Chapter 35 — Acid / Base
"Are your heroes too afraid? Or are they already preoccupied? What a shame, what a shame…"
Transformation… TIGHTS!
"If your lives will not suffice as lures, then your deaths will be messages…"
Transformation… GLOVES!
"But, I admit, I am disappointed… I will have to keep waiting for another day."
Transformation… MASK!
"The wait is over for you, nonetheless…"
The 12th jumped up on top of the dumpster, then from there leapt onto the roof of the dry cleaner's building. He charged from the roof and made a tremendous lunge toward the voice—and the 12th tackled Acid to the ground. The bubble helm clinked loudly against the pavement, but upon landing, several of the bottles attached to his body either shattered or had their releases pressed down by the ground.
A mixture of toxins entered the air, creating a yellow cloud over Acid's body. The 12th smelled trouble and backed off accordingly, which gave his opponent a chance to stand up. Once known as the Perfu-Menace, Acid improved upon his old strategy. The yellow jumpsuit had been upgraded to a heavy metal suit, but the Tetsuya Nomura-esque Velcro belts remained. Instead of beautiful and dangerous fragrances, the bottles at Acid's disposal were, as already demonstrated, full of chemicals.
As his hostages ran out of harm's way, the police finished blocking off the area. No townspeople were within Acid's range, but downtown Graceville was still his playground.
"Ah, there you are—12th! But where's that partner of yours?"
The 12th pointed an accusatory finger at Acid. "That's of no importance to you! Why, you have other things to be more concerned about—such as your total annihilation!"
Acid stomped a heavy foot down on the pavement. "So, in other words, either he is waiting and watching to catch me off guard or—he's abandoned you!" Acid's helmet, this time metal and resembling an old deep sea diver's helmet, stifled the full volume of his voice. It made it sound as though he was yelling underwater whenever he spoke. "In either case, I will kill you before he has the opportunity to appear…"
The 12th quickly dispatched from his Transformation Belt a grenade, the pin of which he pulled before tossing it without warning in Acid's direction.
"It is—FUTILE!"
Acid swatted the grenade away, causing it fly toward a flower shop before exploding. The grenade set fire to the garden display outside.
"If that is how you wish to play, then—LET'S PLAY!"
The 12th concentrated on the sounds Acid was making, subtle but discernable: he pulled from his Velcro two bottles of poison from his waist and tossed them both ahead, so that they would shatter about seven feet to the left and to the right of the 12th respectively.
Realizing Acid's intentions with some foresight, the 12th backflipped onto a parked motorcycle and used it as a springboard for climbing onto the top of a streetlight. He found his balance and perched their like a gargoyle.
"Hahaha! Now I have you running scared! I hope the cameras are getting good shots of your fear!"
Despite the heavy suit, Acid could move quickly and efficiently. His movements were loud, but they were executed before the 12th could formulate his next move. Acid shattered another vile against the streetlight and, remarkably, the liquid inside ate away even at the streetlight and caused it to break at the point of contact.
Feeling the sway of the streetlight and knowing that it would fall, the 12th desperately jumped onto the roof of a small-time diner. No sooner had he regained his posture on the roof, he heard the streetlight come crashing down on the road.
"You're putting on such a wonderful show!" Acid hollered. "You're almost like a cat, or a lemur… But I know that this is an act, and you're only really a fragile human being with his limitations. A human like me—not a spoiled NEXT like your partner. What separates you and I is experience."
The 12th now recalled the Perfu-Menace's identity, as revealed from when Yuri cracked his helmet in their previous fight. Acid was a nearsighted man old enough to have grandchildren. Most of the criminals they fought were young NEXTs intent on either satisfying a desire for blood, wealth, or reputation.
"I have gone through numerous reiterations. I am captured by a hero, and then I wait it out, until eventually I can emerge again and adapt. Each time, I grow stronger. Before you, before Graceville, I challenged other heroes… I have killed seven heroes in my life, two of whom were NEXTs. And how many heroes do you think have killed me?—HAHAHA!"
The 12th realized that he had the perfect vantage point to attempt what, last time, had defeated the Perfu-Menace. The champion of righteousness jumped down from the roof and landed a mighty kick against Acid's helm, the same type of kick that cracked open the old man's helmet last time.
Instead of the sound of a helmet cracking, all the 12th could hear was the sound of his foot making a cracking noise. The 12th fell at Acid's feet, yelping and nursing pathetically his ankle.
"You sound like a dog…" Acid's laugh came out muffled. "And don't you realize that I've learned from my mistake last time? This helmet will not be broke open easily. My armor has made me indestructible. It is a bit warm in here, but I suppose that is the price I must pay to have your head added to my repertoire."
Acid kicked the 12th's side with his metal boot. The hero accepted the pain without vocalization this time, but inside his mask he surely was gritting his teeth. He made an effort to stand, but as he rose, Acid's sturdy hand seized him by the rope noose around his neck.
"If I unravel you, I wonder what I'll see inside?" Acid mused, shaking the 12th violently. "What sad man is squirming within this confident veneer?"
He threw the 12th back down, but the hero refused to be shoved into submission. He rebounded and threw a punch at Acid's chest. The armor clinked, but it was not dented in the slightest. The 12th hardly had time to register the pain in his hand, because Acid was returning the favor by slamming his metal fist into the hero's gut.
The 12th did not have metal armor. The blow made him double-over, and Acid seized the moment and struck the back of the hero's head with his elbow. The 12th collapsed for a second time at Acid's feet.
"How long do you wish to suffer?" The terrorist taunted, bending down toward his opponent's ear. "I can draw this out and let the whole town watch your agony, but seeing as you have already taken your bow, I think it's time for the curtain call… Now, lie still. I have prepared this one especially for you."
The 12th grunted as he attempted to get back up at least onto his knees, but Acid pressed his foot down on the Diary holder's back and pressed his heel deeper the more he felt resistance.
"How… How can he be defeating me like this…?" The 12th was straining to speak in whispers. "Am I not… a hero of righteousness? I must win… Someone like this can't be let loose among the people, but I can't sink to his level and murder him, either… As though, as though I could kill him, at this point… He's too tough… He's…"
He thought of Mercy, watching this from Rocco's basement. She was watching both her hero and the man she loved, the man she considered the greatest person in her life in multiple ways, be crushed.
"No… No…"
The 12th felt the power surging within his body, and he knew the cameras were on him. That did not matter anymore. He knew that viewers would be wondering why his body was now giving off a faint blue glow, but by the time it grew violent, they would understand finally that the 12th was a NEXT.
"No! I won't be defeated! Justice must prevail, for the love of Mercy—even if for nothing else!"
He transferred two ideas to Acid, and he pushed forward with incredible fervor. He was even so bold as to scream out his demands: "Do as I say, Acid, and submit to your humiliating defeat—first, relinquish your hold on me..."
The foot grudgingly lifted from the 12th's back. Now he could stagger back to his feet, which he did, and as he rose, he finished speaking.
"Second, remove your helmet… Let everyone watching see the man who is responsible for disturbing the peace, destroying public and private buildings, and murdering seven heroes."
Compelled by the 12th's powers, Acid had no choice in the matter. It took some time, but he complied in taking off the helmet. The 12th seized it immediately and, struggling and weak as he was, only barely had enough strength to take the helmet and hurl it away from his opponent. He felt the power fading. He knew he was not strong enough to use his powers again.
"So… That is a neat little trick," Acid said, his voice no longer muffled by helmet. "But… now what shall you do? Beat my face until it is a bleeding pulp? Or are you going to try to use my own bottles against me, like last time? Then you'll be disappointed, because I don't have anything in my arsenal that will knock someone unconscious… All of my poisons are intended to inflict physical injury or kill."
The 12th took a few steps back and realized that he had done a lot of damage to his ankle with that first attempt at breaking the helmet.
"All you've done is reveal yourself as a NEXT and reveal my face," Acid said, closing the gap with a few steps forward. "But now you're faced with a decision that should be very easy… Which one of us do you want to have die today?"
The 12th clasped the front of his giant eyeball mask. "Neither… We both shall live!"
Acid laughed. "Now, now—REALLY? You truly think that is the best scenario, that it's feasible? I thought I made the situation clear…"
"You did," the 12th shouted back. "But I'll think of something!"
"If you won't kill me now, then I already have your answer!"
Acid took a huge step forward and bashed a glass jar against the 12th's chest. The jar shattered, and the liquid inside seeped through the 12th's suit.
"If you refuse to kill criminals, this 'justice' you claim to believe in will result in nothing… Only the strong can beat the strong, and strength requires initiative and an unwavering pursuit of victory. Human life is full of suffering… And you can't possibly end it all for everyone. All you can do is cut off the sources, or those sources will make sure you suffer unto death."
Acid seized the 12th's neck and held him in place with one hand, as the other pulled off another bottle.
"What is it…this time?" The 12th asked with difficulty.
"A custom blend of extremely potent chlorosilanes… Intended to cause burning to the skin, to put it lightly."
"But not death?" The 12th inquired.
"Not yet," Acid said. "But for you, don't worry, I have another bottle after this that will take care of your sorry mortality."
Acid released his grip on the 12th's neck, so he could unscrew the cap on the bottle.
The 12th slapped the hand with the bottle, so that the contents splashed onto Acid's armor. He then took a huge leap back and shouted with a dying desperation, "Anemone, now! Spray him! Spray him!"
From behind a building, Anemone appeared on cue. She used her NEXT powers as the 12th insisted, sending a steady stream of water toward Acid. When the water splashed on his back, Acid turned around in total confusion. This turning allowed for the water to make contact with the chlorosilanes—and immediately the reaction occurred.
It was a powerful explosion, and from the safe distance where 12th stood, he could feel the initial wave of heat. He could hear the fire crackle, and in his mind he imagined the armor in flames. Acid, shouting helplessly, removed his armor piece-by-piece, starting with the chest piece.
He threw all that protected him on the ground and staggered away, still reeling from the explosion and the rush of adrenaline. He fell backward, alive and ready to go sleeping into police custody.
"Hey! Don't move!"
The 12th had turned to leave, but Anemone's call stopped him. He felt her gentle hands on his shoulders.
"Chlorosilanes… I read somewhere, they react with water." He attempted to chuckle at how helpful this random fact was.
Anemone said quietly, "Yomotsu, I've got to get you out of here. They can't help you. The toxins in your body are going to kill you, if we don't act fast. The healing you need is a special healing… Will you let me take you there?"
The 12th felt himself fall into Anemone's arms. "Where?" He was not intending to whisper, but he could hardly even do that.
"To the Base. There's no need to hide anything from you any further, and in your condition… UGH, now just be quiet and take a little nap! I'm going to rush us there!"
Yuri moaned and rubbed his eyes. He rolled his head so his left cheek was against the cool pillow. He opened his eyes to see Wi-Fi Man sitting on a stool, arms crossed. Beneath his big, computer monitor head, the old nemesis was watching him closely.
"Took you long enough to restart," Wi-Fi Man said. "You're certainly an old clunker. It is remarkable that I was even able to recover your data after the bug that went through your system."
Wi-Fi Man rubbed his hands together; he was wearing his bright blue gloves. He then stood, and Yuri studied his figure with in a state of slow waking. Wi-Fi Man was wearing a white jumpsuit with blue boots that matched his gloves. Around his waist was a belt with an empty holster, and on his chest he displayed the Wi-Fi symbol, a triangle tower with waves coming from a big dot above.
The previous night came drifting back to Yuri in pieces. He remembered Kotetsu helping him up from the bottom stair of Olivia's house, now in Anemone's possession. Kotetsu had then guided him into an expansive round room, the middle of which was occupied by a large round table full of sheets of paper and scattered newspaper clippings. There were eight chairs circling the table. Two monitors were in the middle of all the paperwork; one was tuned to JusTV and the other was a computer monitor. Yuri remembered seeing someone using the computer, and then…
"What… are you doing here, in Olivia's house?" Yuri mumbled dreamily.
Wi-Fi Man walked across the foot of the bed, and as Yuri's eyes followed him, the waking hero saw the complex computer he was hooked to. On the screen were various statistics about Yuri's current state, some of which was fluxuating with each passing moment. Yuri realized that there were cords stretching from the machine that received input from his forehead, from his heart, and from his wrist.
"I thought we sufficiently explained it to you last night," Wi-Fi Man answered. "But that was information you must have neglected to save to your long-term memory." He sighed.
"I'll ask only once more," Yuri said, now sounding like his normal self. He started to rise. "Why are you here?"
Wi-Fi Man went over to him and gently pushed him back down onto the bed. "Stay still! We are still collecting data. I will help you retrieve the information you have neglectfully tossed into the proverbial recycle bin of your CPU-mind—but only if you remain at rest. If I intended to delete you, I would have already dragged and dropped you out of here by now, do you understand?"
Yuri grudgingly remained on his back and nodded.
Wi-Fi Man, who was across from him, standing at the foot of the bed, explained, "Last night, your system went haywire. Shortly after Kotetsu explained my reason for being here and a few other matters, you began to detect living, illusory JPEGs and GIF images, accompanied by fantasy WAVs. It appears the security system I had prepared for this place served as an access code to a file that should never have been opened—namely, you lost control, and we had to force log you out. Kotetsu helped your system crash, and since then, you have been here… Rebooting, if you will."
As he listened to Wi-Fi Man, his memory connected with each detail. He genuinely remembered it now, although some details were still hazy. Not only was his brain sleepy, it was also reeling from the massive breakdown from the previous night. The ghosts he saw did not stop when he entered the next room, and he saw his father again in the room, and then…
"I saw the ghost of Bryce Wayne, and I remember… Him trying to fight me…"
Wi-Fi answered Yuri's rambling by saying, "Precisely like Jacob, I might say, although you broke the allusion when your illusion drove you to make swipes at your very own Esau… That is, your five digits wrapped around my heel and your speakers kept calling out that I was a criminal that had to be punished. I might find it funny if I hadn't found it relevant."
Yuri turned his head to his right, and he saw Yomotsu lying on a bed nearby, still asleep. He looked like he was in a deep sleep. He was hooked up more extensively to a different machine, and when Yuri glanced at the monitor, he saw that it said "Condition: AT RISK."
"Wha-what happened to Yomotsu?"
Wi-Fi Man walked over to the second machine and made gesture toward certain figures on the screen, most of which were incomprehensible to Yuri. "He has a virus, a dangerous virus. A user named Acid did a nasty number, and we are acting to the best of our abilities to treat his wounds. Acid burned him—not as in burning a disc, I must clarify—burned his chest… And then there was his leg to mend. If it were not for Ms. Misora's incredible restorative capabilities, the natural healing time would have been extensive…"
Yuri at first looked closely at Yomotsu, analyzing all of the ways in which his partner looked unwell. While Yuri was having a mental breakdown and then recovering from said breakdown, his friend was fighting a criminal alone—and he was either beat or narrowly edged away with victory. Yuri now looked softly upon him, seeing not the specific injuries but the general sight of a hurt friend—a close friend, whose escape from suffering was this painless sleeping.
"Misora?" Yuri finally asked.
"Another NEXT working with us," Wi-Fi Man said in passing, as he went and scanned the screen showing Yuri's data.
"Us?"
Wi-Fi Man turned around. Yuri wondered what sort of expression was on that face inside his computer monitor disguise.
"Us—The League—that is, and I include only the ones you have met or heard of so far: Kotetsu, Anemone, Bryce Wayne, Naomi, and yours truly."
Yuri mulled over the names and then asked, "Bryce Wayne… He's alive? And you're working with him?"
Wi-Fi Man thought over how to respond, or perhaps whether or to respond—or perhaps he was thinking of something not directly related to the question at hand. He paused for a considerably long time, and whatever the pause indicated, he shook his head after it. "You are… Half correct. We are working with him, but he died almost a year ago."
Yuri nodded. Of course, he remembered Bryce Wayne dropping into the deep water, but his conscience held hope that somehow he had survived. If those professing to work with him were aware that he had, in fact, died—then there was little doubt that the man was not alive anymore.
The door opened near Wi-Fi Man, and Kotetsu entered. He was wearing a dark-grey suit and that same old hat of his. At his side, a little behind him, was his daughter Kaede. Yuri's expression softened at seeing them. He was not able to fully trust Wi-Fi Man's word, but the ethos of these two dispelled any concerns.
"Hey, Judge. How you feelin'?"
Yuri, knowing better than to move too quickly and get yelled at by his computer-headed attendant, simply smiled and said, "I feel as though I have woken into a strange dream. I see you have Kaede with you… I hope I did not meet her last night, all things considered."
Kotetsu scratched the back of his head and laughed nervously. "No, that was way past her bedtime. She was asleep when you fainted."
Kotetsu winked at him. Yuri's smile grew in understanding.
Kaede inched her way into the room and took a careful look at Yuri. She was certainly taller and looked quite different from when he had last saw her. He could see the young woman growing within her, but if the apple did not fall too far from the tree, he knew she would be like her father and never fully grow up.
"Kaede, it's nice to see you again," Yuri said.
She made a little wave and smiled back. "I can hardly recognize you, when you're not wearing a suit and tie."
Kotetsu laughed again. "And I barely recognize you when you're not in that kind of suit or the other kind of suit you sometimes wear…" He turned slightly, toward the other patient. "The 12th doesn't look too good…"
Wi-Fi Man dismissed the concern with a wave of his hand. "Ms. Misora and I will restore him to full functionality and get him back out there in his ridiculous eye ball mask before anyone would miss him."
Yuri briefly thought of Mercy, but he knew she was probably taking care of herself. He just hoped she was not worried too much about where they were and how they were doing, especially considering that Yomotsu was brought here after a fight she probably would have watched on television.
"At any rate, Lunatic—Yuri, was it?—still does not remember what you told him last night, about The League. I mentioned membership, but perhaps you can issue out another spiel for him?"
Yuri looked back at Kotetsu, who nodded.
"I'm going to go see what's happening on the TV," Kaede said quietly to her father, before running off.
Kotetsu, who was wearing his black hero mask over his eyes, focused on Yuri for a moment. "I'll relay this to your partner when he wakes up, but to put it briefly… You're in The League's base of operations, which was built with Olivia Walkins' permission in her basement after she was contacted by our leader. The League started a little over a year ago, when heroes across the United States began to join together to fight crime. Some are NEXTs like us, but not all of them. The League is currently a top secret project, but that doesn't stop most of our members from being very active on the surface. Bryce Wayne was one of the founding members, and he served The League primarily as a recruiter."
Kotetsu sighed. "He knew how dangerous his mission was, and I'm sure he was more prepared than we were for his death. He was here to recruit the 12th for The League when he was killed, we think by Kira."
Yuri knew now was not the time to explain, so he kept listening with no comment.
"Kira is The League's primary enemy. Our leader has told us direct our attention on Graceville, and that is why Kaede and I went here. Anemone has been personally instructed to help fight crime here and protect you and the 12th. We're waiting for Kira to appear again, because we don't believe for a minute that he's out of the picture. We have connections to most of the major heroes and crime fighting organizations in the world—and there is no evidence that Kira has been captured or defeated."
"I mainly provide advice and financial assistance to the League," Kotetsu went on. "And I also serve as a communication link between the heroes of Sternbild and our organization. However, I had to come here when it was brought to my attention how much Lunatic is at the center of this fight against Kira. Wi-Fi Man recently joined us at least in the short-term to help defeat Kira. Even though we are a crime-fighting organization, our leader has permitted temporary membership to those with a criminal history who are willing to put their lives on the line to stop Kira."
Yuri went over this new information in his head.
The League is an underground crime fighting organization with members across the United States and connections to other proponents across the entire world. The League is focused on defeating Kira, who is believed to still be alive and still dangerous.
Kotetsu Kaburagi provides financial support.
Bryce Wayne, a founding member, was formerly a recruiting agent. This explained his mysterious final words and the disappearance of heroes at the time when he was most active. Heroes were temporarily going off the radar and meeting in private, to help form this organization.
The League is now temporarily based in Graceville, in Olivia Walkins' basement.
Among local members are Ms. Misora, a healing NEXT; Anemone, a water-based NEXT who has been ordered to protect the 12th and Lunatic; and Wi-Fi Man, a criminal allowed temporary membership to help in the fight against Kira.
Yuri nodded when he was confident he understood. "I was always right to keep an eye on you, Kotetsu," he said. "This is all very intriguing…"
Kotetsu's serious expression softened into a smile. "And I'm sure you understand that since we were trying to recruit the 12th in the past—"
"You still want us to join The League now," Yuri concluded.
Kotetsu nodded. "I don't think I have to tell you how much of a help you'd be."
Yuri glanced over at Yomotsu. "While I will not commit on a decision until my partner is well and aware of the situation, I do have information for you and your leader that you will find very interesting." He looked back at Kotetsu. "It's about Kira."
"Just as I thought."
Yuri heard a new voice, and he now noticed the person standing behind Kotetsu, where Kaede moments before had been. Kotetsu made room for him, and the boy stepped forward. He was wearing a collared white shirt and blue pants. His hands were in his pockets, and he was smiling in Yuri's direction.
"Then if you don't mind explaining what you know, I would be happy to jot down the details," the boy with white hair and reddish eyes said. "Our investigation might depend on it."