A week later, Fii found herself parkouring across the rooftops, running from an angry, sparkling menace in pursuit, with four pesky drones buzzing behind.

"Keep running, wannabe!" Glimmerstrike hollered, using her golden platforms to launch herself from building to building, the occasional slip-off amusing Fii. "You can't hide from justice forever!"

Not in the mood for another confrontation, Fii shot Glimmerstrike and her drones a quick glance, then kicked off a wall for extra momentum. She began zig-zagging across the uneven terrain, leaping from shacks and old ruins, using her power to assist in some of the longer jumps.

Despite the chase, she was having fun. It was the first time in what felt like ages that she could just let loose and not worry about being in control.

But, she had to admit, her pursuer's power was a hassle. The constant barrage of golden projectiles made it difficult to keep an eye on her surroundings, and more than once, she found herself dodging mid-leap to avoid getting hit.

Even worse, her gravikinesis couldn't touch those stupid golden things. She had tried once in a previous encounter and had been shocked when her power couldn't interact with the constructs. Whatever energy made them, it wasn't physical.

She heard Glimmerstrike mention something about hard-light, which had flown right over her head.

What nonsense was she spouting off about 'hard-light' anyway? All the physics books Fii had read at the gilded library—which, granted, weren't many—had said nothing about light being hard. You couldn't touch it, or block it, and you definitely couldn't make fancy steps or walls with it.

Fii sighed, irritated at the blatant defiance of the laws of physics. Not like she was one to talk, but still, the idea of light being solid made no sense. But then again, Virgil could shoot spectral bullets and had the reaper possessing him, so what did she know? Apparently, everything was on the table and anything was possible.

To prove her point, another volley of golden shards sailed her way.

She dodged to the side, feeling the energy-infused constructs tear through the fabric of her hoodie, just missing skin. The near-hit didn't frighten her, it frustrated her.

These random chases across the slums were starting to become a real drag. Why couldn't Glimmerstrike just let her be? Sure, they had gotten off on the wrong foot, but was it really worth all this drama?

Fii could have, at any point, ended the farce, turned around, and knocked the Super out. But what was the point? That'd make her reputation with the Metropolis even worse, and it wasn't like she wanted to fight. Plus, those drones were apparently recording everything.

Earlier, she had asked Tweak what 'live-streaming' was because that was the word Glimmerstrike kept using. Now, knowing that their fights were being broadcast to tens of thousands of people?

The thought made Fii shudder, and it made her second-guess every action she took. The last thing she needed was to give the people of the Metropolis more reasons to paint her as a villain.

"I can do this all day!" Glimmerstrike's cocky voice echoed, drawing another exasperated sigh from Fii.

"Yeah, yeah, you're having fun. I get it," she murmured to herself, still running. She felt a sudden desire to drop out of sight, find a quiet corner, and just... be. Maybe, if she disappeared for long enough, this newfound headache would give up and go away. Maybe the next Super wouldn't be as annoying.

"Faster, faster!" Glimmerstrike cheered at her drones, their cameras trained on Fii. "Make sure to catch her good side!"

Not likely.

Just as Fii was about to double down and put some significant distance between her and the Metropolis' Super, an old man popped out of a rooftop entrance, clutching a stack of clothes. He looked like he was caught in the middle of doing laundry or something.

Not paying attention to his surroundings, he stepped right into their path. Fii saw him, and her heart jumped. At the speed she was going, she couldn't afford to dodge now. Instead, she focused her power on the man, quickly wrapping him in her field and floating him aside.

The old man startled at the sudden lift but thankfully didn't panic and flail about. With him out of the way, she made a quick landing, jumping right past him. Seconds later, Glimmerstrike followed suit, touching down on a golden platform, her drones surrounding her.

The old man, clearly bewildered, dropped his laundry and started shouting, "What's going on? What are you kids doing?"

Fii glanced at Glimmerstrike, giving her a look.

"None of your business, grandpa. Why don't you run along and let the heroes handle this?" Glimmerstrike quipped, not even bothering to look at him.

Fii noticed Glimmerstrike look at one of the drones and frown. Her demeanor turned defensive and she yelled, "Hey, you think I care about your stupid chat donation questions?"

Donation what?

"Oh, do I care about the civilians?" Glimmerstrike's mocking tone carried a weight of annoyance. "Of course, I care. I'm a hero. Duh!" She flicked her ponytail back with a huff. "Who asked that? IDIOTSlayer24? Ugh, I'm reporting your ass! They ban people for less."

Fii and the old man exchanged confused looks.

"Who's she talking to?" he asked.

"No clue," she admitted, as puzzled as he was. Must be a live-stream thing. Tweak did say the viewers could somehow send in comments. But honestly, it looked more like Glimmerstrike was just talking to herself. Kind of... strange, to put it nicely. 'Chat,' huh? Probably had a different meaning in this context.

"Now, if you'll excuse me—" Glimmerstrike flashed a wide grin "—I have a lawbreaker to catch."

She waved her hand, and the air around her shimmered, energy coalescing into more of those annoying golden constructs.

Fii sighed. This was quickly becoming an absolute pain.

"Sorry gramps," she said with a slight nod before dashing over and grabbed Glimmerstrike, throwing her off balance with a firm push that sent her stumbling a couple of steps back.

"Hey! What the—"

Fii didn't let her finish. She propelled herself and the yapping Super towards the rooftop's edge, making sure to angle their flight path away from any structures or people. When they were safely above an empty street, she released Glimmerstrike.

As the Super fell, her platforms materialized beneath her, saving her from a nasty fall. Fii felt a twinge of annoyance at the convenience of her power. Glimmerstrike always seemed to have something up her sleeve, and her quick reflexes didn't make things any easier.

When Glimmerstrike regained her footing and looked up, Fii gave her a cheeky salute. Before the Super could do or say anything in response, Fii veered away, quickly disappearing behind a tall wall.

As she raced away, she heard the distant thump of Glimmerstrike landing on a rooftop nearby.

"Oh, come on!" Glimmerstrike shouted, her voice carrying an edge of frustration.

Fii allowed herself a small, wry smile.

'Take that, pain-in-the-neck.'

She didn't slow down until she was well out of sight and earshot, then she descended to the ground. Once her feet touched the earth, she slipped into the bustling crowd on the street, becoming just another face in the throng of people going about their daily business.

Fii let out a sigh of relief and decided to stay on the ground from now on. No more rooftop chases for the rest of the day. It had been exciting, but also mentally and physically draining. The last thing she needed was for her fatigue to give that annoying Super an edge.

----------------------------------------

Another day, another chase.

That's what Fii had started calling these encounters with Glimmerstrike. Sometimes, they happened on the streets, other times it'd be across the rooftops. Rarely, Fii even found the courage to plunge into the sewer system to shake off her pursuer, or she'd duck into a subway tunnel or any other dark and narrow area where she felt confident the brash Super wouldn't follow.

Not that Glimmerstrike was easy to avoid. She kept finding Fii. Kept hunting her. After a while, Fii had learned to quickly spot the flash of the drones around every corner.

They'd dash through alleyways, jump across rooftops, and occasionally, when things got particularly crazy, they'd grapple. That's how Fii would describe their interactions - a long, tedious grapple.

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Their most recent interaction was no exception. The moment Fii saw that telltale glitter in the sky, her feet instinctively led her in the opposite direction. She heard the soft whir of the drones behind her, followed by the cocky laughter of Glimmerstrike.

"Miss me?" Glimmerstrike's voice boomed, far too cheery for someone engaged in what felt like a personal vendetta. "Time for another episode!"

"No, just... no, I didn't." Fii jumped over a gap, a half-eaten synthie roll in her mouth. A meal she was supposed to enjoy became a grub'n'guzzle run. Again. "Go away."

"Not a chance!" Glimmerstrike taunted, using a golden platform to push herself forward, trying to catch up.

"Ugh, don't you have anything better to do?" Fii retorted. "Like, I don't know, volunteer work? Help the needy?"

"I am helping! By taking your sorry behind down."

"You're out of your mind, lady," Fii rolled her eyes.

"Out of my brilliant mind, maybe. My sub count is at a new all-time high. Guess there's just so much fun in watching your backside flee, huh? Chat agrees."

Chat.

It seemed like 'the chat' was a group of people watching them. Probably in the Metropolis. Gross. Tweak had given her a rough idea of how many people supposedly followed Glimmerstrike, but hearing the number and thinking about the weight of having that many eyes on you were two very different things.

A chill ran down Fii's spine, not from the pursuit, but from the idea of being watched by thousands. No thanks.

What made it worse was that the Super knew how to play to her audience. A lot. Her speeches were always eloquent, and she threw her fancy words around like they cost her nothing. Words like 'incorrigible', 'egregious', and 'desideratum.' The more syllables she squeezed in there, the more 'woo's she seemed to receive from the mysterious chat.

"Well, chat, looks like Axion here still refuses to learn her lesson. But she's lucky," Glimmerstrike continued, "because we're here to teach her."

What followed was a barrage of golden constructs, which Fii had to weave and jump around, still holding on to her snack.

"You know," Fii managed between bites, "You could've used all this time to actually help people."

"I am helping people. I'm making sure you're not around to hurt others."

"Not... not hurting anyone."

"Sure, keep telling yourself that. We all know the truth. You might've fooled these people, but not us, not the Metropolis."

The comment grated on Fii. So much. "I'm not the bad guy here."

"Sure you're not. And I'm not trying to take you down for the views."

Another construct aimed at her. Another evasion.

They played this game of cat-and-mouse for what seemed like a tedious hour, with Glimmerstrike closing in dangerously a few times. Fii got close to eating the pavement twice, which would've been a shameful way to lose to Glimmerstrike. The drone cameras capturing her embarrassing moment of defeat? No thank you, she'd rather swallow glass.

At one point, Fii had used her gravikinesis to shove her pursuer to the side to gain a bit of distance. Not wanting to injure the Super, she kept the push light. After their first encounter, when Fii had thrown her against the hard-light walls a bunch of times, she felt bad and realized they were both playing for the same team.

After all, Glimmerstrike had entered the slums with a good intention in her heart, albeit misguided, and possibly warped by greed and ambition. But Fii could relate. She was living in a world where that was the norm. Everyone had their own reasons to behave the way they did, and those reasons were usually based on survival. Like hers were.

As she ducked beneath a low-hanging line of laundry, Glimmerstrike, in her zealous pursuit, lost her balance. Her graceful movements turned clumsy as the clothes wrapped around her face, tangling her up. A couple of drones dipped down to follow what was happening to her, buzzing and clicking, while the others focused on Fii.

"Damn it! Just— ugh!" came a muffled outburst from the Super struggling with the fabric. "Get off me! Stupid piece of cloth—"

Fii slowed her sprint, looking back at the chaotic scene with a twinge of pity. This was her chance to slip away. She could have dashed off right there and then, yet something about the situation made her hesitate.

Maybe it was seeing the usually so confident and sleek-looking woman fumbling around in frustration, or maybe Fii was just a sucker for helping people, even if they were trying to capture her. Whatever the reason, Fii felt an inexplicable urge to lend a hand.

"Need some help there, oh-glorious-hero?" she called out, letting her gravitational barrier fade so she could approach without knocking over anything in her path.

Glimmerstrike managed to wrench the clothing from her face, her usually perfect blonde hair in disarray, her expression a mixture of embarrassment and anger. She yanked hard on a piece of cloth still stubbornly clinging to her shoulder, managing to untangle herself just as the clothesline snapped in half.

Great, now they needed to compensate the family whose laundry had suffered collateral damage.

Suddenly, Glimmerstrike tackled Fii with an angry yell, sending them both hurtling through a wooden window shutter and into a house's second story. Planks cracked under the impact, and both of them skidded across the floor, finally coming to a halt amidst a mess of shattered wood and broken furniture.

A family, huddled together at a simple wooden table, shrieked in surprise, their bowls of steaming rice spilling everywhere.

Fii groaned, picking splinters out of her hair, and gave the startled family an apologetic look. "Sorry, wrong house," she managed, trying to lighten the mood.

The family didn't look amused.

"Get... off," she wheezed, pushing against the woman's shoulders to get her off her stomach. With a grunt, Fii felt the woman's weight shift, and then heard a rustle as Glimmerstrike sat up, straddling her. Her weight settled differently on Fii's thighs now.

Glimmerstrike's ponytail had come undone in the chaos, and her platinum blonde hair cascaded down, framing her face and brushing against Fii's collarbone.

"No escape," she said, her breathing ragged, a triumphant smirk spreading across her lips despite the disheveled state of her hair. "Not this time."

Two drones zipped into the room, circling the duo. One was zooming around at head height, taking in the whole scene, while the other was at a much lower altitude, pointed squarely at... their interlocked legs.

Oh. Oh no.

Fii felt her cheeks flush with warmth. She was acutely aware of the position they were in and didn't want to imagine what Glimmerstrike's followers were seeing. Or what they were thinking. Or—

"Whoa. Wow, hey now. Time out. What's your deal?!" Fii tried to inch out from underneath the Super, only for Glimmerstrike's hands to latch onto her hips, keeping her pinned firmly. "Personal space. Please!"

"Sorry, Axion, no can do," Glimmerstrike responded, her tone dripping with a smugness that made Fii's skin crawl. "We're kind of having a moment here. A teachable moment, you could say."

What's with the lewd camera angle?! she wanted to yell, but held her tongue.

"This isn't the place!"

Fii looked away, her eyes flicking to the family. The mother had covered her kids' eyes with a stern glare at the pair on the floor. The father, meanwhile, seemed a little too invested in what was happening, earning a sharp jab in the ribs from the mother.

Great, now she was responsible for a family dispute. Guilt added to her discomfort.

"Admit it," Glimmerstrike leaned forward, her voice low, her face inching closer. "You can't beat me. Not when I'm focused. Say it. Say, 'You're the best, Glimmerstrike.'"

"I'm not saying that," Fii retorted, feeling the heat rise on her cheeks.

Reactivating her gravitational barrier here wouldn't cut it. The debris and furniture would fly everywhere. The family wasn't in a safe position; they might end up getting hit. The dad would definitely get decked. But as it stood, neither was doing much in terms of action.

"Say it."

"No."

Glimmerstrike's fingers squeezed Fii's hips, applying more pressure. Her grip was strong. Fii tried to wiggle out of it, but found her legs immobilized by the tight hold. Every attempt to break free only resulted in Glimmerstrike's fingers digging deeper, like she was putting Fii in a wrestling lock.

As Fii looked up into those determined eyes, she noticed a slight blush on the Super's cheeks. It was a weird mirror of her own flustered state.

"W-what the hell! You're getting embarrassed too!" she exclaimed, noticing Glimmerstrike's face also gradually turning more and more crimson.

Was she just realizing the suggestive situation they were in?

"N-no, I'm not," Glimmerstrike stammered, the teasing confidence from earlier melting away. "Just—chat is saying weird stuff!"

"Where are you seeing the chat?"

"T-top left."

"There's nothing in the top left!"

"You can't see it! Because it's a neural link! Inside my brain! Implants." Glimmerstrike winced and shot a quick glare at one of the hovering drones, then looked back down at Fii with a panicked look, her eyebrows knit together. "Not the kind of implants you think. None of those. God. Stupid chat. You think you're so smart. Oh, don't go talking like that, you piece of—"

Fii took the chance to grab Glimmerstrike's left hand and flipped her over, reversing their positions. She now held Glimmerstrike's hands pinned to the ground beside her head.

A yelp of surprise escaped the Metropolis Super's lips. "Hey! I was—I was winning!"

"No, you were being creepy."

"No, it was... for the stream," Glimmerstrike mumbled, her once-commanding presence diminished. Now she just looked like a girl Fii's age, maybe a little older, caught off-guard and uncharacteristically shy. "Everyone loves that stuff. Especially if... if it's cute girls. Chat told me to go for it."

"What?" Fii's cheeks were aflame with confusion and a kind of flustered panic. She didn't understand any of that, but she didn't like it.

"It was a bit! Look, my fans love it when I tease. I—I wasn't trying to make you feel bad. I mean..." Glimmerstrike's voice trailed off, her eyes darting away from Fii's scrutinizing gaze. "I mean, maybe a little bad, but not like... not in a cruel way. Just funny."

"Well, it wasn't. Not to me. And not to these people either." Fii didn't ease up on her grip, ensuring the Super stayed put. She tilted her head towards the family who was still staring at them. "Isn't that right?"

The mother's face was a mask of anger. The dad, on the other hand...

"Junk's gold if you shine it," the dad said.

"Really, Rick?!" the mother responded before shooing her family out of the room.

Fii shifted her attention back to Glimmerstrike. The usually brash and confident Superhero looked oddly vulnerable pinned to the floor. Her disheveled state and the pink flush on her cheeks seemed to scream embarrassment.

Feeling pity tug at her heartstrings, Fii released her grip. She stood up slowly, dusting off her jacket and shooting a glance at the mess around them.

"I'll, uh, send someone to fix this up. Sorry for the trouble," she said, not wanting to leave the family with the chaos she had inadvertently caused. Even if she wasn't the one who caused it.

With that, she turned to leave the same way they had barged in, through the shattered window. As she was about to climb through, she glanced over her shoulder, noticing Glimmerstrike still sitting on the floor, absentmindedly twirling a lock of her hair.

"Let's keep the chase outside the houses, okay?" Fii said, her words hanging in the air, half suggestion, half plea.

Glimmerstrike glanced up, and for a moment, Fii thought she saw a flicker of shame cross the Super's face. "Yeah. Okay."

And with a silent nod of understanding, Fii was gone, climbing down and vanishing into the labyrinth of the slums before Glimmerstrike's drones could locate her again.