Chapter 2: The Night The Hero Ignited Died.
That night fifteen years ago Phoenix sat on the rooftop of a local city laundromat in downtown Phoenix Arizona. The flames from his powers flickering in his hands as he held it close to his bare chest.
"Hey Ignited, your real name is Phoenix or something, right?" Asked the bulky luchador sitting next to him. "Why did your parents name you the same name as the city? They hate you or something fool?"
"Nah, I'm not named after this city." Said Phoenix staring at the little flame in the palm of his hand. "The city of Phoenix was named after me."
"Ha haha! Funny fool!" Laughed the luchador pating one of his four hands on Phoenix's back. Almost knocking the other man over.
"Hey dumb assess!" Whisper shouted the woman in skin tight spandex, leaning on the door to the rooftop. "Shut up! Seriously Muscle Man could you be any louder?" The women asked the lucidor. "And you flame fuck." She pointed towards Phoenix who looked up from the fire in his palm at her. "Stop it with the fire, do you want the bad guys to notice us? "
"Oh, come on like a couple of petty thieves are anything to worry about." Said the luchador.
"Besides I'm fucking freazeing my tits off out here." Said Phoenix.
"Oh boohoo!" Snapped the women.
"Oh come on The Protector. Give the kid a brake. His industry wouldn't even give him a shirt to wear." Laughed Muscle Man turning twords Phoenix he continued."But I guess your agency thought sex appeal might help with your image problem since you insisted on being a little cocky brat." Honstly fool, how does it feel to be so low in the charts that your company has to dress you up like that to be eye fucked by milfy Arizona house wifes?"
"Say's the old man in a unitard." Phoenix, retorted.
"And what's with the spiked hair huh? You are trying to be one of them aniamo protagonists or something?" The huge muscular man laughed loudly holding his sides with all four of his arms. "You look ridiculous."
Phoenix slowly ran his fingers through the stiff gel that held his bright dyed red hair in place.
"First of all, it's called anime. Second, you're just jealous because I have hair I can dye and gel, old man."
"First off don't call me an old man, man. I'm only in my mid 30's. Second, you don't know if I'm bald… no one sees a luchador without his mask."
Muscle man rubbed the back of his blue luchador mask with his oversized hand.
"Oh, poor Muscle Man doesn't know when to retire when he's old and worn out."
"You youngsters don't even know what being a hero is about anymore. Back in my day, it used to be about having heart, courage, and helping out other people in your community. Now all you newbies just think it's a fun popularity contest where you get to be celebrities and earn riches."
"But what's the point of doing things if you don't get anything out of it? Let's face it, you're just mad because you need to catch up with the times' boomer."
Ignited stuck out his tongue. Muscle Man became so mad that his veins started to show through his mask.
"Why you little…!"
"Are you two quite done with your pissing contest?" Asked The Protector."I know you both don't take your jobs seriously, but we're not supposed to have fun."
"You hear that Ignited?" Asked Muscle Man. "The Protector says fun is forbidden. Honestly, with her around I believe we can pull it off."
Both Phoenix and Muscle Man began to laugh when….
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
The alarm blared out. Ignited and Muscle Man stopped mid-laugh and looked down at the jewelry store.
"Idiot boys!" The Protector yelled.
She summoned a big blue disk and threw it off the building. She jumped from the roof onto the gliding saucer. Her black skin tight spandex costume allowed her to be agile while blending in with the night The wind blew her long braided brown hair up towards the stars as she glided down.
Ignited followed her lead running down the side of the building. Leaving scorch marks as his flames sparked from his bare feet up to his coal black sarouel pants.
"Gee thanks for asking if we need a ride down, The Protector." Scoffed Ignited.
"Don't be lazy, you can get down by yourself." Retorted The Protector.
"What's wrong kid?" Asked Muscle Man. "Can't play with the grown-ups? You need someone to hold your hand?" He laughed swinging down from the fire escape railing.
"Oh, I'll show you. I bet I can get there before you can, and defeat the most villains while I'm at it."
"Says the newbie. I'm not only the number one hero in Mexico, but I've been catching villains since you were in diapers!"
Muscle Man punched the locked door, glass flew everywhere. The sound of breaking glass startled civilians and villains alike. One of the villains grabbed the counter clerk and pointed a gun at her head.
"Ahh!" She screamed startaled.
"Well, then you better take your Viagra now old man, because you're going to need to last more than five minutes to keep up with me!" Retorted Ignited.
Ignited sparked a small flame. Reflecting the fire light from one of his golden bangles on his wrist into the gun man's eyes. Scared and blinded, the robber wildly aimed the gun out towards the heroes. The bullet flew across the store towards another civilian. The Protector quickly jumped in front of the hostage summoning a blue shield in front of themselves just in time. The bullet splintered on the shield saving her and the pedestrian.
"Damit Ignited!" Yelled The Protector. "You gotta be more careful when there are civilians around! If I wasn't here you would have killed someone!"
"Well, everyone's usual reaction to being blinded is to drop what they are holding and cover their eyes." Retorted Ignited. "Plus, it's fine because I know you wouldn't slip up and let a pedestrian die while on the job, right?"
"Rrr! That's not the point!"
Ignited smiled as he fired a fireball, knocking the gun out of the robbers hand. The Protector ran over to detain the now unarmed villain. Pushing him to the ground.
An ink-black man came out of the wall behind The Protector like a shadow. He ready his fist for a punch when Muscle Man tackled him from the side, His four arms pinning the shadow man to the ground. The shadow man then shifted into the ground becoming an actual shadow before uppercutting Muscle Man , and sinking back into the ground again.
"Dammit!" Yelled Muscle Man.
"What's wrong, boomer?" Smirked Phoenix. "Can't capture a simple villain? I guess in America you have to actually try to get on the hero charts."
"No one asked you, fool!"
"But I gotta hand it to you. It's better than the nothing charts they set up for the Native Americans. Being on the top of that charct barely means anything."
"Fuck you, Ignigted, you jack ass." Said The Protector keeping the villain pinned underneath her. "What would you know about taking down a villain successfully? Let alone topping in any hero chart."
The shadow villain then popped up out of the floor behind Ignited ready to throw a punch when the hero turned around blasting a burst of fire at the shadow man's face. The villain took a step back before falling backwards to the tiled floor of the jewelry store passing out.
"And that's what I know about taking down villains. And in one hit, I don't even understand how you guys were struggling." Smirked Phoenix. "God, I don't know what Arizona would do without me. I mean I did get transferred to New York recently. I leave first thing in the morning. Didn't even have to come support you two tonight, just thought I would be nice."
"Ya, because you're known to be nice." Scoffed The Protector.
"Be grateful for the assist because soon I'll become the number one hero in New York, then I'll be number one across the world. I'll be remembered as the powerful inferno hero Ignited! Just like I always planned to be." Ignited said more to himself than to his partners.
"Well one thing at a time, future number one hero." Scoffed The Protector. "For now, we wait for the cops to come and arrest these guys."
The Protector went to tie up the knocked-out villain when the other one she pinned and tied up began loudly mumbling to himself.
"I can't go to jail... I can't…" He shook, looking around panicked.
"Hey, quiet villain! You do the crime, you do the time." Said Ignited.
The villain looked up at Ignited. The hero's eyes gave an evil glint through his black eye mask, as a smirk spread across his freckled face. The villains pupils dilated, and sweat dripped out of his pores.
"And they're going to put you away for a long time." Ignited added.
"No…I can't...how will I pay her medical bills now… no, I can't...I have to, there's no choice…" The villain whimpered more to himself than to anyone else. "I have to do it I have to….I have to..."
"What the fuck are you rambling on about?" Asked Ignited. "Nothing you say is going to make me let you out of those cuffs. So don't you even try to negotiate with me."
"Umm, guys...did we ever find out what this guy's superpower is?" Asked The Protector.
Ignited's brown eyes widened when he saw the retained villain had a huge ten-foot shadow demon hovering over him.
"...let the darkness consume me in my uncontrollable fear."
The villain merged with the demon, sinking into the inky blackness as the monster consumed him whole. The beast then swung at the lean muscular hero. The monsters fist connecting with Ignited's bare abs. Ignited then slammed into the window shattering the glass into pieces. But the momentum of the throw kept going until Ignited found himself slammed into a brick wall of the laundromat across the street. His back made a sizable dent before he slid down the wall to the sidewalk below. The horned demon bashed a gigantic hole in the jewelry store wall as it let out a horrific scream that rumbled through the streets.
AHH! AHH!
The bystanders all scattered in a panic. Some grabbing their children and clutching their purses, some dropping their shopping bags and laundry to be left on the street.
"Hey Ignited! You okay?" Asked The Protector running up to Ignited.
"Ya, damn bastards not as tough as he looks." Ignited rasped out, wiping the blood from the side of his mouth.
"Me and Muscles are going to evacuate the bystanders. I trust I can leave you to the villain?"
The beast had already begun charging at Ignited. The hero smirked, wobbling to his feet.
"This ugly son of a fuck is no match for me!"
Before anyone knew it, the demon went to swing at Ignited again.
"Not this time! You ugly fuck!" Yelled Ignited.
His muscular arm lit up in flames, he clenched his fist. Swinging at full force Ignited connected with the monster's fist.
AHHHH!
The monster screeched as Ignited incinerated it's arm. Blowing it to pieces that flew everywhere.
The monster swiped at the hero wildly with his one good arm, but Ignited dodged, running up the wall of a laundromat. His whole body ignited in an inferno of flames from his pale freckled feet, to his fiery spiked hair. He did a backflip off the wall.
"Spiral of Flames!" Yelled Ignited.
His flaming fist burning into the monster's skull like puddy. Cutting through his body down to his huge stomach before as he landed back on the street.
AHHH!
The monster screeched again in a low loud rumble.
"Looks like I'm a bad match for you buddy! Your raw strength and darkness is no match for my bright flames!"
Ignited, smirked, the flames in his hand danced around in his gleaming brown eyes. The demon then picked up a car with his one good arm throwing it, Ignited dodgeged and ran at the monster. The monster kept picking up things from cars to lamp posts to throw at Ignited. But Ignited either dogged or incinerated the flung object, his flames tearing up the street behind him as he passed by. When he finally got in close to the monster he pulled back his arm, readying his next special attack.
"Fire of Fury!" Ignited shouted.
A gigantic fireball burst out of the palms of his hands and plowed into the monster's chest. The demoned imploded as chunks of inky flesh flew all over the district out of control.
"Shit!" Ignited shouted.
But it was too late, there was nowhere to take cover. One of the many chunks of flesh hit Ignited right on his bare abdomen throwing him back into a nearby alleyway, his head hit a fire escape. But before he could recover a bunch of rubble that was created by his huge blast rained down on him, burying him underneath.
When Ignited's eyes groggily opened again he peered through the rubble on top of him to see a short man in a black hoodie stuffing something into a body bag.
"What the…ugg..."
Ignited pushed the rubble off of himself, sitting up. The hooded man turned around staring at the sudden movement.
"Oww…"
Ignited rubbed the back of his throbbing head as blood dripped from his dirty scratches that were all over his bare chest and arms. Ignited then noticed the stranger whose face was covered by a black hazmat mask staring at him.
"Who are...what's going…"
Ignited's sentence began drifting off. His blurred vision zeroed in on the villain he fought earlier, back in his human form, sticking out of the body bag the hazmat mask guy had.
"You're that vigilante, the Villain Napper!" Ignited shouted, wobbling as he stood up. "Now listen here. I'm sure to you, whatever you're doing here is righteous judgment or something along those lines.But it's not your job to pass judgment on these people or hunt them down. In fact, you should learn your place, not everyone is cut out to be a hero. You pricks who didn't make the cut with whatever useless power you were born with actually make us licensed heroes jobs harder to pervent this tom fuckery. So silent treatment, are you going to come with me quietly so I can hand you over to the cops? Or are we going to put up a fight? If you're going to fight I gotta warn you, it sure hurts like hell to be lit up like a crispy marshmallow."
Ignited smirked as flames danced around the palm of his fair hand. The man in the hazmat mask dropped the body bag to the concrete and ground. Slowly putting his gloved hands up over his head.
"That's more like it. Now let's see who the little piss ant behind the mask is."
Ignited unlit the fire in his hands taking a step towards the vigilante. That's when the vigilante turned tail and ran down the alleyway.
"Big mistake buddy! I happen to be an excellent shot!"
Ignited aimed a shot at the slender man running down the alleyway. The fireball was a moment away from landing the hit when the vigilante ducked swerving around the corner of the alley. He continued running, picking up the pace.
"Oh come the fuck…! Fine!"
The hero ran after the vigilante holding his bleeding sides. When Ignited got the roge in his sights again he fired another fireball at him but this time the man in the hood pushed a dumpster toward the fire user and kept running. The dumpster flew back. The smoke from the singed trash obscured the rest of the alleyway. Ignited did not see the red fence until he was directly in front of it. But luckily for him the other side of the fence was a dead end.
"End of the line fucker! This shitty chase scene ends now!"
Ignited raised his hand to burn the fence down when the hooded man jumped down from the fire escape behind him with a crowbar in his hand.
Clank!
The vigilante hit Ignited in the back of his head with the crowbar. The fiery hero wobbled for a bit before falling to the dirty ally ground. The vigilante took his mask off to get a closer look at the hero.
"Phoenix? Oh, Phoenix I knew it was you." Said the vigilant. "Wow, you really became a hero. I haven't seen you since you've bullied me in high school."
Ignited stared up at the vigilanties uncovered face.
"Quixotic?" Ignited mumbled before passing out.
The memory of that cold night fifteen years ago faded out as Phoenix tried to claw at the white coat sleeve that grew tighter around his wrist. The truck Phoenix was tied to pulled him, picking up speed. It didn't help as more vivid memories came into play. The white coat sleeve that grew tighter around his wrist suddenly became binds that chained him to the hospital bed as vivid memories of Quixotic poking and prodding at him with needles came in and out of his mind making him queasy.
Phoenix breathed heavily shaking his dull orange hair loose from its ponytail. His vision became hazy before looking up at his caged nemesis. His eyes locking onto Quixotic's. Quixotic smiled down at him playfully within his cage. This enraged Phoenix as he screamed.
"Fuck you!"
His panic replaced by pure unadulterated rage. He reached into his sheath and pulled out a knife. Bringing it down on the cloth. He cut himself loose from the truck tumbling on the asphalt.
Phoenix got one last glance at his green-eyed foe as he drove away mostly naked in the cage on the back of the truck. Quixotic smiled and waved before disappearing into a tunal.
"God damn peace of shit!"
Phoenix yelled, throwing a rock after Quixotic. It skidded on the road landing a few feet in front of him as the sun rose over the horizon. It's golden glow bringing light to another day of this shit. But before Phoenix could throw another rock at Quixotic general direction the light from the desert sun settled on a piece of paper on the ground. Phoenix picked it up and read it.
{ Ignited, }
You're invited to my birthday party! =D
When:3/26 at 11:59 pm
{ Where: Meet me where the glass heart shattered. <3 }
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone