The plan was simple. First, distract and lure Streetwise away from the facility. Next, lock down the place using Revenant's shadow powers, blocking off all communication inside and out. The alarms will detect Revenant and warn everyone inside about a possible Supervillain attack. Standard procedure dictates that in the event of a Villain attack, everyone will run to the safety bunkers and alert local heroes. Revenant then reinforces the bunker, preventing everyone inside from coming out. Beat the other two heroes who aren't Streetwise, secure the reactor, and use Revenant's teleportation power to teleport them and the reactor out of there. Simple!

Recoil reflects on the plan as he prepares for battle. At this stage of the plan, Wager should be securing the reactor, and Revenant should still be guarding the safe room. The main problem with the plan is that Revenant's shadows are finite. He is a being composed purely of darkness. Closer to a void born than a regular man. He cannot maintain his outside veil, the reinforcement on the safe room, and teleport the reactor simultaneously. There is a short window wherein he drops everything to teleport the reactor. This is why Recoil and Wager must secure the place first. And now, only one person stands in his way.

Aegis continues staring at Recoil. She calms herself and focuses on the impending fight. Since the dawn of unique abilities, fights have gotten more complicated. If it was just close-quarter combat between two nonpowered individuals, then the ceiling of strength is not that far high. But by adding a new superpowered variable, heroes like her must be careful. A villain could have literally anything up their sleeve, which is why most heroes err on the side of caution unless they're named Streetwise.

"Intruder!" A robot guard shouts, pointing its weapon at Recoil. He turns around and throws a small rock faster than a speeding bullet. It shatters the guard in two while painting the wall in liquid Zenithium.

That move! Aegis thinks. She recognizes this type of fighting style, narrowing down Recoil's possible abilities.

Recoil possesses the unique ability known as 'Governor,' which gives him the innate capacity to modify velocity. Simply put, he can adjust the speed of anything he touches, making it go faster or slower. This can affect both living and non-living objects.

Aegis uses this distraction and rushes forward. Recoil reacts by throwing more rocks at her. With a swiping wave of her arm, she opens her palm and stops all the projectiles in place, using what appears to be a transparent barrier.

This woman, her powers directly counter mine?! Recoil reacts. Aegis punches him in the chest, sending him a few feet back.

His intuition happens to be correct. Aegis has the unique ability known as 'Dichotomy," where she can create a barrier like no other. A barrier that can divide the space infinitely between someone inside and someone outside. Thus, making it so that these two things cannot interact. A perfect shield.

The barrier's default configuration is a thin bubble-colored wall, but Aegis can modify the shape into a dome or a sphere. The dome protects multiple people, and the sphere is used as a projectile. Since people can't touch the sphere, it becomes an unstoppable force. Only dissipating on Aegis' command.

However, even a powerful ability such as this has its weaknesses. While the barrier itself is invincible, the user has to maintain it using their own mental fortitude and internal energy. Aegis prefers to use her ability in quick bursts of attack and deflection.

With both combatants reaching a level of understanding of each other's abilities, they start to plan their approach differently. The crux of Recoil's ability comes from 'touching.' If he cannot make contact with his opponent, he won't be able to modify their speed. Aegis completely nullifies his abilities. But in terms of strength and speed, he outclasses her. They both must be wary, for this fight could go either way.

Aegis surprises Recoil by dashing towards him and going for multiple punches. Thanks to his speed boost, he manages to block them all. He then goes for a quick leg sweep, just to be stopped by Aegis' shield. He tries hitting her again and again, but it's all in vain. Aegis counters by manifesting tiny little bubble spheres and slamming them into his chest, forcing him through the facility wall.

Recoil winces in pain as he stands right back up. He pockets some debris and starts talking,

"You are a formidable opponent; I'll give you that. But just ONE hit from me, and you're done. So try to keep up with me, hero!" He approaches her and laughs, "AS BEST AS YOU CAN!"

He starts sprinting around like a cheetah high on cocaine, circling around her and slowly gaining more momentum. Aegis switches her strategy and puts up a small dome around her. It's clear to her that Recoil plans to use his superior physical prowess against her. He throws dozens of small rocks at high speeds, surrounding the barrier. Aegis stops them, but it all starts to pile up. A bead of sweat drops from her head. Stopping one projectile was easy. Stopping a hundred? It was starting to strain her. Her knees started to buckle as cracks began to form. Recoil notices this and spots the weak point. He smiles,

"You lose."

CRACK! The barrier falls, leaving Aegis exposed to Recoil's attack. He knows that this opportunity will only last a few seconds, so he pushes his body to move faster than it ever has before. He slams his fist right in her gut. POW! Aegis starts to tumble through multiple walls faster than she should. She smashes through a desk, breaking it and stopping her fall. She coughs up blood and clutches her chest. A few hundred feet away, Recoil massages his now broken arm. He removes his jacket and converts it to a makeshift cast. He cackles maniacally, preparing another barrage of attacks, knowing that the tides have now turned in his favor.

In the halls of the Facility, Glance and Dr. Lasiloo continue running. She directs him to the safe room so that he can drop her off and help Aegis. However, when they draw closer, they find something odd. The once brightly lit alarms suddenly grow dimmer when nearing the safe room, as if something is blocking the lights.

See, Glance's unique ability, like Glimpse's, comes from their eyes. In Glance's case, he can absorb visible light through his retinas and can dish them back as concussive beams. Without any visible light to use, Glance relies on his reserves, which are present in his suit.

"Doc, stay behind me," he gestures, putting his arm in front of her. They move slowly through the increasingly dark hallway, passing by tainted walls and broken equipment. Glance readies his lance and light grenade as they finally find the safe room. However, it is currently shrouded in complete darkness, and several armed Z-bots stand guard right outside. Their lights are off, which makes them look more like statues. Glance inspects them further,

WHAM! A shadow fist jumps from the bot right on Glance, hitting him square in the nose. Shadow arms emerge from the floor, grabbing his arms and legs and slowly pulling him down. He struggles to try and break free, but Revenant's shadows grow more robust in the absence of light. He tries activating one of his grenades, but it has already sunk. He's already waist-deep in this void. He takes one big breath and lets out all his stored light in one big blast. Covering the entire room in bright yellow light.

The shadows dissipate as Glance removes his helmet and starts to rub his eyes. Ever tried peeing without any pee coming out? That's what Glance just did. He used whatever he had left in the tank and let it all out, straining and damaging his eyes.

"Glance!" Dr. Lasiloo helps him up. He tries to look around, but it's still too dark, and his eyes haven't fully recovered. The shadows start to morph around the Z-bot statues,

"Guards, there is a Supervillain right in front of you..."

The robot guards spring to life, now coated in black fog. Their eyes lock on Glance, scanning him as one of the Zeni.

"Intruder, prepare to die!" They all shout. They charge forward, rifle in hand and energy sword in other. Glance pushes Doctor Lasiloo away as he firmly grasps his lance.

"I don't need my eyes to beat you, VILLAIN!"

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Back at the reactor room, Wager puts her left hand behind her back as she looks at the boys. Her internal clock starts now. The four boys stand ready, yet they do not attack first. Is it fear? Doubt? Or maybe a strategic choice. White Mask stares at the others, waiting for them to make their move.

"So, who wants to die first?" Wager asks.

"Screw you bitch!" Sure-Shot shouts, charging forward with no fear in his heart. He shoots multiple pellets at her, but she just blocks them with her tonfa. She runs forward and swings right at him, throwing him away.

Double-Trouble and his clones jump forward and try to dog-pile her. Wager just laughs and, with one swipe, bonks all their heads, making all the clones dissipate. With the main one revealed, she twirls the tonfa around and strikes him in the chest, breaking a few ribs. D.T. collapses on the ground, clutching his chest.

Dreadnought grips the gun and puts it on his temple, but he hesitates. His breathing has become erratic. His knees buckle on their own weight. His lips start quivering. This overwhelming presence, just like with Streetwise, and just like his brothers. This is a person who not only wants to kill them but will enjoy it as well.

Whit Mask notices Dreadnought's behavior and runs toward him. Wager walks toward them, but Sure-Shot jumps back in the fight, screaming, "ASSHOLE! I'LL KILL YOU!"

"What the fuck are you doing?" White Mask shouts, shaking Dreadnought up and down.

"I... I can't do it," he confesses, turning away.

"Seriously?! The guy who beat MY ass when I choked him out suddenly having doubts?!"

White Mask slaps Dreadnought as hard as he can, leaving a red mark on his face.

"Get it through your FUCKING DENSE HEAD! If you don't fight, that shit head, and that dumb fuck, they might get seriously hurt, or hell, even die! If they do, it's on YOU. Do you want that Dreadfuck?! HUH!"

White Mask continues to shake Dreadnought, but it seems his mind has been made up. Sure-Shot comes slamming into all three of them. He stands up and fixes his dislocated shoulder.

"Sure-Shit, talk some sense to Dreadcock! He's having what your people call 'Shellshock,' so do something!"

"Roger that, Sir!" Sure-Shot salutes.

White Mask charges at Wager. He's waving his baton like a poor man on black Friday. Wager just laughs, exchanging a few hits with her baton.

Sure-Shot drags Dreadnought to D.T. as he reloads his slingshot with new metal ball bearings.

"Look, Dreadnought, if you're not going to fight, that's fine. Just guard D.T. since that Villain hit him pretty hard. White Mask will try to stall her until one of the teachers gets here, but if we fall, you're our last hope."

Sure-Shot pats Dreadnought on the shoulder, reassuring him the best way he can. He then leaves them alone as he assists White Mask from afar. Dreadnought holds D.T.'s hand, trying to feel his pulse. He does, and the pulse is weak; one might even think it is fading. A cruel memory starts to replay in his head,

"How bout an alternative? We brothers go home, and Nico here gets to meet our lord and savior above. Sound's like a good deal, no?"

"JOSEPH DON'T!"

A loud crack can be heard. But Dreadnought isn't imagining it. His eyes widened, witnessing Wager breaking Sure-Shot's shooting arm. He drops the slingshot, shouting, "MY ARM! YOU BLOODY BITCH!"

She tosses him to the wall, knocking him out, leaving White Mask the only combatant available. Dreadnought clutches his fists, making them bleed. He grits his teeth, crying bloody tears. His left-hand morphs into one long orange reptile, A serpent. His wings, now more scaly, sprout forth, featuring red, brown, and orange accents. Instead of horns, a blood-red crown of thorns adorns his head. His eyes are scarlet, with cyan irises. His teeth have become fangs, and armored scales have appeared on his neck. His tail is now sharper and longer, like that of a dragon.

"To the light, I must go, like the holy fire to a sinful moth. I call upon the great duke of hell, Astaroth."

"My, my," Wager smiles, "did I just witness an Ascension? It would be a shame to kill you right after that~."

White Mask tries to wack Wager while she's distracted, but she just swats him away.

Dreadnought soars right towards Wager. Using her baton, she matches his strength and can even push him away. He sharply takes a breath and spews out fire right towards her. Wager jumps around, narrowly dodging the flames. Dreadnought extends his left snake hand and binds it around her. He throws her to the side, crushing her to a nearby wall. White Mask slides to Sure-Shot, using his coat to stop the bleeding.

"Is she dead?" Sure-Shot asks.

"It's gonna take a lot more than THAT." White Mask quips.

Over by the entrance, Aegis steadies herself and stands up. She leans on a nearby wall, catching her breath.

"What's wrong, hero? Did I hit you too hard?" Recoil gloats, raising his arm high.

"Shut the fuck up and fight," Aegis retorts.

Recoil darts ahead and goes for a light jab. Aegis tries to dodge, but Recoil manipulates her speed, forcing her to go slower and take the hit. She staggers back as Recoil throws a barrage of hits. He tackles Aegis through the wall, knocking the wind out of her. While on top of her, he grabs her neck and starts to crush her windpipe.

"I told you, one hit was all I needed!" He laughs maniacally, shifting his weight to her neck. Aegis tries to push him off, but her movements are too slow. In a desperate gamble, she slowly charges one last barrier to knock Recoil back.

In the hallway, Z-Bots continue to beat on Glance, punching him and kicking him. His armor is filled with dents, and most of the lights are broken. He waves his lance around, but the Z-Bot grabs it and breaks it in two. They stab him in the knees, making him collapse. Dr. Lasiloo grabs one of the broken rifles and shoots it at them, destroying two out of ten. The rest shift their focus towards her, but Glance jumps on one and rips their head off, drawing their attention back to him.

Within the reactor room, Wager exits the wall and gazes upon the Devil. This level of power excites her all the more. A tingling sensation travels across her body. She can't wait to have a taste of this-

Rumble

Rumble

RUMBLE

The ground starts to shake. Yellow sunlight starts to peer into the facility. The three villains look to the sky and see one man standing on the glass roof. His black, white, and blue costume shone brightly in the afternoon sky. He is unmistakable.

We took too long, Recoil laments.

It cannot be! Revenant panics.

It's HIM! Wager giggles and smiles.

Streetwise has arrived! He rapidly scans and evaluates the situation, considering who he should prioritize.

Aegis is currently being choked out, but since I'm distracting the guy, she should be able to fire her sphere. Dreadnought and his friends seem to be handling that Villain well enough, which is good. Meaning, the one I should help out with first is...

"You," Streetwise says, grabbing Glance out of the horde. He gently places him and Doctor Lasiloo behind him as he readies one of his techniques.

"TARMAC!" He shouts, sending a roaring gust of wind right at all the robots, destroying them.

Recoil remains frozen in fear. Aegis sneakily charges up one sphere the size of a basketball and slowly hits him on the side of his head, knocking him out. She coughs up a bit of blood and sits back up.

Wager quickly contacts Revenant to execute their escape plan, "Looks like we're folding today, Revy." Revenant quickly manifests a shadow small enough to envelop Wager. She waves farewell to the boys, apologizing for the hasty exit. Dreadnought tries to grab her, but the shadow consumes her too fast, leaving no trace.

Streetwise rips open the vault doors and greets his students and the Scientist. Matter runs up to him and hugs him while the rest of them rush to their classmates. The paramedics and police quickly arrive on the scene, tending to the injured and arresting the one Villain who couldn't get away.

In the ambulance, Aegis, Glance, Sure-Shot, and Double-Trouble rest up while Streetwise stays outside with Matter, White Mask, Dreadnought, Glimpse, and Julia. Streetwise's phone quickly buzzes as he excuses himself and answers the phone.

"Hello?"

"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?"

"Hi, Winter."

"ANSWER THE FUCKING QUESTION"

"Well, I'm fine, thanks for asking. Glance and Aegis are recovering well, and only two students were injured."

"ONLY TWO?!?!"

"Yup."

"And the rest of the class?"

"A bit shaken, but they're holding up well. Don't worry, I won't leave their side."

"Good, that's good. Thank you."

"You're welcome. By the way, F.P.'s info was correct. It was that shadow guy again."

"The one working with Clockwork."

"The very same, which sadly confirms all her investigations."

"I understand. We will be coordinating with the Coalition soon. I have also arranged a hotel stay and sent a plane for safer travels."

"Alright, thanks. Talk to you later then."

The call ends, and Streetwise returns to his students. The rest of the class has gathered around the medic tent, getting checked for any injuries. Streetwise senses the low morale. After experiencing their first Villain attack, everyone is still too stunned to speak. He clears his throat to call attention to himself,

"Alright, gather around, Paladins. I know today was rough. Villain attacks are always a doozy, and seeing parts of the city get pummeled… well, that never gets easier.

But look around. You're still here. A bit banged up, maybe, but you're all still here. You faced down a real, genuine Supervillain, and you came back stronger. That's the mark of a true hero – not that they never get hurt, but that they always get back up.

Remember, fear is natural. Even the greatest of heroes feel it. But fear is but a tool, not a master. You used it to sharpen your instincts, not hinder your fighting spirit.

This attack was a lesson. A brutal one, sure, but a lesson nonetheless. We'll dissect their tactics, improve our defenses, and come back even more prepared because that's what heroes do. We learn, we adapt, and we rise stronger than before.

Now, I know your bodies are aching, your minds are reeling. Take some time to rest and connect with your teammates. Talk it out, vent, and support each other. That's the other part of being a hero, the shared burden. You faced this together, and you'll heal together.

This city needs you, heroes. It needs your strength, your courage, your unwavering spirit. And let me tell you, after today, that spirit is shining brighter than ever. You stood face-to-face with chaos, and you came out the other side. That's something to be incredibly proud of.

Now, get some rest. We'll regroup tomorrow, and together, we'll rebuild, train, and show them, and any villain who dares threaten us, precisely what a team of true heroes are made of."