defeated the monster that not even I could beat?" The young heroine asked, releasing Breman from his hold.

Breman sighed, rubbing his chin, as Psyko Girl had put a bit too much pressure on it. "Sadly, we don't really know…." The supervisor replied. "Most of our survey drones were destroyed during the battle. We managed to recover one piece of footage, but it doesn't give us much in figuring out their identity. We just know he was wearing a blue suit and seemingly had blue hair, and we also saw how he defeated that thing in one single punch," Psyko Girl scoffed. "You really are all useless…." The heroine retorted.

Breman sighed once again, taking out a handkerchief to wipe out some sweat off his forehead. "Having said that, though, this is not the first time this person has been recorded to have appeared…." The supervisor stated. "Wait, you have seen him before?!" Breman nodded. "I was digging through the League's records as I remember having seen something similar one time I was checking through the archives," The supervisor began to explain. "Over the last 70 years, there have been 9 recorded occasions in which a man dressed in a blue suit and with blue hair has appeared in the middle of a battle that seemed lost for the heroes. The Elder Dragon, The Fallen Angel, The Scarlet King, The Leviathan, The Basilisc, The Minotaur, The Chimera, The Cyclop, The Wolf King… All of them Omega level threats, and yet, all of them fell to his hands," Breman said. A stunned Pysko Girl was at a loss for words. "While adding him to our ranks would undoubtedly be an incredible boost for us, as long as he appears in our darkest hours to help, it doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. For now, we have more pressing matters on our hands," The supervisor stated.

Breman handed the tablet he had been carrying to Psyko Girl, who made it levitate with her powers. "We have been gathering information on a powerful organisation that calls itself the 'Gene Masters'. We suspect that their base is located somewhere in Germany or Austria, but we are unsure. We also believe that they were the ones who made the so-called 'Übermensch' that attacked Yokohama and several other cities," Breman instructed.

Psyko Girl scoffed, and she levitated the tablet, which contained all the information on the Gene Masters back to Breman. "I guess I will go and search for their base then," the heroine stated as she stood up from her bed. Her legs trembled a bit, but she remained standing. "Psyko Girl, you just woke up; you can't go; it's risky, we don't know if they have another being such as the one who defeated you…." Then, everything in the room began to levitate, silencing the supervisor. "Do not underestimate me," Was all that Psyko Girl said. "I want a new uniform in my quarters ASAP," She said before walking out of the room, to which Breman just sighed again.

The moment Psyko Girl stepped out of her room, she heard the voice of someone she didn't want to hear. "Oh? So you are finally awake, and here I fought you would finally die!" Psyko Girl turned to see a young woman resting her back against a wall, probably her exact age. The woman in question had long, dark, brown hair and eyes as blue as the ocean, and she was wearing a dress that would be commonly only be seen in the depiction of Greek goddesses. Psyko girl scowled. "What do you want, Gaia?" Gaia, S-Tier hero rank 4.

Gaia stood up straight and walked towards Psyko Girl, a grin firmly on her face. "I heard you were defeated; tell me, how does the dirt taste?" Gaia asked. Psyko Girl's scowl deepened. "I don't know; want me to help you figure it out?" Psyko replied with a fake smile. "You think you can take me?" Gaia replied. "Unlike you, I have never lost a battle," She proudly stated. "And yet, I am still one rank above you," Psyko responded with a smile. "Why you!" Gaia stepped forwards, but she was then stopped in her tracks as she was covered engulfed in a green aura, which they both immediately recognised.

"Now, now, there is no reason to fight; we are all comrades here," A rough voice said. Then, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, an old man wearing Victorian-era clothes stood beside them. The green aura around Gaia disappeared, and then they both slightly bowed at the man. "Our apologies, Sir Leon," They both said in unison. Sir Leon, S-Tier rank 1. The man placed a hand on their heads and then spoke up. "We are all on the same side; we are all heroes; ranks should not matter between us. If you genuinely want to see who is the best hero, search for the answer in your hearts, not on the leaderboards, for their judgement is only superficial," The man then retracted his hands, and with a snap of his fingers, a walking stick materialised on his hand. "Now then, go do what you do best,"

"Yes, Sir Leon," They both replied, and once they shared one last glare, they began to walk in opposite directions. "Adrienne, wait a minute, would you?" Psyko Girl turned around. Unlike everyone else, Sir Leon was the only one allowed to call her by her real name. Psyko walked towards the old man and crossed her arms. "Yes, Sir?" The young heroine asked. "I sense you are troubled, and I know it is not because of you suffering your first defeat," Psyko clenched her fists. "There is something more, tell me, young one, what is it that is bothering,"

Psyko looked at the old man for a moment, debating whether to tell him or not, but then, she remembered, he might be able to help her. "Sir, you have been in the League since its foundation, right?" The young heroine asked, to which the older man nodded. "Did you participate in the fight against… I don't know… The Elder Dragon?" The older hero was taken aback by the question, but then he quickly answered. "Yes, I was there, and what a fight it was…." Psyko widened her eyes, and then she asked again. "Did you perhaps see a man wearing a blue suit and with blue hair and yellow eyes during your battle?"

Now, the elderly man was even more surprised, but still, he answered. "Yes, I saw him…." He began. "It was during at the end of the battle… The Elder Dragon had killed off almost all the heroes that had come to fight it. Thousands laid dead, and I was on the verge of giving up, but then… In just a few seconds, he appeared, and then, after a short but intense battle, in which powers beyond my imagination were released, the dragon laid slain. An unimaginable strength emanated from that being," Sir Leon explained. "Perhaps you saw this person during your fight. Is that the source of your worries?"

Psyko Girl looked down, and then she slightly nodded. "Every time I remember his presence…." She started. "I feel something creep up my spine, and my entire body suddenly turns cold… Whatever it was… It was not natural; it was something beyond human…." Sir Leon was surprised to see Psyko in such a state, as never had he seen her so… vulnerable.

"Be not afraid, though," Leon said. "Whoever they are, they seem to be a benevolent entity," He said. "The old Druid scriptures talk about how in ancient times, there were these all-powerful beings who were the guardians of humanity, protecting it from the greatest of threats. They were like angels or gods even. Still, whoever they are, I am sure they have the best of intentions with humanity," Psyko Girl still looked down. "Yeah, let's hope so,"

At the steps of Mt. Fuji…

Zabier stood in front of the steps that led to his house when he suddenly heard leaves moving and branches being crushed. From the wilderness, Jitsuna appeared. "I'm here, Master!" Zabier nodded and signalled for Jitsuna to follow him. "In that case, very well then, follow me, let your training begin…."