Chapter 2: Encounter pt.2
That encounter alone was enough to change everything. I was only a civilian, but if I hadn't reacted any sooner- then everything would've taken the wrong direction. What would I have known at the time? I didn't expect everything to have gone so downhill since then. But there was at least one shining light... No more than just that. If at least one of those lights didn't shine, then who knows how everything would have passed?
The world was split by seven different continents, Theart, Endvasthe, Islaght, Invotlack, Evroshan, Itschivban and Abhera. The world, however, was entirely influenced by heroes- whether it was heroes who were strong and took on villains or if it were heroes who were noble and save civilians, everyone looked up to them. Because of this respect towards these heroes, an unofficial-yet-accurate depiction of the rankings of heroes and villains was made.
'Pro-Heroes' were at the top, as you would expect. These are the people who fight Villains almost every day, keeping civilians safe from these villainous actions. Another was on top right next to pro-heroes, 'Hero Assistants', heroes who work along with heroes, aiding them in battle. Under the two are 'Hero Apprentices', novice heroes who only entered the hero scene. They do the same work as Pro-Heroes, but they aren't nearly as skilled as they are due to lack of experience. Under that are the 'Hero Beginners', that being heroes who are training to become heroes. It usually takes three years of training to become an official hero. The hero beginners rank alone has three sub-ranks, that being beginner, intermediate and experts.
The unofficial list was certainly crafted by a person who absolutely loved games. They described it as 'Hero Beginners are beginner, intermediate and expert difficulties. Hero Apprentices would be the Master difficulty in video games, and Pro-Heroes and Hero Assistants would be Master+1'. But the list didn't end there.
Civilians were just under hero beginners. Could they be considered as heroes though? Not exactly, but everyone has Incarnates. It would be ignorant to not consider them too.
That was the final of the hero list. Next was the Villain's list.
At the top, were 'Supervillains'- while rare, they contained massive power and are usually the leaders leading a group of Villains. Like how pro-heroes have hero assistants, supervillains have 'Masterminds'. Under the two would be standard 'Villains'. While not as strong as pro-heroes or supervillains, they still pose a threat to civilians- most are handled by the hero apprentices. Going down the list would be 'Villain Apprentices' who work alongside a villain, that also having three subranks which are underlings, grunts and executives.
The rankings of the unofficial list were highly accurate- but the one thing missing from it was the fact that civilians should be under the villain apprentices too. Civilians are like a balance between the two. Some can commit heroic actions whilst others can commit sinful actions.
In my case- it was merely self-defence, but that wasn't how the heroes took it.
A white blur and a black vignette. I tried opening my eyes, but I was opened up to the sight of white. My eyelids felt heavy, but as I continued to blink, everything slowly became clearer and clearer. I could feel my head pounding. Upon sitting up, I felt a sharp pain towards my abdomen. 'That's right... I was stabbed...' I recalled, being unable to remember it very well. Removing the quilt, I looked down to my body. A bandage was wrapped around my abdomen, and all I was wearing was a green shirt and bottoms just over the bandage. 'Where are my clothes?' I asked myself, looking around finally.
I didn't find my clothes anywhere, but at least I had enough to cover my body. I didn't realise it at first, but I was in a hospital room. 'I must've been taken in after the attack...' I assumed, sitting back on the hospital bed. At the moment I had taken in the sudden realisation that I was attacked, the door slide into the wall. 'An automatic door...?' I questioned, realising that I was in a more expensive hospital. Just beyond the automatic door was a man. He was clearly the doctor- wearing glasses and a white outfit which was presumably the uniform for this place.
"Ah, you're awake now, as expected," he spoke, giving a smile of relief, walking in as he places the paperwork that he had been carrying down on his desk after walking in. As the door closed automatically, I immediately wanted to know what happened.
"Where... am I...? What happened...?" I asked. I definitely didn't feel optimal due to the pain towards my abdomen, but it was bearable. Kicking the sheets off from my legs, I placed my feet, feeling the cold spread out from each of my toes down to the surface of my feet.
The doctor began to speak, handing me the clothes I had been looking for which were actually now washed, carrying a scent of... well washing liquid. It was washed and dried though so I couldn't really complain about the scent. It was a nice scent anyway so there wasn't really any need to complain.
"You were attacked by a villain who was being chased by pro-heroes. The villain had super speed, so the pro-heroes had struggled to capture him," He began as I used the curtains around the bed to cover myself as I begin to dress up. Taking off the patients outfit, I began to dress in a white vest which was under a black shirt. I then put on my black jeans and wore my black socks. I didn't necessarily always dress in black- it's just that it is winter and I wanted to keep myself warm using black clothing as I was taught that darker colours contain thermal energy.
The doctor continued to inform me of the situation. "The villain had injured a total of seven civilians, three of them losing their lives." As I was pulling up the black socks, I was immediately put to shock. Not only have crime rates shot up over the past few months, but civilians were also actually killed- something that hasn't happened in decades.
Sweat trickled down my cheeks as I began to feel fear. 'Are villains beginning to take action...?" I asked myself, continuing to get dressed. "Thanks to one of those civilians though, the pro-heroes were able to take the villain in." The mental image of the villain that attacked me appeared into my head in that instant. I recall disabling his movement by kicking his leg and punching his chest. After that- it was like his legs had burst and due to the speed he was moving at- his entire body was being messed up by the concrete. I had never used my powers on people before. Just what is the extent of them? "Not only that, many lives were saved thanks to that civilian." The doctor finished.
Did I really do that? 'I only wanted to protect myself...' I thought to myself. "Are... you implying I saved the day?" I asked, opening the curtains now that I had finished getting dress. A full black outfit accompanied by light blonde hair and blue eyes. Since my hair was really close to white, I thought black would look good on me. On different seasons I did choose different outfits though.
The doctor gave a slight sigh- as if he was in disbelief. "Well, what else did you do?"
"I really... only acted for myself." I was being selfish at that moment. I didn't intend on doing anything heroic.
"But those very same actions saved lives. It's very noble." He told me as if he was trying to boost my confidence. I didn't want to accept the praise though, I was never the type to do so anyway. Perhaps he felt that little disbelief over the fact that I couldn't accept the praise after doing something that saved many lives. But don't people do that all the time? Why am I getting the praise now?
Silence had fallen for a few seconds before the doctor broke it. "Well now that you've recovered, you can leave whenever. Just be sure to reapply bandages after a few days and be sure to clean the wound."
"Thank you..." I replied to him as I looked over to the desk which had my necklace. Reaching for it, I wore it over my clothes, bringing out my hair so that the necklace wasn't wrapped around it. My hair was pretty long, reaching down to the bottom of my chest.
Grabbing my bag which was near my necklace, I began to take my leave. "Oh yeah, and before you leave..." He spoke as the automatic door opened when I stepped in range of the sensors. "Just... prepare yourself." He told me, giving me a nervous smile.
''Prepare yourself'? Why would I need to do that?' I questioned. It was out of nowhere, but I wish I did prepare myself. Wearing my white coat which had fur on the hood, I had reached the entrance of the hospital. All was completely fine. After getting out of the hospital's car park which was just in front of it- only then did I realise what the doctor meant by 'prepare yourself'.
"Hey! What you did there was really amazing! You should definitely-" A hero with an unusual amount of spikes reminiscent of nettles had spoken out before being interrupted by another loud voice.
"Come to my agency!" A hero with what seemed to be holes in his hand with what seemed to be labels across his arm.
"Woah, it's the heroes Nettle Sting and Kettle Sling!" Voices began swarming around me, as the two heroes began to argue. What. Is. Happening?
"Eh?! Your agency is trash, mine is better!"
"Huh? What did you say? I'll scald you!"
Is this what heroes really should be acting like? The lower ranked pro-heroes sure do tend to be more hot-headed than most.
"She saved people excellently, my hero agency would be more suited." At least there are some heroes of the lower ranks who are more calm and rational about things.
"WHO ARE YOU?!"
That's what I call an immediate shut-down. Sadly, I don't even know him either.
"That's Fan Flush isn't it..?"
"Must be a more recent pro-hero..."
Fan Flush? Well, he does have fans just over his shoulders. I wonder how strong the wind is produced from them? Shaking my head, I instantly knew that I wanted to get out of here. I don't do well with crowds, but luckily the heroes drove all the attention from me into them. That was until yet another one came...
"She singlehandedly took the villain out by herself. Combat driven heroes should come to my agency." Now that is a hero I know of. The number 8th hero, Hellflame- known to use his flames for not only increasing his movement but also uses them to scorch his opponents or the paths to corner his opponent.
As I began to fantasize over the hero in front of me, everyone began to mutter.
"That's Hellflame!"
"Woah... so hot..."
I felt myself shivering in excitement- the flame hero was right in front of me. I couldn't help but fangirl over this. I couldn't even let out a single word. The flame hero wanted me to join his agency?!
"I... uh..." Practically incapable of speaking, I felt my cheeks rise in temperature. The excitement was getting to me.
"Well, what'll it be newbie, will you join my agency?" He asked directly. At this point- I felt like I was going to faint- I couldn't handle it.
I began to take a few breaths before I was actually able to speak. I didn't want to jump ahead of myself either, so I thought and spoke as logically as I could be, speaking my honest thoughts. "I... don't-"
"Recruiting more heroes Mr Hots himself?"
"Bottomzero!" The people squealed in excitement. I myself got even more excited- absolutely loving Bottomzero. Bottomzero was basically Hellflame's counterpart- using ice whilst being able to do everything Hellflame does. The two have an ongoing rivalry as they keep trading places in the ranking in 7th and 8th place. Right now, Bottomzero was in 7th, but we all know Hellflame is going to exceed him.
"Tsch, if there was anyone I didn't want to see today- that would be you," Hellflame replied, beginning a heated conversation between the two. "I see potential in this girl, that's why I'm recruiting her. She's more suited for my agency," he continued, giving a sound reason for recruiting me.
"Huh? Do you mean the same agency filled with hot-heads who really only know how to fight?" Zero replied, clearly giving absolutely zero craps about what he says about the other.
"You call us hot-heads yet look at yourself. Your name is so ironic it's laughable." He returned, clearly giving no cares for how much heat he throws at Zero.
"We should let her choose instead!" Said a voice. Yeah, the same fan guy. As a response, the ice and flame glared at the fan hero, that same glare almost too scary for the other pro-heroes to handle. In that instant- they were like 50 feet away. They really are a scary bunch, aren't they? I can't lie though, I've had some fantasies over the two heroes when I was younger.
"I think that's a fine solution." Zero broke the silence of them merely glaring at the other heroes, the two now turning to me.
"What'll it be, kid?" Flame asked just after Zero's comment.
Finally, I was able to talk. This felt like more of a waste of time rather than recruitment. There's no doubt that the recent event has made me pretty famous amongst the heroes. Though I could only tell them what I wanted to do. "I'm not... looking to be a hero. Sorry." I bowed to the two heroes.
I heard two completely different responses. An ice-cold sigh and an eruption of laughter, "Never saw a person with great powers choosing not to be a hero after committing such heroic deeds!" Flame laughed, handing me a card. "If you ever do decide to become a hero, you know who to call." He told me, giving a smirk filled with determination.
"Yeah, you know who to call." Zero repeated, giving a more devious smirk as he handed me his card. Looking at the two- they consisted of the phone numbers to their agencies.
"Huh?! You pickin' a fight? I'll drive my fist so far up your arse you'll be puking flames!"
With the two cards now in hand, I began to walk away from the scene before things got too heated between the two.
"You even think about touching me then I'll shove my fist so far down your throat you'll be shitting popsicles!"
I didn't even want to get involved with all of that. Luckily the crowd looked more towards the two pro-heroes. As I tried walking back home, the heroes Nettle Sting, Kettle Sling and Fan Flush handed me their cards.
"Our agency prioritises fighting villains. I know that the two there may have more impact on society, but please at least consider joining our agency!" The nettle hero bowed.
"Ours prioritises protecting civilians. As he said, please consider joining ours." The kettle hero bowed.
"Ours prioritises rescuing civilians after incidents. Consider joining ours too." The fan hero bowed as well.
They may be lower ranked, but they do know how to respect others, "Thank you, I will." I told the three before placing the three extra cards into my purse. I then continued to walk home.
A lot was in my mind, I'm getting requests of joining different hero agencies left and right. It wasn't the first time that I was attacked by a villain- it's just that this time was my first time to retaliate. If the villain wasn't so hard to catch- I doubt I would've been getting more fame, but this seriously changed everything.
Luckily I got home safe and soundly. I was a wreck, however. Hero agencies left and right, just how long did the pro-heroes wait? 'At least my car is here.' I thought, seeing my car parked safely.
Reaching for my keys, I began to unlock the front door. It was a hassle to deal with the new door. Pulling the door handle and twisting the key clockwise just a little bit more, the door finally opened- to which I then pushed it open. Taking my first step inside, I thought to myself in despair. '32 cards in one day...' Looking at the time, I was released as early as 9 am. I only just got home and it's 2 pm.
Placing my purse down in the living room, I slouched onto the couch with a hefty sigh. 'Today was such a drag...' I thought to myself as I sighed very heavily. So much was in my mind after all of that.
'I need a shower.' I thought to myself. Getting ready to take a shower, I began to think about what happened and what I should do.
That one villain attack has made me become famous amongst the pro-heroes, even the 7th and 8th placed heroes wanted to recruit me. You could even consider them the 1st and 2nd placed heroes from where I live which is a continent called Theart. They must've heard that I was taken to that hospital. They really came in person just to recruit me, there's no doubt that I'm a hot topic right now.
I never wanted this much attention, but whatever happens, happens I guess. What if I do decide to become a hero? I could be paid more for the family, but really... I just want to live a life of peace with them. Could I really achieve that if I become a hero?
'Guess I'm sticking to working as a chef.' I thought to myself as I turned on the shower.
Things were peaceful, but I never expected to be attacked by a villain directly. A random encounter was to be expected, but for them to directly come after me is a different story. On top of that, it was even more unexpected for it to be so soon.
Before getting into the shower, it was like a hurricane struck my own home.
"Wh-what?!" I asked myself as I was blown back by the wind. Keeping my eyes closed due to the pressure of the wind, I began to take cover against the wall in the shower room.
Eventually, the pressure had disappeared. As I opened my eyes, so much was different. One second I'm in my own home- ready to just take a shower and the next- half of my house is just rubble, a complete mess that would take forever to clean up. It was all destroyed. Grabbing a random set of clothes, I ran outside. I wore a white shirt with the words 'dream big' in black and bold with black shorts.
There... stood yet another villain, a villain in a yellow suit with arms much longer than what you'd normally expect. He had, what looked like to be, vacuums for hands. With his yellow suit, he had a mask on. "You're that warping girl right?! How we never heard of you is beyond us, but we must take you out before anyone else!"
I could feel my muscles tense before me, I was scared no doubt. His vacuum must be able to increase wind pressure by blowing or sucking. I felt my heart pounding my chest as I got ready to fight. His attacks are a very large range which means it would be hard to fight, but what else can I do right now? If I ran, I would ultimately be caught by his large ranged attack and I won't have enough time to escape. My powers have an 18-second cooldown whenever I use them, so I have to disable him in some way.
After my first villain encounter- I don't feel too scared to not move, but the fear is definitely still there. The only difference now is that I can handle it more easily. "I won't let you kill me that easily..." I muttered, holding my fists up whilst shaking. I have to act now or never.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Marumaru
Marumaru So this is a sort of continuation from the first chapter. I feel like I should've combined the two together but instead, I felt like I should just make this as a sort of continuation from the last. From now on, I'll be trying to go for 5000 words each chapter.
Think of this chapter as the second part of part one, and the next chapter will be the second part of the story. Well anyway, I hope this was good. I had a lot of fun making it and I can't wait to make the 3rd part! See you next week :p
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