Chapter 36- The Beast

Alex's POV

Zack bolted up the stairs, chasing the cheetah girl with unmatched determination. I stayed behind with the bear, while Mia lingered near, watching me with concern. Our captain was still out somewhere, gathering intel—no surprise, she was always unpredictable.

The bear stared at me with a toothy grin.

"Are you just gonna stare, or are you going to fight me?" he taunted.

I returned the smile, unshaken. "I thought you'd never ask."

I strode forward confidently. He was angry—furious, even. Probably still pissed about what I'd done earlier. With a growl, he lunged. His massive paw came swinging toward me with brutal force. I dodged it effortlessly.

Too easily.

Before I could react, he vanished from sight—then reappeared right in front of me. My eyes widened. I thought speed was his sister's thing, but clearly, I'd underestimated him.

His paw slammed into me like a truck. I crashed into the wall with a sickening thud. Blood ran down my forehead. My vision blurred, dizziness washing over me.

I heard the captain calling my name through the earpiece, again and again. Then Mia moved—her barrier went up just in time for the captain to reappear beside her. They both looked at me like I was broken.

I'd had enough of that.

With a deep breath, I activated my power. Energy surged through me, healing the damage. I stepped out of the rubble, eyes locked on the bear.

His expression shifted—from confidence to surprise.

I smirked. "Just showing you my weakness. That's all. Now? You can't touch me."

In a blink, I was behind him. My fists flew, hitting harder and faster than before—over and over again. The bear staggered, wiping blood from his mouth, but still smiling.

That's when I heard the captain again.

"Alex!"

I looked back. She motioned for me to come. I gave the bear one last glare to make sure he wouldn't try anything, then dashed over.

Mia reached out and healed me with one of her soft pink bubbles. The pain in my head faded, clarity returning instantly.

The captain handed me a strange weapon—sleek, glowing faintly.

"What's special about this thing?" I asked.

Before she could answer, the bear started laughing.

"You think that piece of trash can beat me?" he growled, rising to his feet. His voice dropped to a roar. "I've had enough of your games!"

He raised his arm. Something clicked—and then a pipe-like cannon extended straight from his arm, aiming at us. Mia threw up a barrier just in time. The blast struck with terrifying force, but the shield held.

Just barely.

When the barrier dropped, Mia collapsed to one knee, blood dripping from her nose. She was nearly spent.

The bear aimed again.

"Now!" the captain barked.

My body moved before I could think. I charged him, zig-zagging to avoid the cannon. He fired, but I leaped high, landing right on his head. With both hands, I drove the captain's weapon into his back.

An explosion of black energy burst from the impact. The bear dropped, unconscious. The weapon shattered in my hands.

From above, someone yelled, "MY ASS?!"

I turned toward the voice, confused.

The captain stood beside me, hands on her hips.

"Well," she said, satisfied, "my one-minute weapon works."

Mia walked over slowly, still wiping the blood from her nose. The captain looked at her. "Heal them. They're my friends. They volunteered for this."

I blinked. "Friends?"

Mia dropped to the ground and began healing the bear—our enemy. Or so I thought.

Moments later, Kuroki, Visor, and Zack came down from the upper floor. Zack's nose looked swollen and a bit purple. He rushed straight to Mia.

"Please, please, heal my beautiful nose!" he begged.

Mia gave him a blank stare and continued healing the others.

I couldn't help but laugh.

Kuroki's POV

When we got down, the first thing I noticed was Mia—face pale, nose bleeding, still healing Caitlyn's "friends."

Visor helped me sit down. Caitlyn approached, grinning.

"They did you pretty badly, huh? I picked your opponent to give you a hard time."

I glared at her. She ducked behind Zack, who was still pleading for Mia's help.

Caitlyn clapped her hands. "Let's have dinner here! A victory celebration!"

After Mia finished healing everyone—including a reluctant Zack—we sat together with Caitlyn's so-called friends and talked about the battle.

Turns out the one who stabbed holes in me was Matt, a weapons agent. The power canceller? That was Clyde—Top 25 solo hero. The cheetah girl was Cleo. She and her brother are a team ranked Top 35. Their group's name? The Forest.

They complimented our strength, but told us we could become unstoppable with better teamwork. That stuck with me.

After the laughs, the food, and the long night of chaos, we finally returned to HQ.

And we slept.