A news helicopter was flying over the ruined city of Los Angeles, reporting on the whole incident I was witnessing.
"This is an aerial view of Los Angeles city, and what a nightmare," said the reporter. "I am estimating a third of the city has been completely levelled. Heroes and rescue teams are evacuating citizens; look at the current state of the streets. It's chaos down there."
Sure enough, people were running for their lives, as well as massive traffic jams as people tried to drive away from the destruction.
"Dust clouds are obscuring the extent of the damage here, but the scene called to mind the disaster at Hercorn. What terrible force are the heroes fighting against? New York, D.C., and now, this is in Los Angeles. There seems to be no end to the massive terrorist attacks that began last year. Despite the army of police officers and pros on the ground, no information whatsoever has been released to the press.
"It begs the question, did the authorities know about this catastrophe before it happened? Whatever the case, there is no doubt that the destruction we are witnessing today is worse than any incident in recent history. You have to wonder what exactly is going on in the United States right now. Is this the new normal? The dangerous future that we're headed towards?"
Hellfire was still battling against Krogan, but even with his powers, neutralised physical strength and physique made it certain that he was still able to fight toe-to-toe with him. He kept moving around, preventing Hellfire from leading to a decisive hit.
To make matters worse, a number of Red Deaths had appeared out of nowhere and or delayed any reinforcements arriving.
"Come on, Hellfire," said Rock Lock. "Krogan must be stopped."
Scarlet flew up to give Hellfire some back up and tried to attack from behind.
"Sneaky," he said as he saw her approach.
Hellfire released a web of burning plasma from his fingertips, but Krogan quickly dodged the attack and somehow got behind him. He then rammed into Hellfire, where so much for the seconds later, they collided with Scarlett and hit the ground.
"Ouch, that's done," said Krogan as he stood up. He then raised his right fist into the air. "Hey, number one? Is this the arm you held up on that day? I probably should have checked before I'd beat you."
"Get off!" Hellfire barked and unleashed a burst of flames.
Krogan quickly jumped out of the way and landed on the ground not far away.
"Where did these new Red Deaths come from?" Hellfire demanded.
"It's simple: I have full control over my disintegration power," Krogan smiled. "I wanted to keep the capsules from being destroyed in that first wave, but I just couldn't save them all."
Krogan remembered when the Doctor showed off the High-Ends in his lab.
"They just won't wake up suddenly?" Krogan asked.
"Of course not," he said. "They are activated by electricity. When I tap on this little device, it triggers the current; once awake, they will follow the orders of whoever is designated as their master. I say their servants fit for the King of Villains."
"As I expected from my friend's disciple," said Doctor joyously. "He was careful to keep the High-Ends alive."
"High-Ends?!" Loudspeaker gasped.
"Then he used radio waves to generate the current needed to open their eyes. How clever?! Unfortunately, this batch hasn't been protesting yet. The poor soldiers can't think on their own; that said, they are still far stronger than the upper-tier Red Deaths. For the time being, I suppose we can call them Near High-Ends."
"This is not good," said Forge. "They're headed for Trapster now!"
"You two stay here and keep yourselves hidden," Technora ordered as she and Forge took off.
"What's worse?" said Night Fury as he stood there motionless.
Hellfire unleashed another blazing fist, but just like before, Krogan jumped over the attack and launched himself into the air.
"You know it, your eyes on me…" said Krogan as he surveyed the area and spotted Trapster hiding amongst the dust, "then you should assume I can see you as well."
The moment he touched the ground, he immediately took off in the direction of Trapster.
"Trapster, you're standing in my way!" said Krogan.
"You won't touch him!" said Rock Lock as he jumped out in front.
Trapster reached for his knife to use a weapon, but he knew he blinked even for a second; they would all be dead.
'No, I will not let you kill me,' he said. 'If I die here and your powers return, you'll be unstoppable. There are still people that I have to keep watch over until the day they graduate and become heroes. Do you think I'm a problem? Look around…'
He then drew his knife. "You're the one who's standing in the way!"
Krogan shot right past Rock Lock and Native, who attempted to stop him. Technora and Forge rushed towards Trapster's side but were still too far away.
'To slow, we're not going to make it,' Forge cursed.
Then, suddenly appearing out of nowhere was Night Fury, who instantly grabbed him.
"Hiccup, I told you to stay put!" Technora yelled.
"If Krogan can't use his powers, let us help in the fight against him!" Night Fury yelled back. 'Most of the pros are fighting against the Red Deaths that just showed up. There aren't enough heroes to stop him. If he gets his powers back and uses his disintegration power, we're all dead.'
Night Fury glared at Krogan. "The worst thing would be losing Trapster! He's protecting his students this entire time; we can't lose him after everything he's done."
"Hiccup…" said Trapster, stunned.
Hookfang then arrived. "It's our turn! To return the favour!"
Night Fury then quickly somersaulted directly over Krogan and wrapped his cables around him.
"How's this for rational, teach?" Hookfang asked as he channelled flames into his hands.
He then fired a blast of shots at Krogan, but he merely brushed the smoke away, completely unharmed by the attack.
"Your powers are nothing compared to your father," Krogan sneered.
He tried to move, but suddenly, Night Fury wrapped his cables around him once more and held him in place. However, he was too strong even for him, sending him flying across the battlefield.
"Sorry, but I'm afraid you're just not interesting to me anymore," said Krogan.
Hellfire then appeared out of nowhere, dealing him a powerful flaming fist, sending him flying.
"Hellfire, sir!" said Night Fury, picking himself up.
"What are you two doing here?" Hellfire demanded.
"With all due respect, you are going to need all the help you can get," Night Fury pointed out.
Krogan managed to skip to a halt. "I was awfully close to my goal, therefore a second."
Forge looked at the heroes around Trapster. "I need you to protect him for me."
"Yeah, we got it," said Rock Lock. "He's not getting hurt on our watch. Don't worry."
They then began taking Trapster to a new location.
"Krogan's physical abilities have become extraordinary," said Technora.
"His power and endurance are comparable back to Skullcrusher now," said Hellfire.
"The question is how?" said Hiccup.
"As long as I don't blink, that physical strength is his only advantage," said Trapster. "I'll keep my eyes open as long as I can."
"Night Fury, Hookfang, there's nothing we can do about you two being here. I won't ask why you came," said Hellfire and Krogan suddenly rushed towards them, "but we need to support Trapster! Hookfang, you cover Night Fury!"
'It might be best to grab Hiccup Haddock and get out of here,' said Krogan, but then he winced in pain.
'You must take his ability,' said Drago's voice in his head.
Krogan then looked at Night Fury with a longing look. "Skullcrusher's legacy, come to me."
Hellfire then fired lasers of molten plasma from his fingertips at Krogan, who nimbly dodged the attack.
'That wasn't me talking earlier,' said Krogan as he dodged the attacks. 'It would seem your ego is too big, master. This is my power… my body… I won't let a voice in my head turn me into something kind of a puppet. There has been something I've been wondering: how could a person called the Lord of Evil be brought to his knees by a single man? I am grateful for the way you raised me. I truly am, but I have no desire to turn out like you. I want to be much, much better. So shut up.'
He then smiled broadly as he looked at Night Fury. "I'm taking this power because it is my will."
Technora then knocked his hand away with her staff. "One below could be fatal, but I excel at dodging."
Forge then fired a barrage of lasers at Krogan. "I trained the guy with crazy strength every day. By comparison, this will be a breeze."
Krogan quickly dodged the lasers, but Technora grabbed his arms and looked at him furiously. "I won't let you lay a finger on my son!"
"How precious," said Krogan.
"I won't let you hurt my family or anyone else!" Technora roared.
"You can say whatever you want," said Krogan.
He then saw Hellfire flushing in towards them, and it was clear that Technora was merely holding him in place. He quickly spun around, broke free from his hold, and launched into the air before Hellfire had a chance to launch an attack and the shockwave of the two of them and Forge back.
He then looked down and saw Night Fury standing there. "Try what you will, but I will have your power."
'Ignoring me was your biggest mistake,' said Hookfang as he aimed his gauntlets down at Krogan. 'I'll teach you for underestimating me.'
He then pulled the pin from his gauntlets, unleashing a powerful explosion on Krogan. The flames, as was the force of the explosion, were much more intense than his previous attack. Night Fury then launched into the air and began charging for a plasma blast. Then, it blasted him, sending him flying across the sky.
Hellfire had recovered from Krogan's surprise manoeuvre and then clenched his fist. 'So what I can't begin by myself.'
He then controlled the flames from Hookfang's explosions and used them to energise his next attack. He hit Krogan with an all-powerful punch, unleashing a massive burst of flames that consumed him.
Meanwhile, everyone at the command centre was still trying to grasp what was happening.
"We haven't had any contact with the team in Los Angeles!"
"People in the Evac zone have spotted pillars of fire near the remains of the hospital!"
"The press caught some of them on camera, but we haven't been able to discover what's causing them."
"Pillars of fire?"
"It could be Hellfire. We have eyes on him?"
"Team Edgeshot confirms that Nalson is at the villa."
"The villains are putting up substantial resistance, so they haven't captured him yet."
"The heroes were able to trap many enemies underground by sealing off the exits, but fighting continues on the surface level."
Within the Vanguard, the rest of the Class 1-A students were there, with Earphone Jack and her jacks in place on the ground. She then suddenly screamed and shot up, removing her jacks from the ground.
"Uh-oh," said Chargebolt. "What's the matter, Ingrid Jack?"
"This is bad guys," she said. "There is something massive underneath the compound, and it's moving."
Giganton had just ripped through the ground and immediately grabbed for Compress, Viggo and Diablo, who quickly jumped back.
"Whoa, wait!" Compress yelled as he grabbed both him and Viggo. "What do you think you're doing? Unhand me this instant."
"Relax, I don't think he intends to do us any harm," said Viggo.
Giganton then placed the two of them on his back, and they found themselves sitting right next to Spinner.
"Stole you from your perch as well," Compress assumed.
"Yeah, I was in the big hall," Spinner nodded. "Next thing I knew, this big oaf was carrying me away."
Turid was also on the back of Giganton, naked. "He grabbed me when I getting stabby."
Compress practically shrieked when he saw her naked body and then flicked a marble to another. "Here, a spare costume. Cover yourself, my dear."
The marble expanded, revealing a spare set of clothes for Turid.
"Krogan must really be awake," said Diablo as he made his way down the stairs. "Giganton has got one hell of a nose on him, and he seems dead set on taking us along."
Giganton then tried to grab him again, but he quickly jumped out of his grasp.
"Not so fast, big guy," said Diablo, turning his eyes to Sceptic, who was currently hiding. "There's someone here I still got used to."
Diablo then approached Sceptic, who was busy fiddling around with his laptop. "Did I mention I liked you the second I laid eyes on you, weirdo?"
"What are you talking about?" Sceptic asked.
"Hey, Giganton, we're taking him with us," said Diablo.
Sceptic then watched as Giganton reached out towards them. "You can't! No! My duty is here!"
Geten was still launching eyes across the battlefield, but Mt. Lady and her concrete baseball bat were smashing it to pieces. They stopped when they suddenly saw an explosion erupting from the villa, and Giganton stood there.
"Does anyone want to fill me in?" Spinner asked.
"The bosses back in the game," said Diablo. "It's the only reason this overgrown rock would act up."
"Isn't it a little earlier than we planned?" Turid asked as she put on her new clothes.
Giganton sniffed the air. "Master… Master…"
He then suddenly took off, and he was on the ground and quickly had to jump out of the way to avoid getting crushed beneath his giant feet. He began running in a straight line straight towards Mt. Lady, who tossed her concrete baseball bat aside and attempted to stop him.
"Not today!" she said through gritted teeth.
She did her best to hold her ground, but Giganton was much bigger than her and far stronger. He just kept pushing her, not showing any signs of slowing down.
"Don't let him overpower you, Mt. Lady!"
"Easier said than done!" she yelled, glaring up at Giganton. "You better not make me look bad!"
Earphone Jack could hear Giganton rampaging towards them.
"That gigantic thing is heading our way," she said.
"How big of a thing are we talking about here?" Chargebolt.
"I have no idea."
Tentacole was using his power to survey the area.
"Can you see it?"
"No, it's too far out," he said.
"Uh, I thought we had the upper hand?" said Acid Girl.
"The last update we received said the operation was going according to plan, but I don't know," said Graviton.
"What?! So he's broken through the perimeter?" said Leo, receiving a message on the secure channel. "Pros moving as reinforcements! Work-study students remain on standby!"
Everyone watched as the pros ventured off, leaving them alone.
"There's like a whole army of heroes at the front, yeah?" said Grape Juice, staring at them. "How is it possible that things are falling apart?"
Giganton was still moving forward, and Mt. Lady was barely slowing him down.
"Why the hell are you so stupidly strong?" she yelled.
"Stop this!" Sceptic yelled. "I need to get back and help Re-Destro."
"Not so loud," said Diablo, placing a finger over his lips. "As far as I can tell, the heroes haven't figured out that Giganton is carrying passengers yet."
"I've been waiting!" Giganton roared. "Master! I'm here, and soon I will be at your side!"
"You can talk?" Mt. Lady stared.
A number of pros were chasing after them as quickly as they could.
"I don't get it; they said the walking disaster wasn't going to be a factor?"
"What's going on in Los Angeles?"
"Let's go and focus on supporting Mt. Lady!"
"It's no good he is too far away!"
"And he's too strong!"
Then suddenly, they were hit by a barrage of ice, and Geten was floating directly above them.
"Right, we still got a deal with this guy."
Geten looked down at the chaos. "This is madness. We need an order!"
Suddenly, cement erupted from the ground and quickly began to surround him.
"What the—?!"
Cementoss was easy with all the strength he had to contain Geten.
"No matter what happens, as heroes, we stake our lives on this mission!" he roared.
Another eruption occurred at the villa, and Re-Destro burst out of his stress form. He was battling Edgeshot, who was struggling to keep him down.
"I don't care for this, at the least," he said. 'Giganton is gone. That means Krogan has awakened Prima surely. He is our saviour, our emancipator.'
He then suddenly unleashed a powerful shockwave. "What did you medlars do to him?!"
The shockwave was powerful enough to send most people flying.
"New orders, true believers!" Re-Destro yelled. "We must follow Giganton. Start the revolution; liberation is upon us!"
When he barked out that order, Paranormal Liberation Front members began to follow Giganton, who was still pushing forward.
"I thought I told you to stand down, dammit!" Mt. Lady roared.
"Master, I will take the shortest round to you," said Giganton.
"I know you can hear me!" Mt. Lady yelled.
Suddenly, Iceberg appeared alongside him, with Midnight riding behind him. He was creating the ice trail and doing everything he could to keep up with Giganton.
"Get closer," said Midnight.
"I'm trying!" Iceberg yelled and then looked towards Mt. Lady. "Rookie, keep at it!"
"No… sweat," said Mt. Lady through gritted teeth.
Giganton then sniffed the air. "I will not be held back."
He then suddenly grabbed Mt. Lady's left leg and tossed her aside like she was nothing.
"Keep your eyes trained on him," said Midnight. "He's got to be stopped."
"I've got him," said Iceberg.
"It's possible that Hellfire's team has already failed," said Hellfire. "If this monster stampedes through Los Angeles, it will be an unthinkable disaster." She then used her team to rip the clothing off her shoulder. "Get me in close; I may be able to put him to sleep. Now is our chance."
"On it," said Iceberg as he moved in closer.
However, before he could get any closer, a burst of blue flames erupted from Giganton.
"See," said Diablo, smiling. "Now we get a surprise, then you guys."
However, a large chunk of ice managed to escape the flames, and behind it was Midnight.
"Here a gift," said Compress, tossing several marbles her way.
'The League is on his back?' Midnight gasped. The marbles suddenly expanded into rubble from the villa and headed straight for her. 'Damn it!'
The rubble then slammed into her, and she was sent crashing to the ground.
"Don't underestimate the heroes," said Compress.
Midnight was still alive, but she had taken a very heavy hit, and she could lose consciousness at any time.
'The beast must be stopped, but who can stop him?' said Midnight as blood dripped from her face. "We failed… we weren't enough."
"Wait, so Mt. Lady got thrown out of the way?" Grape Juice stared.
"Yes, and I saw blue flames," said Tentacole.
"Graviton? Can you hear me?" Midnight asked over the comms.
"Miss Midnight?" Graviton blinked.
"Oh good, she'll tell us what to do," said Sugarman.
"You know what's coming, don't you?" Midnight asked.
"Yes," Graviton nodded. "Ingrid heard it first, and Magnus has visuals."
"No one in our right to stop that thing with force," Midnight winced. "I'm correct in assuming that Valkyrie made a number of sedatives?"
"That's right, she gave one to each member of both Class 1-A and 1-B," Graviton nodded. "She thought they could be useful."
"Good, normally I wouldn't ask, but given the circumstances, you must sedate him," she said.
"What are you saying, ma'am?" Graviton asked.
"Give those sedatives to the heroes," she said, and she saw Paranormal Liberation Front members running towards her. "If you're not able to do that, then run right now." The villains then began to attack. "It's up to you, the strong all of you!"
"What's going on?" Graviton asked, but she didn't answer. "Miss Midnight, are you still there?"
"I'm confused," said Sugarman. "What does she want?"
"It sounds like Fishlegs' is in charge now," said Acid Girl.
"If she wants to put him to sleep, why doesn't she do it herself?" Grape Juice asked.
"Yeah, I mean, is she okay?" said Chargebolt.
'Give the sedatives to be pro heroes?' Graviton frowned. 'They've already left to help the advance guard. So, should we flee? She said to run in either case. She must be hurt, I can hear it in her voice, but she didn't ask to help her. That is how strong the enemy is. What do I do? What would Hiccup do in my place?'
They then heard explosions.
"We can't just stand here," said Acid Girl.
"So we should run with our tails between our legs?" said Red Riot.
"No way, not without a fight," said Sugarman.
"And leave a teacher behind," Chargebolt added.
Graviton then looked at everyone firmly. "Earphone Jack and Tentacole use sound to track his approach and calculate how long it'll take him to get here. Give us a rough estimate of his size, too. Mudman, please let us know your strength as well. Everyone be prepared to move!"
"Crap, even I can see that thing now," said Earphone Jack. "He's so fast that he'll be here in less than a minute. No, something changed. He's slowed down a little."
Mt. Lady was now clinging to Giganton with all her strength, slowing him down, if only by a little.
"You'll pay for this!" she yelled. "I haven't clung to a guy since I was in middle school!"
"He's approximately 25 m tall, bigger than Mt. Lady," Tentacole reported.
"It's been a year since we even rolled in Berk High, and in that brief period of time, our teachers taught us that a real hero would never turn their back or run from an enemy," said Graviton.
"Yeah, you got that right," said Red Riot.
"Uh-huh," Acid Girl nodded.
"Couldn't say it better myself," said Sugarman. "So what now?"
"I'm going to fight," said Graviton and then looked up at everyone else, "but the rest of you don't have to…"
"No way, don't even," said Chargebolt. "When we suit up and are outside the school, we're all heroes."
Graviton nodded. "All right, very well. Together as one…" He then suddenly turned towards Giganton as blue flames erupted over the treetops once more, "we will take down this villain."