Vigilante Duo

Daily Meme

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The kiss hadn't even faded from my lips when an explosion rocked the street nearby. I turned, eyes narrowing at the smoke rising over the rooftops. Toga perked up like a cat spotting a mouse.

"Ooooh~! That sounded fun," she said, bouncing on her heels. "Should we check it out?"

I exhaled. "Yeah."

The closer we got, the louder the chaos became… shouting, splashing, sirens still distant. When we turned the corner, it became obvious why. A group of masked assholes were riding on a wave of carbonated water, tearing through the street, snatching anything that wasn't nailed down.

"Seriously?" I muttered. "Fizz-powered robbery? Is this the Power Rangers' leftover stunt team?"

One of them launched himself into a jewelry store, his gauntlets hissing as he blasted another stream of pressurized water to break the glass. Pedestrians scrambled out of the way as another wave crashed against the pavement, soaking everything.

The carbonated waves crashed through the streets, sending civilians scrambling as the gang looted whatever they could get their hands on. It was a shitshow. No heroes in sight, just a bunch of thieves riding water like discount surfers.

I turned to Toga. "You go. I need to stop them."

She gripped my wrist. "You cannot fight them alone."

"Nothing I can do," I said, scanning the chaos. "Too many civilians, no heroes."

She tilted her head. "How about I help you?"

I shot her a look. "Do you want to destroy my fucking career?"

She pouted. "I just want to help."

I rubbed my nose, debating whether I was really about to let this happen. "…Fine." I reached into my jacket, pulled out two masks, and tossed her one. "Put this on. Pick a face that isn't yours."

She held it up. "Can it be yours?"

"No."

"Aw, but…"

"No one we know."

She sighed dramatically but slipped it on. I put mine on too, morphing into the same blonde-haired vigilante from Hosu. No bat, no signature moves. Just a random face in the crowd and a dull sword.

Toga giggled. "This is exciting."

"Just don't stab anyone."

"I will try."

We moved in.

The leader of the Seltzer Riders spotted us first, standing on his stolen goods like a jackass with a superiority complex. He scoffed. "Oh, great. Wannabe heroes."

Toga's voice was pitched lower, playing into her role. "You are stealing things that aren't yours."

He laughed. "No shit. That is the definition of stealing, lady."

She sighed. "Why do they always admit it?"

I stepped forward. "You are gonna return all of it."

His gauntlets hissed as he primed them. "We worked for a whole month planning this. Ain't backing down because some freaks wanna play hero."

The others with him started shifting, ready to move. They weren't looking for a fight. They wanted to run.

Toga tensed, watching them closely. "They are running."

"Not happening." I cut across the street, planting myself in their escape path. The first idiot to charge caught a fist to the jaw and crumpled. The second swung a pipe. I dodged and slammed my elbow into his ribs, sending him sprawling.

The leader grit his teeth. "Fine. You wanna play?"

His gauntlets hissed louder before he fired a blast of carbonated water at me. I dodged, but he adjusted mid-shot, cutting me off with another.

Toga lunged at him, flipping over one of the knocked-out goons. He fired a concentrated jet of water, forcing her back.

"Tch," she muttered. "Annoying."

The streams kept her at bay, but she wasn't slowing down. Every time he tried to corner her, she was already moving, slipping past like a shadow.

While she kept him busy, I noticed movement at the edge of my vision. A woman, too busy filming, wasn't paying attention to the light post swaying from one of the stray shots.

Fuck.

I sprinted.

The post snapped, tilting right toward her.

I tackled her out of the way just as it crashed down, shaking the pavement.

Toga landed next to me a second later, boot slamming into the pole, knocking it further away.

I pushed myself up, shooting her a look. "You would make a great hero."

Toga snorted. "Ew, don't say shit like that. It makes my stomach hurt."

"Yeah?" I dusted off my jacket. "Try eating actual food instead of drinking blood."

She just grinned. "Boring."

The woman I tackled scrambled up, clutching her phone like it was her lifeline. "Holy crap! That… that thing almost-" She looked between me and Toga, eyes flicking to our face and then to her phone. Her mouth opened, probably about to ask the dumbass question of the century.

I cut her off. "Get lost."

She blinked, hesitated, then nodded fast before bolting down the street.

The last thief standing, the leader, flexed his gauntlets, steam hissing from the vents. "Who the fuck are you two supposed to be?"

"Don't worry about it," I said, rolling my shoulders.

Toga giggled, twirling a knife between her fingers. "We are the fun police, and you are no fun!"

The guy clicked his tongue and fired another blast. I sidestepped, the water cutting through the pavement where I stood. The force was stronger this time, but not by much.

"Think you can keep that up?" I asked. "How much fizz you got left in the tank?"

The leader sneered. "Enough to wash you two off the damn map."

Toga lunged. He fired another shot, but she twisted around it, her blade scraping against the gauntlet. Sparks flew. He staggered back, cursing.

"Almost gotcha~," she taunted.

The guy didn't respond. Instead, he raised his gauntlets again, but before he could fire, I closed the gap. One punch to the ribs. His breath hitched, body folding slightly from the impact. Sword to his wrist. The gauntlet sparked, one of the valves popping open with a hiss.

Toga kicked him in the chest, sending him stumbling. "Whoopsie!"

He coughed, trying to steady himself. "Fucking-!"

I grabbed his wrist, twisted, and slammed him face-first into the concrete.

Toga clapped. "Yay, police brutality!"

The rest of his crew was already down. Some were groaning, others fully unconscious.

I straightened. "Alright, let's wrap this up before-"

Sirens.

"-that happens," I muttered.

Toga pouted. "Aww, we never get to have real fun."

A figure in a hero costume slid onto the scene, literally.

Slidin' Go.

He slowed to a stop, scanning the situation. His eyes landed on the pile of thieves, then us.

"You two did all this?"

Toga stretched. "Maybe~."

Slidin' Go crossed his arms. "You know vigilantism is illegal, right?"

I shrugged. "So is robbery. Focus on them."

He stared for a moment, then sighed. "Guess you saved me some trouble."

Toga grinned. "That means we get a prize, right?"

"No."

She huffed. "Boring."

Slidin' Go walked toward the unconscious thieves, checking their gear. His hand brushed over the leader's gauntlets, but they were… blasted. He frowned, patting the guy down.

I didn't say anything.

He muttered something under his breath, then straightened. "Probably some cheap black-market junk."

Toga giggled. "Yup! Definitely nothing suspicious at all."

Slidin' Go shot us another look. "You two should clear out before more heroes show up."

I nodded. "On it."

Toga skipped ahead, turning back just enough to wink. "Bye-bye, hero man~!"

We disappeared into the alley before he could say anything else.

Toga practically bounced on her toes as we turned into the alley, her energy cranked up like someone had injected caffeine directly into her veins. "That was so cool!" she gushed, throwing her arms around my neck before I could react. "So awesome!" Then she started kissing me, fast and greedy, like she was trying to make up for every second she hadn't been attached to my face.

I let her have a few before pushing her off, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. "Alright, calm the fuck down."

She grinned, completely ignoring me, grabbing my jacket like she was about to shake me. "I never knew hero work would be so fun! You can kick people legally! And no one even cares!" She twirled away, still holding onto my sleeve, practically dragging me with her. "Oh my god, can we do that again? We should do that again! We should do that every night!"

"Yeah, let's not."

She spun back around, locking eyes with me. "Can I keep the mask?" She blinked up at me, voice already slipping into that whiny, drawn-out plea. "Please, Ryuu, pleaseeeee! Please, Ryuu, Ryuu, Ryuu!" She tugged at my hand. "Come on, I look so cute in it, right?"

"You looked like a goddamn gremlin."

She gasped, clutching her chest like I had just stabbed her. "How could you say that to me?"

I reached up and yanked the mask off her face. "Like this."

She pouted, crossing her arms. "You are mean."

I sighed. "You can already turn into anyone you want. Why do you need the mask?"

Toga pouted. "Those are real people. With a mask, I can turn into someone no one knows."

I stared at her, then reached out and patted her head. "Fine."

Her fingers curled around the edges of the mask, holding onto it like it was something fragile. She wasn't grinning now. No teasing, no biting remarks. Just quiet.

I knew why she wanted it. She never talked about it much, but that first date… if you could even call it that, was the only time she let something slip. She told me how her parents looked at her like she was broken, how they tried to shove her into the mold of a perfect little girl, and when she didn't fit, they threw her out like trash.

Even now, when she took someone's blood and transformed, she wasn't really her. She was always borrowing someone else's identity. Maybe she wanted the mask because it gave her something she never had… a face that belonged only to her, a face that didn't scare people off.

She turned the mask over in her hands. "I like it."

"Yeah, well, don't go committing crimes with it," I muttered. "Or I will take it back."

She snickered, slipping it into her pocket. "What if I commit crimes for you?"

I flicked her forehead. "You already do enough."

Toga giggled, rubbing the spot like it actually hurt. "You are so rough with me, Ryuu~ What if I bruise?"

"Good," I said, walking off. "Remind you to stop being a pain in my ass."

She trotted after me, swinging her arms. "So mean! But that is what makes you so fun~!"

I ignored her, but she kept grinning, like just existing next to me was enough entertainment for her. Maybe it was. I didn't get her, not completely, but I understood that much… she wanted to be close to someone who didn't treat her like a freak or an enemy. She wanted to be seen.

Didn't mean I was gonna make it easy for her.

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Narrator (gritty voice): They seemed normal.

A quiet reader. No signs of malice.

But deep inside, they were hiding a secret…

…they never voted.

Cut to neighbors:

We had no idea. They seemed so supportive.

Always online. Never left a trace.

The camera pans to Ryuu's empty Power Stone rankings.

Eerie piano music plays.

We never thought they would be capable of this.

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