Owed to Me

Garou woke to the scent of pine and earth. His eyes cracked open to a canopy of leaves overhead.

"A phoenix rises from its own ashes. You, from your own bandages."

His muscles screamed as he sat up. Above him, perched on a thick oak branch, sat a tall avian creature of red and gold feathers with jade eyes.

"Who are you?" Garou's voice rasped. At his feet lay a pile of convenience store food and drinks.

"You can call me Phoenix Man," the creature announced. "Your clothing has fused with you." His head tilted. "We are more alike than you know. Both of us merged with what we wore to become something greater, and I can tell you are capable of evolving much further. The Monster Association sent me to recruit you. But with the Association shattered, my purpose is uncertain."

Garou ripped open a rice ball and ate while ignoring the bird.

"So I have found a new purpose," Phoenix Man continued. "I will help you reach your full potential." He leaned forward. "Your stage is waiting. Superalloy Darkshine is holding a fan meetup event in a nearby city. A celebration of a hero's ego."

A minute of silence passed.

Garou scarfed down the last of the food and drained the last bottle of water before crushing it in his fist.

Going to the city now was his choice. Heroes were targets, plain and simple.

¤ ¤ ¤

Dr. Bofoi received an immense shock when he returned to his laboratory.

"Impossible!"

His voice trembled as he stared at the shattered containment unit. The green monstrosity, eyeless and muscular, had slipped free against all odds.

"It should be nothing more than a mindless husk," he muttered. "Yet somehow it escaped."

¤ ¤ ¤

"Eek!"

Garou sprang back, just out of reach, as Superalloy Darkshine's panicked fist swept through the air.

Tch. What's with that wimpy look? It's almost like I'm bullying him? The evil I'm going to become is far more—

"'Flash Kick.'"

A kick too fast came out of nowhere and sent him flying. When would others learn this strategy wouldn't be enough to beat him?

Flipping through the air, he landed. "Kyahaha! Two more S-Class Heroes lined up for the hunt."

That's right: not only Flashy Flash but also Metal Bat.

Flashy Flash's voice cut like ice. "What happened to you, Superalloy Darkshine? You look pathetic."

Darkshine fell to his knees, trembling.

Dunno what it is, but that Metal Bat guy pisses me off.

Garou streaked forward like a crimson blur with a grin stretched wild across his face. Who could stop his rise now?

¤ ¤ ¤

Caspian hovered above Tatsumaki's living space while she floated across from him, arms crossed and eyes narrowed.

"Say something!" she commanded.

"I was waiting for you to speak first." With a motion of his hand, a 'Hyperspace Gate' shimmered open behind him. Figures emerged: bound, silent, and unmistakably the 'Tsukuyomi.'

Her brow furrowed, but then her expression cracked. Recognition hit.

"You found them," she breathed.

The Tsukuyomi members twisted in silence as Caspian had sealed their mouths with a twist of gravity.

"Before you act," he said, "let me explain what I uncovered." He pointed to one of the captives. "That one? He infiltrated the Blizzard Group and tried to poison your sister."

The man's eyes widened. Even voiceless, his panic was clear.

Tatsumaki's power swirled tighter, but she steadied herself.

Caspian continued. "Their primary goal: 'To overwrite free will, replace world leaders with psychic puppets, and create the perfect Esper.'

Not surprising. But their origins were, to at least a small degree.

They were once a rogue band of eleven criminal Espers, known as 'The Eleven'; the group since then developed into a far more dangerous organization after merging with the radical faction known as the 'Invisible Hand.' Becoming who they are today: the 'Tsukuyomi.' Their leader, Otento, is right there; well, I'm sure you recognized him straight away."

Who wouldn't recognize the leader? He was a towering figure in a black tailored suit, face obscured by a featureless white mask. His presence alone warped the air like a heat haze.

"The 'Invisible Hand' had also attacked your sister back in high school. Just to remind you. So, really, their deeper goal was to harm Fubuki."

"Caspian!" she snapped.

"Yes?"

"You think doing this will win me back?"

"I never believed I lost you."

"Arrogant."

He smiled faintly and summoned another gate.

"Ah! Huh? Caspian? Big sis?"

Fubuki blinked into view, suspended midair. Tatsumaki reacted on instinct, surrounding her sister in her aura to hold her aloft.

"I'll return in one hour," Caspian said, glancing between his favorite pair of sisters. "You two should end their existences together."

He fell through a gate before the sound waves reached them.

¤ ¤ ¤

Garou drifted in and out of consciousness, his body teetering on the brink after the relentless clash with Flashy Flash and Metal Bat. Death's door had stood before him more times than he could count.

In one blink, he was locked in battle; fists flying, blades flashing. In the next, he stood barefoot on the polished wood of his old dojo, face-to-face with his former master. Reality blurred, memory tangled with pain.

That's when the wake-up call came.

"'Atomic Slash.'"

Garou's instincts snapped to life. His body flickered. Allowing him to evade all but one slash: the final arc that carved clean through the armored shell over his left eye.

In that instant, he realized he'd transformed.

His skin now hardened into living armor, his hair stiffened into jagged spikes. Luminous red veins pulsed beneath the surface. His fingers had become clawed. Along his back, circular luminous holes appeared. Shredded scraps of clothing hung from his frame, forming a crude cape that swayed behind him like the banner of a rising monster.

"I'm awake."

The words barely left his lips before he flickered forward. His fist met Metal Bat's chest in the next breath.

Metal Bat couldn't react and flew off, shooting through buildings, vanishing into the distance with a sonic boom.

Garou stood tall, eye burning, radiating boundless strength. He then turned to the stunned Flashy Flash and Atomic Samurai.

"After I hunt you two, it'll be time to claim the debt owed to me in Z-City Ghost Town."