Chapter 152 A Diversion
"You called, Eye-Goddess," Plume suddenly appeared, her wings flapping twice as she smoothly landed right in front of Satoshi, surprised that he was even there.
"Elimine!" Satoshi casually greeted. "How are you doing?"
"I can\'t believe it, you\'re really part of the Heimdall Agency, huh, you should leave some popularity for us superheroes, you\'re hogging all the fame." Elimine teased, rubbing Satoshi\'s hair before addressing their boss.
"Have you seen Flexor? I can\'t reach him." Heimdall muttered. "I need both your help with th— "
BOOM!
Forty seconds after they got out, of the Heimdall Agency Building, a huge explosion suddenly reverberated in the area, causing everyone to cover their head and duck down. The sound of rubble flying in all directions and screams then followed. Making Satoshi glance around, wondering where the source was. Of course, he knew it was nearby since the force almost knocked him over as well. Had it not been for Elimine grabbing onto him and shielding both of them with her detachable plumage, he would\'ve flown right back to the Heimdall Agency Building.
What exploded was the random building that Eye-Goddes eyes a few seconds ago. Out of nowhere, it exploded, probably killing everyone inside. Panic enshrouded the vicinity, and people started running amok, fearing that what just transpired was the prelude to a terrorist attack.
"Quick, check if there are any survivors. Satoshi, Aquaborne, I\'m sorry but could you assist Plume? I\'m afraid Flexor wouldn\'t be able to come in time. I\'ll try contacting other superheroes but they\'re occupied at the moment."
Aquaborne and Satoshi didn\'t need telling twice. As Aquaborne activated his superpower, Satoshi summoned the Droplet to help assist Aquaborne with his superpower. He also summoned Ghast and Windfan to help remove some of the rubble from the scene.
"Seeing it in person is actually quite terrifying," Aquaborne commented as he controlled the water in the atmosphere and made it seep into the cracks of the dilapidated building. Since water can flow even into the smallest of cracks, Aquaborne used it like \'feelers\' so he can sense the people trapped underneath the rubble. Satoshi began removing rubble from the topmost part downwards using Ghast and Windfan.
"Yes, now that I see it in person... I honestly can\'t believe how someone could have such a superpower." The Eye-Goddess couldn\'t agree more. She shrugged.
As for the star of the rescue, Plume, she was doing everything, including the rescue. With her presence alone, she managed to calm down the masses and assist them to the nearest safe zone/shelter. While doing so, she helped with the extraction of the people trapped underneath the rubble. She was also the one who contacted both the police station and the ambulances. Quite frankly, she didn\'t need any help, and Satoshi realized it as soon as she saw his childhood friend in action.
"Is that really the Elimine I know? She was so rambunctious back in the day." Satoshi said to himself.
"Focus, Satoshi," Plume called out, seeing that Satoshi was just looking at her. When she turned around, however, she covered her face, hoping that no one had seen the redness on it.
The sound of blaring sirens filled the air, but just then, something clicked in Satoshi\'s mind. He didn\'t know what it was all about, but he knew for a fact that the feeling he felt was a reaction his body produces when danger is near. He immediately stopped the rescue and looked around. Amidst the sound of the sirens from police cars, something else felt weird.
"Mmph! MMMph!"
Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw the faint figure of Eye-Goddess, being dragged away from the scene, a handkerchief placed on her mouth. She was struggling, trying to escape the grip of the man who kidnapped him, but it was all for nothing. The man probably has a physical-type superpower.
"How did he kidnap the Eye-Goddess though, couldn\'t she see the future? No, she probably didn\'t expect the attack so she failed to activate her superpower." Satoshi said to himself, summoning the White Lion and riding on it.
Aquaborne tried to stop Satoshi from leaving his post but was unable to do so. As for Plume, she shouted at Satoshi, wondering what he was up to. But Satoshi didn\'t hear her, or he pretended not to. Either way, Satoshi left, and Aquaborne and Plume were the only ones who were left on the scene.
"I heard the explosion! Do you guys need any help?" A random man on a bicycle asked. He was wearing glasses and an odd-looking hat.
"And who are you?" Aquaborne asked.
"I\'m called Bike Rider. I have a superpower called \'Stamina\' which enables me to do normal movements without getting tired. I wonder if I could be of help."
"I\'m not so su— " Aquaborne stared at Bike Rider from head to toe and he could tell that he was just an ordinary person. Even his superpower is not that noteworthy. Regardless, he commended the young man for volunteering to help when other superheroes who passed by didn\'t even bother.
"We need all the help we can get." Plume responded.
"And that\'s what she said. You can help by clearing the smaller debris, directing the people to the safe zone, and helping those medics over there."
"Roger!" Bike Rider said with so much enthusiasm that Aquaborne actually felt second-hand embarassment from him.
.....
My superpower, Tunnel Vision, is not that fascinating.
To explain how my superpower works, I can give anyone Tunnel Vision as long as our eyes met. My superpower works more like a curse where the person would have a limited range of vision for three minutes. It may not be much but three minutes is more than enough to steal from someone.
Initially, I wanted to be a superhero, I wanted to appear on TV and be popular. I know that my superpower wouldn\'t get me there but still, a young man can dream, right? Right?
But no, I learned at an early part of my life that dreams don\'t become reality. That life is crueler than I thought. Back then, my parents got into so much debt after being scammed by a real estate company. They couldn\'t pay off the house, and at that time, I thought that maybe I could help.
How could I help?
Those words came to my mind as I walked out of the house, wondering if I could apply as a superhero in one of the agencies here in Tokyo. I mean, there are a lot of agencies here, there\'s no way I won\'t be accepted in one of them, right? Right?
All of that changed, however, my whole being— my whole character changed. Was it for the better or for the worst? I\'m guessing it\'s the latter.
On one of my walks, I saw a guy drop his wallet and he didn\'t notice it. I decided to return it to him... but after seeing the amount of money he had, I decided not to return it. Finder\'s Keepers, or so that\'s how the saying goes.
That\'s how it all started.
Pretty soon, I was using my superpower in crowded areas, giving someone \'Tunnel Vision\' and stealing their money. I was raking more than I expected and I managed to pay off the house. It was an exciting moment in my history, but at what cost?
I got into even bigger crimes, I involved myself in gangs, and even harmful substances were out of the question, I was dealing all of them. I became a bigshot, not because I was strong, but because I was cunning. And just when things couldn\'t get any better, the Creaker approached me! I couldn\'t believe it I thought I was dreaming! He said he needs me! That he will welcome me in his circle if I could pull this initiation off!
No, I have to pull it off. I\'m sure I could pull it off.
.....
From afar, a man stared at Eye-Goddess, cursing her with the Tunnel Vision. Somehow, the villain called the Creaker knew that the Tunnel Vision would work on her. And indeed it worked. When one of his henchmen approached Eye-Goddess from behind, she didn\'t even notice. Without hesitation, the man pressed a towel on Eye-Goddess\'s mouth so she wouldn\'t be able to scream, and then he carefully dragged her towards one of the narrow alleyways. A successful kidnapping that worked even under the noses of superheroes who were busy rescuing the people.
After all, the explosion was but a mere diversion. Their main target is none other than the head of Heimdall Agency, the Eye-Goddess.
"I knew I could pull it off. Creaker would be proud." Tunnel Vision said to himself, chuckling as he blended into the crowd who was heading to the safe zone.