Worthy Opponents

The First

Eidolon sighed as he swirled his drink. Truthfully he was supposed to be writing reports for… some Director or other. He didn't feel like doing them now. They'd be done by the deadline of course. They always were.

Hero walked into the louge, lazily strolling towards him. "Heya, David." He greeted as he got closer.

"It's Eidolon right now." He muttered back. He took a sip out of his cup. Hero looked at Eidolon for a long moment before taking a seat across from him.

"Becky mentioned you've been acting weird. Something bothering you? Care to share?"

"It's nothing, Hero."

"Don't be like that. We know each other. If I can help I will. You know that."

Eidolon took a deep breath, watching the amber liquid swirl lazily in his hand.

"I just wish… I wish there was someone out there. Someone who could challenge me. Could push me. Someone I could actually fight with-." Eidolon broke off. "Sorry Hero. It sounds like I don't respect you or the others when I say that."

Hero shrugged. "I don't mind. You're powers are all over the place. Each of us has our strong suit and you got the stacked deck. Not fair to compare when it's put like that. To you or to anyone."

Eidolon let out a deep breath as he took another mouthful from his glass. Hero suddenly leaned forward and tapped the table. He was smiling in that way of his, the one that made cameramen love him so much. A mixture of teasing, of good humor, and a touch of I-know-something-you-don't-know.

"You need an archenemy." He said. Eidolon stared back blankly.

"I've had a few those. Every one of them is behind bars." Eidolon deadpanned.

"Tch. Then they weren't archenemies. Maybe you should look for a rival, then?" Hero suggested.

"I have rivals. You, Alexandria and Legend." Eidolon looked at his friend with a face of confusion.

"Eh." Hero waved his hand back and forth. "Yes and no. We're teammates; and we compete with each other, sure. But when it comes to the big things? The real threats? We work together. We succeed together. How do you measure yourself against people who are doing exactly what you're doing?"

Eidolon gaped for several seconds. He hadn't really thought of it like that. "So… do you… uh…"

"Measure myself against other Tinkers? Their gear against my gear? Absolutely." He smiled slyly. "Gotta tell ya. Being the best feels pretty nice."

Eidolon couldn't help himself. He chuckled along with Hero. Hero took a glance at his wrist mounted touchscreen. Hero groaned and stood up from the table muttering about meetings. Eidolon turned his attention back to his drink. Hero started talking again as he stretched his back and got ready to leave.

"Just wait, David." "It's Eidolon." "You'll find an archenemy. Or a rival. It'll even be a pretty girl if you're lucky. And speaking of enemies… there's a rumor going around Europe, Becky knows more, about some guy who wiped out a town. No debris. No fight. Just... poof. Gone. Overnight."

Eidolon tilted his head. "What's his power?"

"That's just it. Nobody knows." As Hero walked away he turned backwards and continued. "Look, don't worry about the mystery man. Just… don't beat yourself up because you're stronger than the next guy. Things will happen as they happen. You'll find a villain who can hit you- "

'-back one day.'

Eidolon shook his head. He could feel blood streaming down from a gash along his brow. He groaned as his muscles strained. The rubble atop him shifted and pressed further down onto him. He needed to get out. A new power came to him. Repulsion. He latched on to it, waited for it to grow, and released a pulse.

The concrete and steel blasted outwards in all directions. The blast also directed some debris directly upwards and he quickly flew out before the wreckage crashed back down.

Eidolon took only a moment to look at what had once been a three story building before orienting himself. He flew upwards above the rooftops, searching for where the battle had moved to. Smoke clouded much of the sky, obstructing his view.

A massive boom erupted to his left.

Instantly he flew towards the sound. He lowered himself to just above the roofline and looked over the edge into the street below.

A team of heroes, their costumes the same except for different colors, had faced off against a villain. He watched the villain, a man wearing red leather armor with gleaming white chains wrapped around his wrists, down two heroes at once with brutal precision from his weapons.

'…not here.' He looked at the scene before him. He inwardly cursed himself. He should have put more thought when he was searching rather than going after the first explosion he could find.

For a shameful instant he thought of leaving the heroes to go back to searching.

Instead he waited for the villain to move towards one of the downed heroes.

Eidolon dropped down to the immediate right of the villain and set off a repulsion blast. The villain was sent flying through the glass window of a shopping boutique. He could hear movement from the wrecked storefront and waited for a counterattack.

Seconds later a white chain launched itself at him through the broken window. It curved dramatically a few feet in front of him and tried to strike from the side. Eidolon let loose another pulse, pushing the chain back, and flew forwards to engage the villain up close.

With experience from years of training Eidolon nimbly dodged the chains and flew into the store, attempting a strike at the man's throat. The chains dropped to the ground and pushed their wielder backwards. Eidolon let lose another repulsion blast, hitting the store's front wall behind him along with the villain to his front.

Again the chains coiled themselves around their master. They maneuvered with speed and accuracy to keep him from hitting the wall, acting like a springboard.

Eidolon's glare deepened. He needed a power that could end this fight quickly. Eidolon let the repulsion power fade. A dozen more came to him as the villain righted himself and prepared to strike again. Eidolon spent the next several moments deftly dodging and flying through the chain strikes as he gained control over a new power.

'Now.' Eidolon reached out a fingertip and let it graze one of the chains. From the point of contact a dark violet material stretched forth and covered the entirety of the chain. The length of chain was suddenly pulled towards the origin of the violet matter; ripping itself off the villain's right arm in a splatter of skin, blood, and cloth. The large ball of chain floated silently in the air, its center point exactly where he had first touched it.

Eidolon used the pain of his opponent to strike him in the solar plexus with a high-powered blast of liquid. The man smashed against the wall and dropped like lead.

Eidolon stared at the villain for several seconds to make sure he wasn't going to get back up. He then moved back out of the store and moved to help up the nearest superhero. The man nodded his heads in thanks. During his brief duel the team had started to get back on their feet. Only then did Eidolon notice two other villains lying on the ground some distance away. One was in the middle of a large indentation in the ground. Probably the cause of the boom he had heard.

"Do you know where my team is?" He spoke to the Japanese hero clearly and slowly.

He needed to get back to them. He should have been there by now. Even though he knew he had saved these heroes' lives it felt like a waste. He needed to be fighting at the center of this to do the most good.

One of the other heroes spoke, a woman in bright orange. "We don't know. The first thing this group did was take out our radios." She gestured to the villains and then to a broken piece of plastic and wires on her forearm.

Eidolon swore. He didn't have the time to deal with this. If the team wasn't able to receive orders they couldn't help in the fight, but he needed to get back-

A blur of movement down the street cut off his thoughts.

He turned to look, but the bluish black object was already in their midst. It stopped swiftly and Eidolon recognized who it was.

"Kenmei!" He exclaimed.

Kenmei was an elder Japanese man dressed in an outfit reminiscent of an old kung fu master. Even his 'mask' was nothing more than an elaborate white-haired wig covering most his scalp and face: a topknot, long beard and mustache, with incredibly bushy eyebrows.

Despite the cliché appearance of his costume, Kenmei was one of the first heroes in Japan and had acted as an advisor and mentor to many of the 'sentai' teams that now dominated Japan's cape scene.

"A moment, my friend." Kenmei said to him quickly before speaking to the team. Their shoulders slumped and there was a strange mixture of relief and shame in their posture. The team seemed to obey Kenmei's words and began to move down the street.

"I need to get back to Legend and Alexandria. Where are they fighting? I couldn't have been knocked down for that long." Eidolon implored.

"Alexandria is fighting alongside Lung nearly two kilometer to the west. Legend is assisting in our evacuation. He is stalling the enemy forces for time." Kenmei's face was grave.

Eidolon didn't immediately comprehend. "Evacuation?"

"Go to Alexandria and Lung, Eidolon. Inform them of our retreat. I must spread the message to those out of contact. Join your team and stall her. I will meet you there once I have finished."

Eidolon readied to disagree. "Kenmei, we can't leave-."

"Our enemy was stronger than we predicted. Too many of us are dead or wounded." The bearded man tried to make Eidolon understand. "We have lost this battle."

Eidolon shook his head. "No. We can still win this. I just have to get to Futsu-"

"Eidolon!" The Japanese hero shouted. "We are being overwhelmed. The order is being given across the city. All allied teams are withdrawing. There will be no victory here."

Eidolon stared at his compatriot in silent disbelief. Why? He could keep fighting. Alexandria and Legend and even Lung could keep fighting. Together they could win.

Kenmei seemed to realize his line of thought and pointed to the team he had saved minutes ago. "Look." Eidolon turned to the street they had gone. He saw why Kenmei had given the order to fall back.

The team of Japanese heroes was getting onto a group of commandeered flatbeds, but it was those already on that caught his eye.

There were nearly two dozen capes, most from Japan but some he knew from the Protectorate. Many were cradling injuries: burns, bullet wounds, lacerations and amputations. A handful were trying to give first aid but they were simply too few. Some weren't moving.

It was only then Eidolon realized what Kenmei had already grasped.

They hadn't been prepared for this.

Battles between capes were violent, yes. They could be fast paced and frenzied. But there had been some level of respect between heroes and villains. Only the scum, those who deserved the term supervillain, battled to kill. People like that had been a relative rarity.

But this? This battle was something else. It was on a different level. Hundreds of capes had converged upon Kyushu ready to fight. They had expected an enemy that followed the status quo. They had been wrong.

So, so wrong.

Their enemy didn't care about heroes or villains. They weren't fighting to make a getaway or steal valuables. The target was the entire island of Kyushu.

This wasn't a fight between two different cape factions. It was a campaign of conquest. Even the local villains, Lung most notably, had stepped up when they realized the threat they were facing.

As far as anyone could tell, this… warlord and her followers just wanted to take the entire island.

It seemed like she was going to succeed.

"Fine." It was nearly painful to say. But victory at the cost of hundreds of capes… he wasn't sure he could justify that. Not when much of the region had been evacuated already.

"We will have another chance. Help Alexandria and Lung."

Eidolon nodded tersely and flew upwards. He looked down and saw Kenmei blurring away through the city. He grimaced and headed southwest.

It only took Eidolon a few minutes to get to where Alexandria and Lung had last been seen. He wished he had been faster, but gaining a speed power could put him at a disadvantage once he arrived to the fight.

Then he saw them.

Alexandria was in the grip of a woman. Flames had encompassed Alexandria's entire body, with one of the warlord's hands gripping her throat while the other poured flames directly into Alexandria's mouth and nose.

Eidolon dropped to street level and let loose a blast of his liquid power, sending the woman skidding away.

Alexandria was dropped onto the ground and landed limply. He flew over quickly to her to check on her.

"Alexandria!? Alexandria? Are you awake?" Eidolon lightly slapped her cheek and checked her pulse. He heaved a sigh of relief. She was alive but unconscious.

A rumble of thunder reached his ears. He stood and faced the woman responsible for this whole mess.

Though Eidolon had seen her before, he grimaced at the sight of her. For days the Protectorate and Japanese had been fighting a running battle against her and her supporters. For days some of the strongest capes in the world had been unable to bring her down.

She was a short woman, barely above five feet. Her entire body and head was covered by compacted flames that mimicked the appearance of samurai armor. At the brow of her helmet was a pair of curved horns forged of solid lightning. Behind the helmet two slanted eyes glowed red.

The woman leaped towards him. Eidolon knew that if he gave up the power that protected him from her fire he would be burned alive within moments of coming near her.

He flew towards her and positioned himself so a stream of liquid would alter her trajectory. His power didn't shoot water, which was vaporized too quickly by her armor, but instead some kind of coolant that could actually strike her. He hit her with a high powered blast, keeping her airborne for a few seconds.

It was enough.

A silvery dragon smashed into the figure of flame before she could reach the ground. At over forty feet long with four wings sprouting out of his back, Lung was at the most powerful Eidolon had ever seen. He absolutely dwarfed the woman he was fighting.

And she was fighting him to a standstill.

Eidolon let go of the violet matter power and sought after one that would let him communicate to Lung. He gained a power that would let him alter sound waves, directing the projection of his voice.

Even as Lung slammed the fire-woman into his armored chest a kick from her caused the dragon to buckle over. Lung dropped her as he took a moment to recuperate.

He raised himself tall and a clawed fist was brought down on the woman, smashing her into the asphalt with a boom. Lung raised that fist and dropped the other, turning the street into a crater.

A pair of burning arms gabbed onto Lung's massive hand, digging into thick scales. Lung was pulled downwards and to the side, smashing into his own crater. The figure leaped towards his head as a blade of lightning appeared in her hand.

She aimed for his head first and punched Lung directly in the head, a deafening boom resounded from the impact. Lung's head whipped to the side. She followed it with a swing, the electric weapon burrowing into the metallic skin of his neck.

In retaliation Lung howled and rolled over, crushing the woman beneath his massive body. As Lung pushed himself upright the woman attempted to do the same.

She was stopped when a draconic foot struck her in the everything. She was hurled into a building. Concrete and steel shattered around her.

"Lung, bury her!" Eidolon used his new power so that Lung could hear him despite the distance.

Lung stretched out his arms and head, using both hands and mouth to unleash white hot flames at the building's first floor.

Eidolon could make out movement within the fire. 'It's not going to come down before she's out.'

He left Alexandria on the ground and flew closer to the building. The armored woman stepped out of the flames only to be struck by Eidolon's fluid power. A pair of hyper-compressed coolant streams impacted her fire armor. An enormous burst of steam surged out but was quickly consumed as Lung's flames continued to smelt the building's supports.

The floor under the woman's feet melted, giving her footholds against his liquid onslaught. Eidolon redirected part of the stream towards her feet. It acted like a water jet cutter, slicing into the earth and destabilizing her stance.

Without her foot placements she was knocked backwards. Just in time Lung's flames melted the support structures. Half of the building collapsed on top of her.

It was a good stalling tactic but both Lung and Eidolon knew it wouldn't last for more than a few minutes.

Already the rock and metal was starting glow red and shift as their enemy moved underneath it.

Eidolon and Lung moved back towards Alexandria as Eidolon explained Kenmei's orders. Lung was clearly angry about the command.

The giant dragon was trying to protest but his current form prevented him from forming words. For over a minute their argument went in circles: Lung not listening and Eidolon not understanding.

The stilted argument would have continued but a familiar cape came running up to them faster than any car.

"Kenmei, thank god. Explain to him please." Eidolon sighed.

The elderly man quirked a small smile. It faded quickly as he saw Alexandria. "Are you ready to leave? Is Alexandria alright?"

"Yes, I'm good to go. Alexandria is unconscious but alive."

"Good. You need to get to…" He hesitated. Eidolon didn't blame him. Japanese street names were confusing and he barely knew the city layout. "Lung can bring you there. There are heroes who need evacuation and won't make it to the ships in time. Can you get there and teleport them to the harbor?"

"Yes, I'll get them out. But we have to stall her," Eidolon gestured over his shoulder. "Or she's going to chase us the entire way."

"I will stall her. Of us, I am fastest. I will be able to make an escape."

Lung let loose a growl at Kenmei. It seemed he still hadn't accepted the need to retreat. Kenmei began speaking to him rapidly. Eidolon didn't understand what was said but Lung was turning his head between Kenmei and the woman buried beneath the rubble.

Eidolon took a glance at the collapsed building. Steel beams and rebar were being smelted and concrete was turning into molten rock. A hand covered in fire pushed its way out of the molten slag.

All three stopped and stared as the woman pulled herself out. Her glowing red eyes glared at them from within her helmet. She walked out of the pool of lava, remnants dripping off her onto the pavement.

"Go. The others are waiting. Guard them as you escape." It was how Kenmei had always thought. He had always cared for the heroes who fought alongside him, and respected the villains he fought against. Even now he would put them before himself.

Kenmei walked towards the warlord without hesitation.

The woman was standing still. She had her gaze locked on Kenmei. Not in the two weeks since she had begun her campaign had she fought Kenmei. She had battled The Fearless Guardians. The Six Squads of Justice. Lung. The Triumvirate.

But not Kenmei. She had not yet fought the greatest hero of Japan.

Kenmei blurred. Behind her. Above her. To the left and the right. At her front and her back. The woman readied her stance and tensed.

The movement stopped. Kenmei's open palm was a foot away from her shoulder. Reality rippled as a pink wave of energy burst forward. The woman was flung into the air, landing her into the lobby of a business office.

Kenmei looked at Eidolon once more. "Go! Get them to the harbor! They need you!"

The lobby exploded into a pillar of flame reaching nearly a hundred feet high. It seemed the woman had finally had enough of being lobbed around. The entire building caught flame. Steel and glass melted as the asphalt near her turned to liquid tar.

Lung switched his gaze between Kenmei, the woman, and off to the distance. He let out a single roar and then set off towards the meeting area.

Eidolon held Alexandria bridal style and flew towards the rendezvous point. Lung trod ahead, turning his head backwards as if he was going to rush back to the battle.

It wasn't long before they made it to the designated intersection. There were scores of capes already there and waiting. Many of them gave a halfhearted cheer as the three approached.

Eidolon handed off Alexandria to Myrddin. As soon as he held her, Alexandria vanished into one of the man's pocket dimensions. Myrddin had been with one of the groups sent to fight the warlord's followers. Eidolon had no idea if the self-proclaimed wizard had been successful or not.

Eidolon was still waiting for a teleportation power to build up. A white sphere began to appear around the group.

After many painfully slow seconds the sphere flashed.

Everything within the sphere, including the pavement they had been standing on, was at the harbor. Eidolon knew that what had been here was now at the intersection deep in the city.

At one of the piers floated the last of the tinkertech ships that had brought in many of Japan's teams. They boarded as quickly as they could and those with training began to see to the wounded. There was a strangely ordered frenzy as everyone sorted themselves out. In a matter of minutes the engine began to hum and the ship started to move.

Eidolon looked out at the city. Entire blocks had been turned to rubble. Smoke poured into the sky as fires still blazed for miles inland.

It didn't look like it had been a fight between capes. It looked like a war had torn through the city. In many ways, it had. Capes had never fought like this amongst each other before. He feared what kind of precedent it would set.

Eidolon exhaled as he leaned against the rail at the back of the boat. 'I should be back there. Fighting her. I'm the only one who can hope to win.' He warred with the desire to leave the ship for several minutes.

The ship was slowly leaving but it seemed there was a problem with the engine, crippling their speed.

They were in the middle of the bay when he saw her. She was standing atop one of the seafront buildings. Her armor was burning as solidly as it had this morning.

Had a full day of fighting not even slowed her down? Had Kenmei already fallen? Had he been forced to flee?

She stretched out her hands, palms facing towards the ship. Electricity began to crackle between them. Eidolon shouted for a barrier team. In seconds it had grown to the size of a large beach ball. He let go of his liquid generation power as more defensive ones flittered into his mind. He grasped one and felt it grow.

The lightning blast fired, its edges melting a section of the roof its wielder was standing on. It vaulted across the open water and-

A smooth green dome appeared around the back section of the ship an instant before the lightning blast struck.

Eidolon knew it wasn't going to be enough. The forcefield power hadn't grown enough in strength to stop the attack. The barrier trembled and then began to visibly shake. But it had bought enough time for others to step up. More fields appeared behind his own.

His green barricade collapsed with a resounding thud and the electric blast struck those behind it. Most of the barriers shattered like glass under the onslaught. Some of the electricity curved away from the ship due to the powers of those on board.

The ship jolted underneath his feet and rapidly accelerated. In seconds he could barely make out the fiery form in the distance.

The ship was safe.

'Kenmei was right. If I hadn't been here… did he know?'

Kenmei.

He wanted to go back. An end to a week of fighting had ended in the death or capture of one of the world's foremost heroes.

This day had been a failure. He had been a failure. He felt himself slide down the railway. He sat at the back of the boat. He clenched his fists. Dozens of offensive powers came to his attention, reacting to his anger and despair. He ignored them.

His hands slackened and he lowered his head. He shut his eyes for just a moment, trying to clear his head-

His head snapped up. He wasn't at the railing anymore.

He was… in a bed. 'How long- when did I?'

He got up slowly, his muscles aching.

He took in his surroundings. There were cots everywhere. He had been in one of many. Most of them were empty. He caught sight of Alexandria down the row.

He passed the cot where Lung was lying down, his injuries almost fully regenerated. A man wearing a full facemask armed with knives and adorned with empty grenade bandoleers stood next to him silently. Eidolon nodded at him as he passed. The man lowered his head in return.

'It's stange.' He thought. 'Any other day, any other situation, and I'd have beaten them down and tossed them in a cell.'

But not today. There would be no fighting between hero and villain until all involved parted ways. Kenmei, Alexandria and even Lung had ordered it after realizing the threat the woman posed as her forces descended upon Kyushu. It was a miracle that all the villains who had answered Lung's call for support had respected that order.

Eidolon came up to Alexandria, also resting in a cot of her own. Though she was physically fine she had clearly exerted herself. She was slowly working her way through a ration bar.

Alexandria's head was wrapped in a white towel, allowing her to see and eat without showing her face. She was wearing what looked like a simple bathrobe. Much of her costume had been incinerated by the warlord during the various attempts to burn the oxygen out of her lungs. Eidolon could only be thankful the attempts had not lasted long enough to kill her.

He opened his mouth but she cut him off. "We're en route to Sukumo Bay. It's been designated as our staging ground. Medical supplies and support are already being set up there. Most of the wounded are on the deck beneath us."

"Alexandria…"

She raised her head. He wasn't sure what he had hoped to see but he had not been expecting such a cold glint. Stony eyes stared back at him. He couldn't see her face but he had no doubt of the expression on it.

"I'm not sure what this will mean for the Protectorate. We'll have to spin this so we don't come across as weak. Play up her brutality and sadism."

"Alex-"

"Excuse me, Eidolon. I need to think."

"I… of course. Just… ask if you need anything." He surrendered to her wishes. If he had been Hero, he might have been able to get her to talk or smile, to lighten the burden she was going to be carrying.

But he wasn't Hero. He couldn't bring himself to try. Not after a loss like this.

He walked back towards his own cot, wondering what he could do to help the wounded when a Japanese cape came running into the cabin. He rushed up to the television on the wall and turned it on.

On the screen was the woman he had been fighting less than an hour ago.

The caption at the bottom scrolled across: HEROES IN RETREAT FROM SOUTHERN JAPAN - KYUSHU CONQUERED BY SUPERVILLAIN - EXODUS UNDERWAY-

Her fiery helm took up most of the screen. The image zoomed out. In her hand lightning sparked and solidified into a curved katana.

Behind her stood a lineup of her lieutenants. Most wore leather armor and helmets. A trio stood wearing samurai-like powered armor. Only a few wore what westerners would call a regular costume.

To her left was Kenmei, chained to a post. He was beaten, bloody, and burned but very much alive. Both of his legs were missing. They had been cauterized just above the knees.

Dread gripped Eidolon. He knew what was coming. He felt movement at his side and noticed Alexandria had come up next to him. Her eyes didn't move from the television. Even Lung had sat up from his bunk to watch. His held was held high, perhaps as some sign of respect.

The woman in flame armor spoke. It was a terrifying sound. It was as if the roar of fire and the boom of thunder had been put into words.

"My rivals lay dead. Your heroes are vanquished. Defeated. They are but scattered ash in my wake. Kenmei, leader of Japan's greatest heroes, stands…" She chuckled at the sick joke "…at my mercy. Let the world know my strength. Let it know its heroes are nothing. This man… a hero among heroes has failed his country. Has failed his followers."

Her eyes narrowed. "He has failed against me."

She walked towards her captive. She continued speaking.

"Let the world know I am the rightful ruler of Japan. This island is but the first step. Any attempt to repel me shall be met with fire. Those who resist shall face lightning. All who deny me… will be greeted by death.

"I am Futsunushi. I am a goddess. And this land is mine."

Eidolon stared at the television in mute anguish. At one of the most important times in his life… with the hopes of an entire country behind him… he had failed.

The woman, the monster, clasped the lightning blade with both hands and raised it above her head.

"Kenmei, die knowing your failure."

The old man stared at the woman who had killed so many of his comrades. He had the gall to smile at her.

"No."

Futsunushi roared. The fire of her armor flared. The lightning descended.

AN:

Futsunushi (Warlord)

Brute 10; Mover 2; Blaster 7

Futsunushi is a powerful dynakinetic and has engaged the Triumvirate on multiple occasions. Following her factions's victory during the Conquest of Kyushu over the many Heroes who opposed her, Futsunushi declared herself Shogun of Kyushu. Japan has been unable to take back its lost territory, though the supervillain Lung makes regular crusades to claim the island for himself.

Futsunushi possesses immense strength and durability. Her outfit consists of armor made of solid flames, capable of vaporizing all but the most durable tinkertech materials and heat-immune parahumans. She is usually armed with a sword or spear of cohesive lightning. She is capable of throwing these objects, along with standard lightning and fire, considerable distances.