Disclaimer: I do not own Hareluya II Boy or DC Comics. This story is a work of fanfiction. No profit is being made from it.
Hibino Hareluya yawned as he and Mokoto Ichijou left the class. "Finally, it's over. That was boring."
"Every class is boring to you" Ichijou said.
Hibino started to say something but stopped. His dour face brightened as he saw Yamana Michiru walking towards them. "Yoh Yamana" he called.
"Yoh" she replied. She smiled but then her expression turned more serious. "Have you guys heard? Two members of the soccer team, Kazuya and Fuuma, are off sick."
"That's bad. Those guys are the team's star players" said Ichijou. "Tomorrow they're playing Sengoku High to qualify for the championship."
Hibino leaned back against the wall. "Meh, not Ore-sama's problem."
"Hibino! Where's your school spirit?" Michiru rebuked him.
He shrugged casually. Just then a nervous voice called, "um excuse me?"
They looked over to see Tadashi Tokoroi, the soccer team manager. He twiddled his thumbs awkwardly as he said, "I'm sorry to bother you Hibino-san, Ichijou-san, but um, I have a favour to ask."
"Let Ore-sama guess. You want Ore-sama and the closet pervert to fill in for tomorrow's game."
"Um, yes, that's right."
"I'll play" said Ichijou.
Hibino snorted. "Pass. Ore-sama has better things to do than run around a field chasing a ball."
"Come on Hibino," said Michiru. "You're the boss of this school. If the soccer team wins it'll make you look good."
"Hmm, true. It wouldn't be right for Ore-sama's school to look bad" he agreed. "Very well, Ore-sama will win the game and save the day."
"Thank you all very much," said Todoroki. He hurried off, looking relieved to be going.
"Well, I'd better go and get some practice" said Ichijou. "How about you Hibino?"
"Ha! Ore-sama doesn't need to practice" he boasted.
"I'm sure you'll both play a great game," said Michiru.
"Of course," Hibino replied.
The next day a large crowd of students had gathered on the field to watch the game. Eager murmurs filled the air. Everyone was looking forwards to the match.
"What do you think Michiru?" asked Rui Nohara. "Can we win without Kazuya-san and Fuuma-san?"
"We'll be fine. As long as Hibino behaves himself and remembers he's part of a team" she replied.
On the pitch Ichijou was thinking the same thing. "Now remember Hibino, this is a soccer game, not a street fight" he said. "These guys are just a regular team. No fouls or dirty tricks."
"Fine" Hibino replied dismissively.
"And no stealing the ball from your own teammates so you can have the spotlight."
"Will you calm down? Ore-sama knows what he's doing."
The whistle blew and the game began. The crowd watched in excitement as the ball flew back and forth, possession constantly switching from one team to the other. Then without warning one of the players suddenly collapsed.
"What's this? It looks like Rakeun High's Fudo Akio has fainted," said a commentator.
Ichijou hurried over and helped Fudo up. To his surprise the other boy was pale and trembling.
"I'll get you to the nurse" said Ichijou as he and some other players helped Fudo to the bench.
"No, it's fine" he said frantically. "I, I just need a little rest."
Ichijou frowned but nodded. "All right."
"Thanks."
The game resumed. With all eyes on the pitch, nobody noticed as Fudo discreetly took a small yellow-green pill out of his pocket and gulped it down. At once his trembling ceased and a blissful look came over his face.
Nobody noticed except Michiru. She frowned darkly.
A little while later another Rakeun player was benched with a twisted ankle. Fudo immediately volunteered to take over.
"Are you sure?" Ichijou asked. "You seemed…"
"I'm fine!" he snapped, his face contorting with anger. Without another word he stormed back onto the pitch. Ichijou and the other players exchanged puzzled looks.
For a while the game went on as normal. Then one of the Sengoku players tackled Fudo. With an enraged roar he leaped onto the opposing player and began repeatedly punching him in the face.
The audience gasped in horror. The ref blew his whistle in alarm but Fudo ignored him. Players from both sides managed to pull him away but he responded by screaming and throwing punches around wildly, knocking them to the ground as if they were insects.
Then Hibino kicked the ball with all his might, blasting it through the air and hitting the crazed Fudo right in the face. He was out cold before he hit the grass.
In light of what had happened the game was postponed. The students all left, talking in low murmurs about what they had seen.
"What was that about?" Ichijou wondered. "He's never gotten violent before."
"I think I know," said Michiru. "I saw Fudo-san take a small pill. As soon as he took it, he stopped shaking and he smiled like all his worries were gone."
"That sounds like some kind of drug" said Ichijou. "It made him very aggressive and very strong."
"Not as strong as Ore-sama" Hibino said smugly.
"Hibino, this is serious" Michiru chided. "What if more students start taking that drug? It would be like what happened with Zen all over again."
Hibino's smug look disappeared. "You mean when the okonomiyaki restaurant was vandalized?"
"That's it."
His face hardened with determination. "Ore-sama will not let that happen again. We will follow Fudo to his suppliers, then follow them to where the drug is being made and put a stop to it!"
Fudo parked his motorbike at a corner and looked around nervously. The area seemed to be deserted but he couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching him. He checked his watch anxiously.
Where are they? I made it on time. Maybe they decided not to come today. No, they have to come, that was my last pill. I need more…
His growing panic faded as a sleek black car drove up and came to a halt in front of him. A tinted window rolled down.
Trying and failing to hide his anxiety Fudo handed over some money and in return he was given a bottle of pills. He smiled in relief as he saw it. The window closed and the car drove off. Fudo turned back to his bike when…
WHAM!
Hibino leaped out, seemingly from nowhere, and slugged him. Again, he hit the ground and lay unconscious. Hibino raced over to the alley where he, Ichijou and Michiru had hidden after tailing Fudo, and jumped onto his own bike. Ichijou and Michiru were waiting on Ichijou's motorcycle.
"Follow that car!" he yelled as he gunned the engine and zoomed off.
Ichijou started his own engine. "He does know we're not supposed to let them see or hear us, doesn't he?" he complained.
"I hope so. Subtlety isn't Hibino's strong point" Michiru replied as they drove after him.
Despite Ichijou's concerns they were able to follow the black car to an abandoned newspaper building. The car drove through a garage door which automatically closed.
"Now let's get them" said Hibino with a broad grin. He marched over to the door, lifted it open and strolled in with Ichijou and Michiru right behind him.
Inside they found a large room with the disused printing presses against one wall. In the middle of the room were tables covered with chemistry apparatus. A small group of men in white coats were operating the equipment. They looked up in surprise as Hibino approached.
"Listen up you morons! Ore-sama won't allow drugs in this city. Give up now and Ore-sama will go easy on you. Resist and you'll be beaten to a pulp!"
"Get them" one of the men yelled.
As they charged Ichijou took out a guitar pick and sent it flying through the air. It sliced through a cable that held up huge rolls of newsprint paper. Before the shocked goons could react, the rolls came down on top of them and pinned them helplessly to the floor.
"Damn it Ichijou! You spoiled Ore-sama's fun" Hibino complained.
"Sorry" said Ichijou with a small smile. "Still, at least it's over now."
"I'm afraid not" a Latino-accented voice replied from a catwalk above. The three of them looked up at the speaker…
And froze in astonishment. Even Hibino was taken aback.
He was a giant of a man, standing over two metres tall with powerful muscles under his olive skin. He wore heavy black boots, breeches, fingerless gloves and a low-cut singlet that displayed his broad chest and thick arms. A silver belt with a red light in the middle encircled his waist. His head was covered by a black and white mask with red eyepieces. On his left wrist was a metallic gauntlet with a red button on it. A green plastic tube led from the gauntlet to the back of his head.
The giant leaped from the catwalk and landed on his feet with a loud thud! He stood and gazed at Hibino intently.
"I am Bane. You are Hibino Hareluya correct? The one they say is invincible."
Hibino's grin returned. "I am."
"I see. Then it is you I must defeat if I am to become master of this city."
Hibino laughed. "You'll never beat Ore-sama in sixty-five million years."
"We begin." Bane pressed the button on his gauntlet. He uttered an almost animalistic growl as his muscles bulged, growing to inhuman size and power right in front of them.
Undaunted, Hibino sprang forwards in a flying knee strike. Bane caught him in mid-flight and hurled him through the air. He slammed into a pillar and fell to the ground.
"Hibino!" Michiru exclaimed.
Ichijou launched another guitar pick at Bane. Without even looking, the masked giant caught it in one hand and let it fall. Ichijou's jaw dropped.
"Do not try that again" Bane warned. As he turned his attention back to Hibino, Ichijou leaped at him. Bane punched him in the gut and he doubled over, gasping for breath. Bane then picked him up effortlessly and tossed him away like a toy.
"Ichijou!" Michiru ran over and crouched next to him as he wheezed and groaned in pain.
Hibino stood up, reached behind his back and pulled out a metal baseball bat. With a roar he charged and swung it. Bane caught the bat easily, yanked it out of Hibino's grip and crushed it as it was made of Play-Doh. He dropped the ruined weapon and approached slowly, not hurrying in the slightest.
Damn it! He's not taking Ore-sama seriously! Hibino thought angrily. He charged again and threw a fierce volley of punches to Bane's masked face. The giant actually seemed to feel the blows, even taking a few steps back. Emboldened by this, Hibino threw a haymaker, but Bane caught his fist, stopping it dead, and then headbutted him in the nose. The blow made Hibino see stars and he stumbled back. Bane landed two devastating punches to his face and then lifted the dazed Hibino up over his head.
Michiru gasped as she realized what Bane was going to do. Knowing that she couldn't stand by and do nothing she stood up, ignoring Ichijou's faint protests. Then she noticed the tube leading into the back of Bane's head and recalled how he'd pressed a button on his gauntlet.
"That's it" she said.
"Now I break you. Like I broke the Bat," said Bane.
Just as he was about to smash Hibino down on his knee, Michiru ran up, gripped the tube and pulled with all her strength. It came loose, spraying greenish-yellow liquid into the air.
Bane roared as his huge muscles shrank back down to their normal size. He tottered unsteadily and dropped Hibino who landed on his feet. Hibino delivered an uppercut to his foe's jaw, putting every last bit of strength he had behind it. Bane toppled over and hit the ground like a falling tree.
"Are you okay Hibino?"
"I'm fine" he replied. "Ore-sama could have handled him… but thanks."
She smiled. "You're welcome."
A few days later the match against Sengoku High had been rescheduled. Once again everyone was waiting eagerly as the game began. A few students were discussing what had happened at the last game.
"I can't believe that Fudo-san was doping," said Nohara. "Why would he do something like that? Now he's off the team."
"He wanted to win so badly he forgot what's most important" Michiru replied. "If you can't succeed fairly then it's pointless."
"I know" Nohara replied.
She brightened up as the game began and was soon cheering excitedly. Both teams played fairly and well, Hibino managing not to show off that badly, and the game was highly enjoyable for everyone involved.
Finally, with the clock ticking down and the score 2/2, Ichijou passed the ball to Hibino who sent it flying with a mighty kick. The goalie yelped and dived out of the way, the ball hurtling past him to score the winning goal. The crowd clapped their hands wildly.
"Yay Hibino!" Michiru cheered.
"Hahaha! Ore-sama is the best striker in the world!" Hibino gloated. He grinned as he listened to the applause, imaging the parades that would be thrown when he achieved world domination.