Firework | A Tragic Tale of Two Siblings

04 | 'Hero'

     A news helicopter circled the chaotic battlefield overhead, broadcasting the battle live to an anxious audience. Meanwhile, Wasp kept his sights on the enemy below, veering left and right in order to stay in her blind spot.

     "Alright! That thing doesn't see us so whenever you're ready!" Wasp called down to Sachi, who struggled in his arms. The insect hero was hovering meters above the blurred perimeter of the intersection, watching the villain carefully. Sachi grunted and heaved in a lungful of smoky air and coughed.

     The villain has done some serious damage in the short period of time. She destroyed the shops on all four corners of the intersection, turned over dozen-or-so cars, and somehow managed to set ablaze to a small thrift store and candle shop a couple of buildings north. A third hero was now caught in the villain's slimy grasp, a few pros kept their distance, and several others tried to put out the burning flames that were scattered about the debris.

     "My quirk has a bit of recoil!" Sachi warned, glancing up at the hero holding her. "Try to stay as steady as possible!"

     "Got it!"

     Sachi wheezed when the pro squeezed her but she pushed through the pain. She quickly analyzed the chaos and formulated some options.

     Option one: If she were to land a projectile on one of the villain's appendages, it will not only deal damage to the enemy but also to the pros held hostage.

     Option two: If she were to land a blow to the ground surrounding the beast, she'd risk other forms of danger due to the explosion's large radius.

     Sachi inspected the situation a little more closely, squinting hard.

     Option three: If she were to directly hit the villain from behind, she'd damage and-or stun her. If this plan holds true, then the three hostage heroes might have a chance to escape with few injuries.

     "[Heart rate level - Rising.]" her necklace notified but Sachi ignored the warning. She clasped her wrist once again, locked her index finger behind her thumb, and aimed down at the villain's broad back. The buff woman roared and Sachi fired off a shrieking rocket. Wasp was taken aback by the sudden recoil but he recovered quickly.

     The star exploded upon impact. The effective blast ruptured the situation in its entirety.

     The villain screamed in pain and she staggered off balance. The writhing limbs ceased their movement, releasing the trapped heroes, and Sachi huffed in surprise that the third option worked accordingly.

     The villain below regained her center of gravity and shot a menacing glare up at the two. Her many tentacles flailed about in anger, whipping around her like ribbons caught in a storm. The woman countered the attack by grabbing and flinging a broken traffic light towards the duo.

     Wasp swiftly sped off to the side and dodged the speeding projectile. Sachi went stiff from the sudden maneuver and clutched her carrier's wrists out of instinct, her heart racing, and adrenaline pumping. Then, a crushed Volkswagen streaked for them. Wasp ducked away as the car flew past them, whistling by and crashing into a china shop a block away.

     The villain continued to launch several large objects into the air, trying to swat the duo out of the skies. A hero with ram horns took his chance and sped towards the distracted villain from behind, leaping headfirst into the fray and delivered a harsh blow to the small of the villain's back. The villain reared in pain, stumbled, and she flashed her attention to her new opponent.

     She raised her slimy arms up high, ready to slam them down and crush the ram hero, but another explosion struck her left shoulder, burning the four octopus limbs on that same side.