Abandoned warehouse. Somewhere in Boston. Twelve hours before the Showcase.

"My, my. You are quite the tough nut to crack, huh?"

"Sadly, every man has his limits, and you must be nearing yours, Dr. Hersher."

A pool of blood floods the warehouse floor. Box and crates are coated red. A single lightbulb dangles from the roof. In the middle lay a middle-aged man gasping for air. His glasses have been shattered across his face. His whole body is bound to a chair now resting on the ground. A nametag can be seen on his chest, one 'Dr. Alfred Hersher, Avalon Incorporated.'

"I've already told you everything I know! Please let me go!" He cries out.

"Everything? But we don't even know the guest list for today's expo, Doctor."

Standing in front of him is a woman. Her silky black hair flows past her shoulders. Her crimson eyes gleamed excitedly while her lips curved into a sinister smile.

"Rumor has it, Streetwise will be making an appearance today. Is that true?"

The Doctor hesitates, "I-I don't know!"

"Sounds like a yes to me," she turns away, "just thinking about him is getting me excited~"

The woman extends her leg and kicks Hersher right in the gut. He coughs out more blood, some of which gets on her shoe. The red liquid nearly splashed a man. He shields himself using a black umbrella.

"That is enough, Wager," the man closes his umbrella, "Clearly, the poor Doctor didn't know of today's Guest. I doubt he even has that level of clearance."

He steps forward, cleaning his umbrella. His distinguished formal black suit remains stain-free.

"Are you sure?" Wager pouts, "I'd bet otherwise~"

"We've gotten everything we need," he says, "he is of no use to us anymore."

"Wait!" Dr. Hersher pleads, "I can tell you more!"

"See?" Wager smiles as she kicks the Doctor yet again. This time, sending his glasses flying.

"I've grown tired of this interrogation. Besides, I believe it is time for him to eat."

"Awwww, alright." Wager sighs but quickly shifts her attention to a man dressed in purple and black streetwear, "See, I told you this would be over before breakfast. Pay up, Recoil."

Recoil steps forward. His beanie slumps over his eyes as he hands over fifty bucks.

She looks to one of the darker corners of the room and calls for someone, "Oh Tarare~ it's breakfast time. Hurry up! It's the most important meal of the day."

A big, lumbering man steps out of the shadows. His long hair covered most of his face. He slowly approaches the Doctor, who screams, "S-s-stay back!"

Wager and Recoil walk away with the formal man. They step outside into the orange light of the rising sun. The man taps his umbrella as a shadowy mist starts forming beside him. Its singular eye stared at the two villains. Recoil recoils away while Wager just laughs.

"Pleasure doing business with you, Clockwork," Wager bows and smiles, "give the mad King our regards~."

"Of course, Ms. Wager. And be sure to take care of our mutual friend here," Clockwork points towards the living shadow, "do not keep us waiting."

The black mist begins to envelop Clockwork as he slowly fades away. Only leaving behind vague smoke. Wager shows their new friend back to their makeshift headquarters.

"So you already met Recoil and me, but let me introduce you to the rest of the team."

Wager gestures to the other villains in the warehouse.

"The big one is Tarare. We call him that 'cause he can eat anything!"

Tarare waves as he continues chewing on what looks to be a femur.

"The one in yellow is Throwback. He can use your bad memories against you.

"And that one in lime green is Spit take. Careful with him. He can spit acid!"

Wager tries to spook the ghost, but he remains still.

"How 'bout you friend? What's your name?"

The specter remains still, not even moving with the wind.

"Oi, didn't ya hear her, you daft bastard? She's asking fo' ya name!" Throwback screams.

"Well, if he doesn't even have a name, I suppose we just name 'im, yeah?" Recoil chimes in.

"Oh, Oh, I got one!" Spit Take excitedly exclaims, "We call him Revenant."

"Alright then," Wager smiles, "Mr. Revenant, welcome to the Sin-Ominous Six."

Water Bus. Nearing Boston Port. Three hours before the Showcase.

Dreadnought peacefully wakes up from his nap. Thankfully, he didn't experience any nightmares while sleeping. But that feeling of dread still remains. Next to him, Snooze slumbers on his shoulder. Maybe her sleep powers cause the nightmares to go away? Dreadnought thinks to himself. He gently places her down next to the window as he heads for the deck.

Meanwhile, Gateway tries to make small talk with Meraxes, much to her dismay.

"I only accepted because I didn't think you'd talked this much," she remarks.

"Sorry to disappoint," he smirks

"Ugh, whatever," she rolls her eyes.

"For someone with fire powers, you are awfully cold."

On the other hand, Glimpse and White Mask are as quiet as fart. A quiet fart. While White Mask had all the confidence in the world when asking her out. It seems that after the initial bout, all his confidence went out. Just like a fart. A bulbous fart.

"D-do you want something to eat?" Glimpse quietly whispers, just like a-

'Uh, sure," White Mask smiles.

She takes a handful of bagged chips from her backpack. They all are red in color, with the logo being Chippy™.

"Where did you get these?"

"St-Streetwise passed them around. I am not familiar with these brands, so I just grabbed whatever.

"Huh. Okay."

White Mask opens one bag and takes a handful. He takes the chip and eats it.

"Mmmmmm. This shit is bussin, on God!" He exclaims.

"Wh-what?"

"It's... good," he clarifies.

Back on the deck, Dreadnought looks to the open seas and takes in a breath of fresh air. He laments on his brother Jacob, and how he would've loved to see a view like this. He takes out his phone and crudely takes a photo of the Boston horizon.

While checking his photos, he notices some old pictures he didn't take. Some of them were taken by Matter, and the others were taken by Streetwise. He smiles as he thinks back to simpler times. Alas, those times are long gone; all he can do now is reminisce.

Suddenly, he hears a loud snore. Dreadnought goes to investigate and finds Streetwise sleeping on a beach chair with a magazine on his lap. His arms are crossed behind his head, and his mask is lifted slightly up, allowing him to breathe comfortably. Dreadnought laughs to himself as he takes a photo of this.

"What are you doing?" Matter asks.

"Gah!" Dreadnought exclaims, "n-nothing?"

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"Mhmm. Looks like you're taking embarrassing photos of Streetwise."

"N-no..."

Matter punches his arm, "Don't worry, I won't tell. Besides, I also took some." She shows Dreadnought more embarrassing photos of Streetwise. Not just the one she took earlier but many across her entire career. She continues to talk about all the stories behind the photos all the while a slight smile appears on Streetwise's face. He sneakily steals a glance at his two students, finally somewhat reconciling.

"Wake up, numbnuts!" Glance lightly taps Streetwise's forehead, "we have arrived."

The Paladin's boat pulls into the harbor as dock workers help assist the Captain in parking the water bus. Glance does a head count of all the students in the event one of them went capside. Luckily for him, they all are present and accounted for.

"Alright, listen up, Class Sword! The Avalon Research Center is only a five-minute walk from here. You may take pictures while we go, but you cannot wander off unsupervised. So stay with your partners within the line."

The class huddles together into a makeshift line. Dreadnought quickly reunites with Snooze. Glance takes the front, Aegis stays in the middle, and Streetwise watches the rear. As they move along, they pass one of the famous Boston landmarks, the USS Constitution. Dreadnought quickly takes a photo and then thinks about his codename. There was a more than zero chance that 'Constitution' could have been one of his names, given that he was named after the 'USS Dreadnought.'

After a few more minutes of walking, they finally arrived at the expo center, which happens to be near Boston's financial district. It is a grand, awe-inspiring facility—predominantly silver, gold, and purple. The entire place screams future, like Avalon is the zenith of technology. A dozen bipedal robot drones roam around the facility. They look even more advanced than the Paladin bots. Their armor is sleeker, and they move even smoother.

As they enter the facility, dozens of Avalon scientists greet and welcome them. In the middle of the crowd, a woman with brown hair and a white lab coat begins talking.

"Welcome students and teachers of Paladin's Academy. My name is Doctor Cassandra Lasiloo, and I am the head scientist and lead researcher of the Z-reactor. "

She walks closer towards them as some of the other researchers scatter and spread out.

"Unfortunately, my partner, Dr. Alfred Hersher, will not be joining us. His wife called us and said he was not feeling well. Nonetheless, I am here to show you all the future of renewable energy. If you please follow me, I will present some of our side projects before we view the main course."

The students and teachers are quickly redirected to the expo center. They pass even more scientists, either walking past them or doing their work inside their labs. Dr. Lasiloo presents some of Avalon's latest developments.

First off, their prototype flying cars, dubbed 'Z-mobiles.' They show promise by making use of a miniaturized Z-reactor. However, they are still prototypes; some can barely float from the ground.

Next off, they show the prototype Z-Armor Model One. Using the new mini reactor and schematics from their 'Z-bots,' they were able to synthesize a prototype exoskeleton super suit. Capable of giving any non-powered human super strength and super durability. Despite all of that, the armor is bulky and cumbersome. The armor is so dangerous that human pilots haven't been approved yet. White Mask and Techn0-Kn1ght both stare at the prototype.

Finally, Dr. Lasiloo presents their Magnum Opus, the Z-Reactor Mark Ten. Capable of powering entire cities with just Zenithium ore. The only thing stopping Avalon from full implementation is the fact that pure Zenithium is finite, meaning that in the event that the Zenithium within the reactor runs out, there is a slight chance that it will lose its power. Dr. Lasiloo mentions that they are developing alternatives for Zenithium ore, yet none have proven successful.

Dreadnought stares longingly at the reactor. Its blue lights alluring and captivating him. Almost like a moth to a flame. He swears that he can hear someone talking. Not the Doctor, nor his classmates, but the reactor itself.

"I can help you save them, your family. I can bring those who have wronged you to justice."

Snooze pulls Dreadnought away as Dr. Lasiloo shows everyone to their research and development sector. Which also happens to contain their gift shop. All of the students quickly start looking around, with White Mask taking notes about the reactor and that prototype.

The teachers linger around the reactor with Dr. Lasiloo. Aegis complimented Dr. Lasiloo on the presentation and thanked her for her time. Away from them, Glance and Streetwise chat by the flying cars.

"You think we'll be driving these in the future?" Glance asks.

"No," Streetwise bluntly replies, "bad idea. It's like giving everyone planes."

"Don't you have a jet?"

"The Streetplane? Nah, I retired that long ago. The Streetmobile on the other hand."

Streetwise hops into one of the prototype cars and starts fiddling with the knobs and gears.

"I think it could use an upgrade."

Glance hops into the passenger seat as he rests his legs.

"Guess the Glancer could use an upgrade too."

WEEEEE WOOOOO, the alarms buzz. Red sirens suddenly cover the facility. Security bots start rushing in, closing all the barriers, and initiating a lockdown.

"Let me guess," Streetwise smirks, "a villain attack?"

One of the researchers quickly turns to the TV as a news report suddenly flashes before their very eyes.

"This just in: a supervillain has been spotted in downtown Boston. First responders Groundmine and Dronestar have arrived on the scene and quickly face off against this dastardly foe."

"See?" Streetwise smiles. "Looks like the local heroes got this one,"

"Breaking news: local heroes Groundmine and Dronestar have been defeated. Police reports of two other villains lurking in the shadows. This level of destruction has not been seen since the defeat of the Twelve. Right now, the Police will try to slow down this hulking threat and hold out for a hero to save them."

"Shit," Streetwise sighs, lowering his hood, "Call the play Aegis."

"Glance and I will hold the fort down. Since you're faster, you head downtown and stop those villains. If it was a diversion, we can buy you enough time to return."

"Copy that. I'll make it quick," Streetwise gives a thumbs up.

"You always do," Glance laughs. Streetwise flips him off and jumps away. Aegis runs with Glance to secure the innocent researchers and, of course, their students.

Meanwhile, just outside the facility, Wager, Recoil, and Revenant watch as Streetwise leaps away. The sheer force causes the wind to blow back at high pressure, almost knocking them off their feet.

"He really lives up to his title~," Wager squirms, putting her arm between her thighs.

"Focus Wager, it's time to lock the fuck in," Recoil reiterates.

"Of course, I always put our work first," Wager sadistically smiles. She looks to Revenant and signals to him that it is go time.

A veil of pure black fog emanates from him. Surrounding the entire building. This veil cuts off all communications inside and out. Wager and Recoil move in closer, preparing to infiltrate.

In the heart of Boston, police cars speed throughout the road. Buildings have caught on fire, and civilians run for their lives, screaming for someone, for anyone, to stop that rampaging monster.

A humongous, obese man continues to walk forward, unfazed by the current chaos. Behind him are the bodies of unconscious heroes, some of whom have lost their limbs. In front of him, the Police have set up a barricade to try and slow him down.

"Supervillain!" The Captain says, "First and final warning, put your hands up and surrender!"

The fat man continues to walk forward. His eyes focused on the Captain himself. He licks his lips as he starts to speed up into a jog.

The Captain winces and stands back. The other officers watch in horror, clutching their pistols hard.

"O-open fire!" The Captain shouts. A wave of gunfire erupts from the barricade. They watch in horror as the Fat Man opens his jaw wide and begins eating all their bullets. He begins to gargle them, shaking the projectiles in his mouth. The Fat Man then takes a deep breath and blows all the bullets out, like a high-speed turret.

The cops take cover as a rain of shrapnel descends upon them. Their cars are pierced with lead. Bystanders run for their lives. But just when a hail of bullets is about to hit them, WHOOSH, a blur dashes before all of them, grabbing the ammo in his hand.

They stand up, and lo and behold, they are greeted by the strongest hero of today, Streetwise. He drops all the bullets as the crowd starts clapping and cheering, the cops tip their caps, and the fat man takes a step back.

"Officers," Streetwise says with a smile, "you know the drill."

"Yeah, of course. Alright, men, start evacuating the bystanders and establish a fifty-meter perimeter."

They all move together, getting everyone out of Streetwise's way. He turns his attention to the big guy in front of him.

"So, Entrée the giant, what brings you to Boston?"

"You."

"Me?" Streetwise puts his hands on his face, "but I don't even live here!"

"You're here now, all that matters."

"All that matters to you is the buffet. Fidel Casserole. Don't worry, I'll end this before lunch. But you're next meal's gonna be prison food."

Streetwise leaps forward with breakneck speed and extends his arm forward. Punching the fat man with such force that all the windows break around them. But something's off. As the dust clears, Streetwise notices the fat man has not moved.

"That usually works," Streetwise steps back, "maybe lay off the burgers Muhhamed I'll eat."

"My name is Tarare, the villain who can eat anything. Even you."

"Okay, so maybe my jokes were in bad taste," Streetwise raises his arms, "but you wouldn't know bad taste, huh?"

Tarare raises his fist up high and slams it towards Streetwise. He sidesteps the attack and goes for a counter, wrapping his ropes around his fist. WHAM, a direct hit to the jaw. A clean uppercut. But Tarare remains unfazed as he goes in for a hook. Streetwise ducks and aims for Tarare's liver. BLAM. His fat just absorbs the blow, dispersing it across his body.

So he's not just fat because he likes eating. His fat ties into his ability. Maybe it's a kinetic thing?

Streetwise effortlessly dodges all his attacks. While Tarare's hits are slow, they are powerful. It might actually hurt to get hit. He goes in for another slam, but this time, he aims for the floor. Streetwise jumps back as the ground breaks beneath them.

"Hey now, the road isn't your eating disorder."

Streetwise makes a hand sign, a finger gun and positions it over his shoulder."One-Way!" Streetwise screams. A thin, glowing white tendril shoots from his finger, heading directly for Tarare's head. The Fat Man smiles as he opens his mouth wide, instantly swallowing the tendril.

Streetwise blinks once, then twice. Tarare, right then and there, starts slurping. Like he's eating a bowl of noodles. Streetwise grabs his hand and plants his feet. He watches as Tarare, like a vacuum, swallows meters of his light ropes whole. On his left arm, he makes a flat hand and, with one motion, cuts his energy tendril, causing it to dissipate.

"That's new..." Streetwise laughs as Tarare hits himself in the back hard. Making him burp so loud that the windows around them shatter. Streetwise puts his hands on his ears as he takes the shockwave. After a few seconds, he begins rotating his shoulder.

"Alright!" He loudly shouts, "maybe this will be an actual fight."

Out of nowhere, green mucus drops from the sky. Streetwise forms an umbrella using his ropes. His eyes widened when he realized that the liquid was acid and that it could melt through his whips. A villain jumps next to Tarare, a man in a lime green hazmat suit. This is Spit Take.

"Wow, you have friends," Streetwise laughs.

Yet again, from the sky, a car comes crashing down. Streetwise stops the car with one hand and gently places it to the side. Another villain jumps from the building, this time wearing yellow and grey spandex. This is Throwback.

"Two more guys, huh?" Streetwise shrugs, "You could call a hundred more and it still wouldn't be a fair fight."

"Cocky bastard," Throwback throws back, "just the three of us is enough for you!"

"Three?" Streetwise looks around, "I only see two of you."

Tarare and Throwback look around. In the corner of their eye, they can see Spit Take, knocked out, on top of a destroyed car. His eyes are blank, and his whole body is bruised.

"See, I was willing to indulge Obesus Prime because I felt nice. But I just remembered I have to be elsewhere."

A massive gust of wind starts enveloping the area. Tarare and Throwback cover their eyes as Streetwise steps forward.

"Let me show you why they call me, the strongest."