Well, that was a fun chapter to write. I hope you guys enjoy it. I also want to say I know talking in space is impossible, but I'm gonna just say go with it. I looked into it and sometimes writers let Superman talk in space. Other times they say he can't and need to hold his breath. So it's kinda a mixed bag and I wanted to give some depth to one of the villains in this chapter. I don't own anything and feel free to review. The next chapter should come out next week. I'll be done with finals then
A man held up a woman and proclaimed "That's right. Scream for one of your mighty heroes to come to save you". The woman struggled while the man in the costume continued to hold her in his vice grip. She squirmed as he remained normal. The woman had wings on her back as she continued to squirm. The man smiled and squeezed tighter. Some of the people around the police started to talk. One of them said, "Man I wonder which pro hero is going to try and stop this loser of a villain".
Another person responded, "Yeah such an Amature. This guy just decided to pull the common villain trope and grab a villain. He must be a low-tier villain".
A police officer turned and said, "No. That is Reverse, a big-name villain. I'm sure one of the top heroes will be here soon". Not long after he said that a faint whooshing noise came from the atmosphere. Neutron placed the woman onto the ground and reassured her.
He said, "Don't worry. Everything is going to be alright".
Neutron then blitzed forward and slammed a fist into Reverse. Reverse smirked and said, "Absorb and Release". Neutron was then slammed back through a building. His body created a massive hole in the skyscraper and he continued to fly through the sky. He continued to flip through the air and eventually stopped. Neutron quickly shook his head and said to himself "Damn. I always hated these types. I just need to find his limit".
He then shot back forward through the hole he created. He slammed a fist on the ground and it started to shake. He looked over to the police and said "Evacuate the people. This is going to get messy and have plenty of collateral damage". He then scooped up the concrete and watched as the people left. A helicopter flew over the battlefield and was no doubt video recording it. Steve took the concrete and chucked it at Reverse.
Reverse called out his quirk name again and air shot back at him. He grunted as he took the force head-on. Reverse then continued with his cocky smile and rushed forward. Steve took a punch head-on and then Reverse used his quirk to reverse each of his attacks and reapply each punch tenfold to Neutron's steel skin. Neutron's jaw cranked to the side and his head whipped back. He rolled his neck and said, "That's gonna hurt in the morning. Let's see how you take this".
Steve then punched faster than Reverse could get out a word and forced him to tumble through the streets. Neutron quickly followed him and caught the guy by the edge of his cape. Neutron sighed and said, "Don't you know the only people who have capes are the ones that are fast enough and strong enough to not worry about them". Reverse groggily shook his head and muttered something. Neutron looked down and whispered under his breath something no one could hear. He was then launched straight into the upper atmosphere and winced when he felt the punch. He righted himself and took a look at the rotating upper blue atmosphere. It certainly was one of the prettiest sights he had seen in a while. He then regained his breathing after receiving one of his punches multiplied back at him. He rolled his neck and shot back down towards the city. He landed and the ground shook. He shot back towards Reverse and just before punching him he grabbed a hold of Reverse and said "Best Jeanist now would be a good time".
Best Jeanist sprung his trap and locked Reverse in a variation of fabrics. Neutron let go of his grip and sighed in relief. He briefly touched his face and winced when he touched the mark. He had always had a problem when he got into a fight holding back and he may have put a bit more into that punch than was normal. He looked over at Best Jeanist and gave him an award-winning smile. Best Jeanist just bobbed his head and put Reverse into the cop car. Neutron walked up to him and asked "You've got this handled from here"?
Best Jeanist just nodded and said, "We should be wrapping everything up now. I'll handle the paperwork". Neutron gave him another award-winning smile and started to float.
He said, "You know how I feel about the media and besides I have a place to be". Neutron then began to float farther up into the sky as reporters started to crowd and ask to get an interview. He just waved them off and smiled a disarming smile. He then shot off into the sky and many of the interviewers looked unhappy.
Best Jeanist sighed under his breath and said "Of course you have somewhere to be. You always have somewhere to be if there is paperwork involved". He then watched as the hoard of media turned to him and put on his public appearance.
Rumi slammed a kick down on some common villain and she groaned. These street villains were so boring. They had no real experience. Rumi thought that this hero gig was going to be way more fun, but apparently, only the top heroes got to fight the real hard hitters. Rumi grabbed a hold of one of the villains that had a laser on his arm and picked him up. She looked over to the lizard monster and was about to grab him when she saw a shadow floating over her.
She said, "You're late for patrol". She looked up to see that Neutron was floating just above her. He rubbed his head and had a goofy smile on his face.
He said, "I got caught up in a fight. The guy apparently could reverse any damage he took. He was pretty annoying". Rumi just flicked her hair and picked up the other guy. She didn't like being stood up for a patrol. Neutron floated next to her and sighed.
He eventually said "What's the cost"? Rumi seemed to think about it and eventually said, "You know the cost".
Neutron held up a finger and said "Uh could we do one buffet. I don't think my wallet can handle more than one buffet". Rumi shook her head and Neutron looked at her baffled. He wasn't a millionaire and this girl could eat an arm and a leg. Rumi then started to ignore him again and continued to walk. Neutron eventually sighed and said "Fine. We can go to that Blind Man Bistro".
Rumi's mouth began to water at the thought of the food and Neutron sighed in relief. The best way to earn her forgiveness was through her stomach. One of the villains took a crowbar and slammed it against Neutron's head. He sighed when it bent and held up his arm to smash into the lizard, knocking him out. Rumi looked unimpressed and the two dragged the villains to the police.
It was an uneventful patrol night and the two heroes ended up on a rooftop. Rumi was swinging her legs over the side of the building and Steve was floating next to her. He was tense while she was relaxed. She looked over at him and said "Relax Steve. Nothing is going to happen". Steve remained tense and just continued to look at her.
Rumi groaned and said, "How long have I known you? Don't you ever stop and relax Steve. You are always so tense".
Steve sighed and forced his body to relax. He eventually said, "I don't worry".
Rumi laughed and laid back and kicked her feet up. Steve tensed and gave her a wry smile. Rumi just quirked an eyebrow and Steve sighed. He eventually said, "I guess I may be a bit of a worrier".
Rumi sarcastically asked, "A bit? Like I said, you need to live a little and worry less. What you need is a vacation".
Steve groaned and said, "It's not that easy Rumi". Rumi looked at him with a blank stare and rolled her eyes. She eventually said, "You could fly to a beach and take a vacation or visit the peak of Mount Everest. Relaxing should be the easiest thing for you".
Steve just hung his head and asked "And what happens when I hear someone calling out for help? Or what if a plane is falling out of the sky? Should I just let it crash? How about you Rumi? I've memorized your heartbeat and breathing. I can tell when you are angry or sad just by the spike in your heartbeat or the hitch in your breathing. I try to zone it out most of the time, but I can't when I get nervous".
Rumi looked at him for a moment and laughed "I guess you can't fight anyone who can mess with your senses or you would lose". Steve gave her a lopsided smile and quickly stood up from his spot. He was sitting in the air.
He eventually said, "Well I don't know about you Rumi, but I am starving from a hard day's work. Let's head over to that buffet". Rumi gave him a fanged smile and quickly stood up.
She jumped down onto the next building and said "Last one there has to make the next dinner". Steve just looked at her with a deadpan face. It seemed like this was a lose-lose situation. Rumi sucked at cooking. He watched her hop from building to building for a few moments. He then began to stretch out. If he was going to beat her, he at least needed to make it interesting. He counted down in his head and a childish smile made its way onto his face. He seldom flew just for fun. He did a barrel roll in the sky and flew next to her as she continued to hop from roof to roof.
He called out "You know if you wanted to lose so badly you could have just told me".
Rumi continued as Steve flew next to her. She then said, "You know this must be one of the most exciting dates I've had in a long time". Steve looked at her flabbergasted and Rumi used this to get to the buffet first. Steve sighed and landed next to her. Rumi was cheering in front of the buffet and Steve just sighed. The two went into the restaurant and Rumi made her way to the buffet and grabbed a load of different foods. She took her seat next to Steve and looked at his plate. He had a pizza on his plate and was eating a slice. Rumi started to wolf down her food and Steve just watched her. Some people were giving her odd looks not like she cared, but Steve was just amused.
Then a news broadcast broke out on the television. A new reporter called out "This just in a new supervillain has just entered the fray and he has taken out the pro-hero Endeavor and Yoroi Musha. When will All Might and Neutron come and enter the battle". The film then panned out to a figure flying over the city that was causing destruction. Rumi had paused eating her meal and looked at Steve.
He gave her a sigh and said "I'm sorry Rumi. I'm gonna have to take a rain check on the rest of the meal. How about you come over to my place tomorrow and I will cook us something"?
Rumi nodded her head and started to eat her food again. She said in between bites of food "I'll see you tomorrow then. Go kick his ass". Steve quickly stood up and left the restaurant. He then quickly changed into his uniform and shot off into the sky in the direction of the new villain.
He zoomed through the sky and cocked a fist back. If a villain could take out Endeavor then he would need to be ready to fight this villain at full force. His fist collided with the villain who was continuing to monologue. The villain went flying through a few buildings and created a massive hole in one of the buildings. It was a few moments and then the villain came shooting back through the sky and he said: "At last the true protector of the planet has come. Let me show you the power of the Nellite Empire". His fist then connected and sent Neutron flying into the sky. The villain then shot off towards Neutron. Neutron came flying back and the two denizens of strength clashed. Their fists connected and air ruptured from the impact. Neutron then took the villain by the collar and threw him out of the city.
The villain shot through the air and collided with the mountain. A crater formed in the mountain and Neutron landed where the villain was supposed to be. Except he wasn't and now he was floating behind Neutron. The villain slammed his fist against Neutron and sent him into the mountain. The villain continued to slam fist after fist into him. Each hit shook the mountain and the crater started to grow. Punch after punch blood started to pool at Neutron's mouth. Another punch came careening down and it was caught by Neutron. He was smiling. He slammed a fist into the villain and the force was enough to make the mountain shake.
The villain said, "This is the test I wanted. I am Gor of the Nellite Empire. Now fight me at your full strength". Neutron just started to let out a raspy chuckle. He then blitzed forward and slammed his fist against Gor's face. Gor sneered and then slammed his fist back into Neutron's stomach. Neutron curled over and then he delivered a right hook across Gor's face. It connected and sent Gor careening back into the mountain.
Gor shot out of the rubble and slammed back into Neutron. They continued to rise in the atmosphere and punch each other. Soon they were in the upper atmosphere and still slamming fists against each other. Gor then delivered an uppercut and it sent Neutron up into space. Neutron continued to fly towards the moon and continued to get shattered with punches. Neutron impacted the moon and created a crater. Gor slammed down and rushed towards Neutron with a fist. Neutron slowly stood up and wiped away some of his blood.
He asked, "Is that all you got"?
Gor responded by slugging him again in the face. Neutron slammed into a crater and slowly wiped himself off. He winced as he slowly stood up and brushed himself off. He then proceeded to cough up blood when he saw that Gor had his hand through his stomach. Neutron looked shocked as nothing had been able to penetrate his skin before without kryptonite. He then slumped over and coughed up some blood.
Gor walked away and said "Well it looks like you weren't enough. It's a shame you had to die, but don't worry the conquest of this planet of monkeys will be nothing to me. I will have them kneeling before me. Perhaps they would be good cattle for my kin".
He then began to beat down on Neutron and continued to rant about his power above him. With each hit into the surface of the moon, Steve got a glimpse of his father. It was so real. Almost like he could hug him. He was sitting out looking at the old farm. Steve watched as he looked on at his younger self. The two were having a conversation. Steve heard his father respond to his younger self.
Dad said "Son one day you are going to become the best hero there ever is. I have no doubt you will outshine me and any other hero there is, but being the best isn't always amazing. I'm just as afraid as you Steve. I know one day you are going to have to face fear, risk, and failure because that is what will make you great".
Younger Steve looked at his dad and the older Steve and younger Steve said together "Dad, How do you know I can do it? All this struggle and strife, how do you know that I can face it without you"?
Superman smiled and looked out at the sun. He said, "That is something I can't figure out for you Steve. You need to look deep to find it".
Steve looked up with blood dripping from his face and saw Gor walking away. He shakily stood up and said, "I won't let you".
Gor laughed and responded, "Look at you. You won't let me. You can barely stand up straight". Neutron then stood up and slowly got into a fighting stance. He braced himself for the attack and waited.
Gor rushed forward and tried to slam his fist into Steve. Steve parried the punch and delivered a splintering blow to Gor's midsection. Gor started to lose steam as Neutron continued to grow in strength from the constant exposure to the sun. Gor made a mad rush and grabbed a hold of Neutron; he landed a punch that sent the two closer to the sun. Steve smiled at this and felt the warmth of the yellow star. Gor aimed another punch at his face and he caught it in his grip. The two struggled for a moment and Neutron broke the lock. He then grabbed a hold of Gor and flew him directly towards the sun. Gor screamed from the heat and said "you will kill the both of us you fool".
Neutron responded, "I am nothing like you and I won't let you enslave the earth". He then increased his speed and flew closer and closer to the sun. Gor screamed, "Stop this in the name of the Nellite Empire. If you kill me they will come for your pitiful planet and they will burn it to the ground".
Neutron held him up near the sun now and asked "What is the Nellite Empire"?
Gor scoffed and said, "An empire that rules more planets than you could even imagine. We are the true rulers of this universe and none can stop us. Perhaps someone had a bastard son from the empire".
Neutron scoffed and said, "I am a Kryptonian. I refused to be a part of something like that". He then began to move forward again towards the sun and ignored the screams of protest from Gor.
Gor bit out "They will come and conquer your little world".
Neutron's eyes blazed red and he shot them directly at Gor. He then slammed Gor into the surface of the sun and held Gor in the flames as he burned away. When Gor was nothing more than dust Neutron looked at his hands and thought to himself "Let them come. I will protect Earth to my dying breath".
Neutron sighed and looked at the large fist-shaped hole in his suit. He would need to get that fixed. He floated just outside the sun's surface and absorbed the UV radiation. It was nice in space, quiet even. It looked like there was more to this universe than first met the eye. An empire of conquerors. He would need to up his training. He just hoped his being on Earth wouldn't lead to constant alien invasions. It had happened with Dad. Because Superman was there other galactic empires had decided humans were a developed enough race and started to attack the planet.
He stayed there for a few moments and then shot off back towards Earth. He landed with a cracking sound and the ground shook slightly. He quickly changed and made his way back into the buffet that Rumi had been eating at. He noticed his spot had been taken by a large man with white hair. Rumi was ignoring him and scarfing down food. Steve walked back over to them and said "Sorry about that Rumi. That call took longer than I thought it would".
Rumi raised an eyebrow and was about to say something when the television turned on. It was a newscast that showed Neutron and Gor slugging it out until the camera couldn't follow them any longer. The man next to Rumi grunted and said "I've always hated Neutron. He always comes in and acts like he is better than us. It just gets on my nerves".
Steve was about to respond when Rumi beat him to the punch. She said, "Shove off Vlad King. If you could fly and be invulnerable you would do the same thing". Vlad grunted and continued to sip on his beer. Steve just smiled awkwardly at the man. He coughed and Vlad turned to look at him.
He asked Rumi "This is your boyfriend or something Rumi? I always wondered where you went after patrols". Rumi just shook her head. She then continued to eat some more food.
She said, "He promised to pay for dinner and I accepted an adoring fan". Steve just rolled his eyes and didn't fall for the bait. Vlad grunted and got up from the seat. He took his beer and left the two to talk.
Once he left Rumi asked, "So how was the fight? He seemed pretty strong if he could take down Endeavor". Steve discretely showed the hole in his suit under his civilian clothes. Rumi's eyes seemed to bulge at that. She hadn't seen that much damage done to his suit before.
She asked, "Where did the two of you go? Anyone that could cause that much damage to you must have torn through a few mountains". Steve just shrugged and grabbed his slice of pizza. He demolished it. He was famished from the fight.
He said after he finished "We duked it out in a mountain range and space".
Rumi held up her hand and said "Wait, you are going to need to go back there and explain that last bit. You went to space"?
Steve shrugged and said, "Yeah. I have gone into space plenty of times. I go there whenever I want to get away from the world for a while".
Rumi smirked and said, "Oh come on you did that one on purpose".
Steve asked, "I have no clue what you are talking about".
Rumi pointed at him and stuck out her tongue. She eventually asked "Why did you never tell me you could go to space. How do you even breathe up there"?
Steve picked up another piece of pizza and shrugged. He said, "My dad said it was in our DNA and that the sun gives us energy so we don't need air in space. I'm not sure really".
Rumi pointed at him and said, "You need to take me up there. I will be the first rabbit in space". Steve only nodded and said, "If you can get a real space helmet and suit then I will but until then no space flights". Rumi stuck out her tongue and gave Steve a thumbs down.
A silence filled the air as the two ate and enjoyed each other's company. Steve asked, "Who was the guy"? Rumi looked over at Vlad and rolled her eyes.
She said "That's Vlad King. One of the pro heroes that went on the first few of my patrols. Why are you jealous"?
Steve just rubbed the back of his head and said "No. He seemed like an interesting guy. I've met a few people who don't like Neutron, but not a lot of them are pro heroes. I think I piss off businessmen and construction workers way more".
Rumi laughed and said, "No wonder they don't like you. You destroy blocks of cities when you save the day. You have no real tact when a life is on the line".
Steve gave her a half-lidded glare and accused "Like you are one to talk. Rumi you destroyed a whole building when you kicked a villain into it tonight". Rumi shrugged and then pointed out "Yeah, but I did it once. You do it every time you fight a villain".
Steve held up his hands and said desperately "It's not my fault I fight the stronger villains".
Rumi narrowed her eyes and said, "That lizard guy was dangerous". Steve nodded and proceeded to shut up. He knew Rumi would argue with him till the end of the night about this. Soon the bill came and Steve sighed when he saw how much it was going to cost him. He paid the bill and walked Rumi home. He said his goodbye and made his way towards Endeavors house. It was time that Neutron got some answers. He shot off into the sky and landed with a boom in front of the Todoroki estate. Neutron folded his arms and waited for Endeavor to come out. To say the two had a strained relationship would be severely understating it. Endeavor came to the front gate with one of his arms in a sling and a snarl on his face. He was an imposing man that demanded respect.
Endeavor asked, "Why have you come Neutron? I thought you would be gloating and celebrating from your last victory".
Neutron sighed and pointed at the hole in his chest. He said, "I came for information Endeavor".
Endeavor leaned against the gate and grunted out "I don't see why I should help my competition".
Neutron just shook his head and pointed at the hole in his costume. He said, "This doesn't happen with normal villains Endeavor. I need as much information as you can give me. The villain didn't talk much when we were clobbering each other".
Endeavor looked down at the torn-up costume of Neutron and grunted. He walked back into the estate and motioned for Neutron to follow. The two were sitting at a table with hot tea between them. Neutron looked around and silently sipped on his tea as Endeavor regaled him with his story. He said "It was a normal patrol when we got the call. People thought it was an earthquake that shook the city. The pro heroes were on the scene in no time and it became obvious it wasn't an earthquake. A man stood in the middle of the city ranting about how we would all serve under him and his empire. I hit him with one of Jet Burn and he almost completely shrugged it off. It was embarrassing". Endeavor seethed. His fists began to light up in flames.
Neutron held up a hand and said "Relax Endeavor. He was on another level and nearly killed me".
Endeavor's scowl only deepened at that. He accused "Exactly. My goal is to beat both All Might and you, Neutron. If you could beat him then I need to grow stronger and push past a loser like that". Neutron just shook his head at Endeavor's reaction.
Neutron sighed and looked to make sure no one was around. He then leaned forward and said, "I'm glad you want to get stronger Endeavor. You will need it for what is coming. More people like that are coming to Earth and I'm not sure who will be able to help".
Endeavor's grim expression turned into a smile. He said, "Well, let them come. I will show them what the hero Endeavor can do". Neutron nodded and turned when he saw a small child enter the kitchen. He was holding a small teddy bear. The small child had a mixture of red and white hair. A burn scar ran across his left eye and he was staring wide-eyed at the two heroes in the kitchen.
Endeavor looked down at his son and commanded him "Shoto, go back to sleep. You have training in the morning tomorrow. I expect the best from you". Neutron rose from his chair and looked at the boy that was staring at his father and the Symbol of Hope.
He said, "I was just about to leave Endeavor. Thank you for the tea and the chat. It was very informative". He then turned to the half-awake boy and crouched down in front of him and smiled. He winced a little at his still sore abdomen.
He said, "Now if you want to grow big and strong like your dad you need to get your rest little one". Shoto just remained silent as he watched Steve. Steve groaned why were all ten-year-olds he met so moody.
Steve crouched down and asked the kid "What's your name"?
The small red and white-haired boy responded in a sleepy voice "Shoto".
Steve ruffled his hair and asked, "What is your goal Shoto"?
Shoto said, "I am going to be the number one hero and I will only do it with my ice powers".
Steve looked the boy up and down and reevaluated him. He could do it if he had his father and mother's quirk, but why only use ice. Steve heard endeavor getting up from his chair and he said, "Well, I will make sure no one takes the spot from All Might until you come and take it. You've got my attention now Shoto so I expect you to step up to that". He then ruffled the kids' hair again and stood up.
Steve turned to Endeavor and said, "Thank you for the tea and the talk Endeavor. I will keep you updated if anything happens in the future". Steve then exited the house and started to float in the sky.
Endeavor called out before Neutron could leave "Why did you come to me? Why not go to All Might and tell him about this. He is the Number One hero after all"?
Neutron turned and was silhouetted by the moon. He curled his fist and his cape flapped in the wind. He said "All Might has to make sure society doesn't crumble and continue to fight the good fight against all villains. He is the Symbol of Peace. He doesn't need even more problems on his plate. You and I will be able to handle this Endeavor. Train harder and make sure the future generation outshines all of us". Neutron then took off into the sky. He would check on Nana in the morning, but he had training he needed to pick up on. He had become too complacent in a world where very few villains could hurt him. He landed in front of a smaller building. The sign read open twenty-four seven just bang on the door. Steve hesitantly rapped on the door and a grouchy figure yelled.
The door opened and a smaller muscular woman with pink hair looked up at Steve. She grunted and said, "What do you want made? Come on now speak up".
Steve looked down at the woman baffled and asked "Is this a hero equipment shop"?
The woman smiled and stuck her thumb up. She smiled and said "Yep I'm Samus Hatsume, but call me Sam for short. Now, what can I do for you"?
Steve smiled and said, "I need you to build me some training equipment".
Alright, the chapter just got done. Feel free to review.