Updated chapters: Fixed Grammar mistakes that were bugging me.

"What happened to Draco?"

"It seems he was taken out by the S-Class hero, Demon Cyborg."

"What?!"

"Indeed. Although she had help from two A-class and another C-Class, I suppose we should re-evaluate her abilities. What do you think, Big Boss?"

"Hmm . . ."

"Big Boss?"

"Why don't we send the Association a little . . . greeting?"

"Sir? I'm afraid I don't follow."

"We're going through with Phase 1."

"What? But, sir, we don't have even half the amount of forces for a successful-"

"It doesn't need to be successful." Big Boss said. "In fact, it needs to be quite the opposite."

". . . Well, all right, sir. When should we start?" The Big Boss smiled, his teeth shining like knives in the moonlight.

"Today."

Sam looked out over the ocean as they sped over it. She would have liked to fly herself, but she didn't want to risk getting separated from the group. The plane was a small, 30 passenger thing, but she sat in the back. It was the farthest away from the bathroom, which she was sure was toxic by now. Only a few luxuries away from being a private jet. It was no wonder to her that it was owned by the Hero Association. Even if they operated for the good of the public, they were still the strongest military force out there.

After all, in this world, all that mattered was someone's strength. The strong prevailed. They stayed alive.

They got to finish raising their children.

"Hey, there," Luna's voice interrupted her inner monologue as the short-haired girl sat down next to her.

"Hey, moron." She joked, putting up her cheery mask before turning to her best friend. "What's up?"

"Nothing. Just . . . anxious, mostly. What about you?"

"I'm fine. Just bored for real."

"Yeah, I'm too anxious to be bored right now."

"Well, don't be too anxious. I'm sure he'll be happy to see you guys again."

"Yeah . . . I hope at least. I still think he must be mad for being left behind like he was."

". . . I'm sure he's not the type to hold grudges like that."

"I know. I mean, he wasn't before . . ." She trailed off. An awkward silence fell between the two of them. Sam looked around them awkwardly as she thought about what to say next. Usually, conversations between them came by smoothly, but as of late it seemed Luna was less and less comfortable around her. "You know, we're taking him back right?"

"Hm?"

"We're taking him back? I know we already had this conversation a while ago, but they're not budging on it, and neither am I." Sam sighed.

"If you think you can convince him, go ahead. But given what Demon Cyborg's said, it might be a little harder than you think. She doesn't exactly . . . well, she doesn't like you guys at all."

"What? Why not?"

"I think it's more of a trust issue thing."

"Well, I don't care what she thinks. She's not his family." She said, crossing her arms. "If we want to take him back, neither of them can stop us."

". . . sure. Just, don't get your hopes up, okay?"

"What the hell are you saying?"

"Nothing, I just-"

"Why are you so okay with this?" Luna cut her off. Sam sighed.

"It's not-"

"This isn't about your obsession with strength, is it? Back at the hospital, you said he could because he was strong."

"Luna, can you please just-"

"Is that it? Just because he managed to get strong doesn't mean shit."

"Luna! Can you please let me speak? Christ," she huffed. Luna turned away and crossed her arms over her chest. "First of all, while I recognize his strength, that's not the only reason I think he's fine on his own. I've been talking with Demon Cyborg, and-"

"Congratulations, so what? She doesn't have any say in this situation."

"If you would just let me finish-"

"No! Whatever reasons you have, I'm sure it's just bullshit on top of bullshit. There's no reason for him to go through this anymore. I would have brought him home months ago if I could've found him." Sam whipped around to look Luna in the eye.

"You were searching for him? Since when?"

"I don't know, 6-7 months ago? What does it matter?"

"What does it matter?! You were crossing borders into a foreign country with no authorization. Luna, do you know what could have happened? The Association could have revoked your license."

"If everyone wasn't so incompetent with finding my brother in the first place, I wouldn't have to."

". . . Ugh, whatever, it's in the past, nothing we can do about it now," Sam massaged her forehead. "But you have to understand-"

"I don't have to understand shit."

"Luna, oh my god, can you, like, let me at least speak a sentence?"

"There, you got to say your sentence." The purple rocker turned away from her.

"Luna, you're being difficult." She didn't answer. "I know you just want to protect him, but . . . you know what, never mind. It's not like you're gonna listen to anything I have to say."

She stood up and walked as fast as she could to the bathroom, not letting anyone see what was going on with her. She locked it behind her as soon as the door closed. Why the hell was Luna being so difficult right now? She got she was trying to get her brother back, but what was the point of taking it out on her? Christ, this flight was only supposed to be an hour, but for some reason, it felt like it was going to be a lot longer than that for her.

Near the front of the plane, Ronnie Anne sat in a window seat, talking lowly on her phone with her boyfriend. Clyde sat across the aisle, and she was doing her best to keep her conversation a secret. She could care less whether he knew her plans or not, but it might complicate things if they knew the real reason she was going over there.

"Look, I get that you got your reasons for it, but I'm still uncomfortable with this."

"Jackson, it's fine. This is just, closure, ya know? It's not like I'm gonna be able to talk to him any other way, so this is my only option." She said in just above a whisper.

"I get it. I'm just a little nervous about you going halfway across the world to see your ex. Not to mention with his family."

"You do know that this about to be my family, too, right?"

"Yeah, I know, I know. It's just . . . you know?"

"Look, it's fine. I'm just gonna talk to him. Once I get this over with, I'm coming straight back, don't worry about me."

"Well, what about all the monster attacks and stuff that have been happening over there? According to the news, it's been more chaotic in this last year than anything in the last 30."

"I got two heroes with me, it'll be fine, mom."

"Jerk." He chuckled this time. It always made Ronnie smile to hear his laugh. "Look, you can't blame me for being worried. Just, let me know how it all goes down. And please don't kill anyone over there, I don't want to have to bail you out of Japanese jail."

"No promises."

In the middle of the plane,

Lincoln walked towards the house his family would be staying in for the next two weeks (hopefully they didn't suddenly extend their stay, he had nowhere else to put them). It was three stories, just enough for everyone to have their own room, thank god. He looked down at his outfit. It was the most casual pair of clothes he owned, yet he felt so . . . out of place in them. He knew he couldn't keep on that jumpsuit every second of every day, but it still felt as if it belonged on him, somehow.

Walking up the driveway, he saw that the gate was open. Some super-expensive looking security cameras were all over the place, rotating and scanning everything. Hayami said that this was the winter home for some big-shot in the Association who stayed in Russia during the summer.

Great, now I have to make sure they don't trash his place, he joked to himself.

If he was being completely honest, he had no idea what he was going to say to them. He was sure explanations were in order, on everyone's part. Sure there were things he understood, but some stuff he didn't. And some stuff he needed to explain to them. Wait, he probably should tell Hayami some stuff before this all went down. Then again, maybe not. Ugh, this was all getting too complicated for his taste. He knew that this wasn't going to be an easy road unless a lot of people got cool about a lot of stuff really fast.

He started to go over his reasons. Why he became a hero, why he lived life the way he did. Why he had started to become distant from everything. He could barely comprehend some of his past decisions, but he had to live with them now. He just hoped that he could keep it together long enough to explain it all. He chuckled at himself. What happened to him starting to become numb?

"Lincoln-tan." He heard the familiar voice and felt a mixture of relief and guilt. He turned to look at the cyborg.

"Hey, Hayami-san," He said. She gave him a small smile at the use of her real name. Not something he saw often from the colder, older girl. "What are you doing here?"

"I understand they're arriving today, so I wanted to meet them. Is that not okay?"

"No, it's fine, I guess . . ."

"Are you anxious?"

"Yeah. I haven't seen them in a while, so I don't know what to expect, ya know . . ."

"I understand the sentiments. If you wish to have the week off, I'm sure I could ask for more favors from the Association."

"No, you've already done a lot for me." He said. He fell silent, an awkward aura falling over him.

"Is something the matter, Lincoln-tan?"

"Yeah, I . . ." He sighed. Great, if he didn't do it now, the guilt would just build up over time. Better to get it over with right now. "I haven't been completely honest about some things."

". . . What do you mean?"

"Remember that talk we had a while ago when you were missing your limbs?"

"Yes, back when we had first become acquainted. You told me how you were left here. Was that a lie?"

"No, I didn't lie. I just . . . Look, let's just go inside. This might take a minute."

"Hello. Of course, I am the A-Class hero Super-Charged. I will be escorting you to the estate where you'll be staying." A young man, around 25. He wore a simple two-piece suit, however, on his back was a smooth metal pack, and augmentations covering each of his limbs.

Super-Max internally twitched in anger, looking at the family. Of course, they did nothing personally to him. No, it was more of who they were related to that ticked him off.

A-Class hero Rank 27, Purple Rocker. Of course, his assignment was to be their chaperone. Again, she personally did nothing to him to warrant his anger. It was more so a petty irritation. He had a distaste for anyone who simply ended up in a high rank, especially one higher than his. He thought that, even if they had the strength to deserve it, they should have to work from the bottom up like everyone else. He started from C-Class himself and worked up over the past three years to get rank 35, only for an 18-year-old to just be handed a higher rank.

Of course, they would stick me with babysitting someone with a higher rank just because they wanted a vacation. Screw the politics, I have better things to do with my time.

Of course, the actual reason was that he was one of the few available heroes who also spoke English.

Of course, the two A-Classes (because of course there were two) were oblivious to his internal anger. Well, anger was too strong a word for this. He would just settle for calling it irritation. He had a good habit of masking anything he was thinking, which helped him in the cut-throat world of rising through the ranks of the Association.

"Hello, I'm-"

"Purple Rocker, A-Class rank 27." He interrupted her. He did not want any small talk with them. Still, he had "Of course, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"O-Oh, nice to meet you, too."

"Of course, shall we get moving?" He said, eager to stop talking to them.

"Sure, we just have to finish getting our luggage."

"Of course, I will be waiting by the car." He walked away from them, silently fuming. Of course, they would take forever to get unpacked. Ugh, he hated foreigners almost as much as he hated people with a higher ranking than him.

He didn't know why they couldn't have just gotten a desk jockey to do this. Seriously, it's not like they couldn't handle themselves. What was the point of all this?

"Super-Charged, we're ready!" The excited voice of the A-Class rung out, making the B-Class internally cringe. He turned to see-

Goddamn, how many are there! He counted about 12, but he couldn't be sure cause most of them were extremely young and running around and screaming in the way that children do. Christ, was there no end to his headaches today? He was lucky he brought a pretty big van.

As they piled in, he sat in the driver seat, setting his pack underneath the seat. Thank god there was an actual adult next to him (the father of most of these twerps he guessed), but for some reason, even this man's cheeriness rubbed him the wrong way. Of course, he might have been just in a bad mood today.

As he drove, the mindless chatter of the people behind him pounded in his head. Why did they insist on speaking in only the highest volumes possible for a human being? The most annoying thing though was the adults' attempts to engage him in conversation.

"So, Super-Max, was it?" The father said, trying to avoid a question from one of the smaller girls.

"Super-Charged."

"Right, sorry. So, how long have you been a hero?"

"3 years and 2 months."

"That's a long time. Is it dangerous?"

"Yes."

"I bet it's never boring, though, is it?"

"Of course, it depends."

"Well, what was your most exciting fight?"

"Excuse me?" He shot an eyebrow at the older man.

"You know, which fight was the most dangerous you've ever been in?"

"Of course, I usually try to avoid fights, my strengths are in rescue and disaster relief. However, there was one incident where I was forced to engage with a group of thieves attempting to rob a bank."

"Really?! How did-"

"I was able to keep them contained until the police arrived to arrest them. Of course, that is all that happened." He cut off the man before he could finish asking his question.

"That's still quite impressive." The older man commented. Super-Charged glanced at him before refocusing on the road.

"Of course, I suppose." 30 more minutes of this. Of course, I already want to lobotomize myself.

"Yeah, it totally is. I mean, I've only ever been in one fight as a hero." The Purple Rocker laughed. Super-Charged gripped the steering wheel a little harder but gave no other signs of his irritation.

"Really?!" The girls in the back all screamed at once. Geez, were they trying to give him an aneurysm? The cacophony of voices drowned out the sounds of traffic outside. Get these girls in control, come on!

"Hey, HEY!" The dad yelled, shutting everyone up. "Please be a little quieter, it's a small car. You can ask your questions one at a time, even if I'd rather not think about Luna in a fight against some type of monster." He said queasily. You were just bugging me about hero work, what's with the change of heart all of a sudden?

"Did you beat him up?!" One of them asked immediately. There was a slight hesitation, almost unnoticeable.

"Well, no, I think it was the S-Class Demon Cyborg that got him."

"You know an S-Class?!" One girl with a slight lisp piped up from the back. "If so, then could you inquire about a meeting with Child Emporer? I have a lot of questions for him."

"No, it's not like that. I don't know her personally. I only met her once. From what I understand she's actually super close with Lincoln."

"Really, why's that?" Another one asked. He didn't bother keeping track of who was speaking at a time.

"You'll have to ask her yourself. I'm sure she'll be wherever we're staying. She did help put all this together."

. . . You have got to be shitting me. Of course, I get stuck babysitting the A-Class's family because of that half-robotic asshole. He did not even bother hiding his distaste at this point. He wanted to be done with these people so he could go back on his patrol.

"Wow, that's super cool!" Lynn said, excited. "I wonder if she does sports!"

"Hero-work is probably exhausting enough on its own, Lynn."

"Still, she has to be super awesome! Do you know that one hero guy with the bat?"

"Metal Bat, and no, I don't. Almost all the S-Class live in Japan, so I've never really met any of them before."

"I wish to speak with the Tornado of Terror. There are some rituals I think she would be useful for." The goth one said with a monotone voice. Jesus Christ, how terrifying.

"I don't think she has much free time, Lucy," The Red Death said this time. Super-Charged took a right turn.

"Sigh." Don't just say "sigh!"

"Lori, what do want to do?" One of the young ones asks.

"Huh? Oh, I don't know, sight-seeing or something." She said, obviously distracted.

". . . Is something wrong?"

"Ugh, the stupid service isn't working, and Bobby was supposed to send me some papers about the wedding. They said this service was supposed to be international." That was weird. They were in the middle of the city right now.

"Oh? When's the wedding?"

Super-Charged slowed down behind the line of cars that was building up at the stoplight. He hated waiting for lights, they . . . wait. Why weren't the lights on? Looking around, he saw that the neon signs usually shining 24/7 were turned off. The sounds of constant honking clouded much anything else. He would have thought it was a blackout if he didn't see a plume of smoke rising in the distance.

"We were thinking a year from now, but it looks like if we want a destination then-"

"Something's wrong," Super-Charged interrupted them. Everyone stopped talking (finally) as he opened the door and stepped out. The sounds of the honking were no longer muffled.

Nor were the sounds of distant explosions.

"Of course, it might be an attack," he said, sitting back in the driver seat, ready to throw it in reverse. Until he turned around and saw someone had pulled up behind him. "Great, we're blocked in."

"What's going on?" How should I know?

"Of course, I have no idea. It might not be that much of a threat, but-"

"A DEMON-LEVEL THREAT HAS BEEN ISSUED. PLEASE MAKE YOU'RE WAY TO THE NEAREST SAFE HOUSE!" Super-Charged internally sighed.

". . . Of course."

". . . I see." Hayami said, sitting in the living room across the albino boy. Lincoln watched her face for any sign of emotion, but she was not looking at him, instead opting to stare at the ground. The last twenty minutes had been nothing but Lincoln talking, opening up to her about things he had thought were already put to rest. I guess the past never really goes away. "So the situation that ended with you here was true?"

"Yeah, that whole residential writer scam happened, it was just how I ended up staying that I, uh, lied about." He said guilty, rubbing the back of his head.

". . . I do not appreciate being misled, Lincoln-san." She said. Lincoln noticed she dropped the "-tan."

". . . I know," He said, looking away. "I am sorry for lying to you. It's just . . ."

"I can understand why you did what you did, even if I do not agree with it. That is not the part I have a problem with. The problem I have is with your dishonesty with me." She said angrily, looking up and staring daggers at him.

He didn't respond. He felt guilty about it, but what was he supposed to do. When he had first told her, they weren't that close honestly. She was just a stranger trying to freeload. Now that they were friends . . . things changed. He didn't want to keep her in the dark with that, especially since his family was going to be here soon. She was the one who made it possible, she deserved to know.

"Are you going to talk to your family about it?" She said, a little softer this time.

"Yeah. I don't have any other option."

"I would assume they're under the impression that they will take you back to their country with them."

"Hm? Well, maybe. I don't think I'll leave Japan, though."

"Why? You could be a hero no matter the country, so why stay in Japan?"

"I . . . it's kind of selfish, but this place is a part of me now. It's where I decided to be a hero, where I built a life for myself, even if it does get boring sometimes. I like to think I'm mature for my age, but even I know how young fourteen is. But I've been playing an adult for a lot longer than I've been here, and I've been taking care of myself. I've got an apartment and a career for myself. It's a piece of my identity, you know?"

"More so than your own family?"

"Don't get me wrong, I love them. I want to be a part of their lives again, but . . . this, here, it's my life. I don't think I can leave that, not after everything I've put into it. It's too big a part of me now."

"And if they don't accept that sentiment?"

". . . I'll handle it."

"I see." She went silent again. Lincoln looked at her nervously.

"So . . . what are you going to do?"

"Well, my past statements have not changed. I do not think it would be in your best interest to return with those people, especially after hearing what you have had to say. And I do not think that letting you live alone is in any way, shape, or form healthy . . . but I am very angry with you right now."

". . . Yeah."

There was another long and awkward moment of silence. Lincoln sat looking guiltily at the older girl, who was not speaking. It was not complicated to know why she was angry with him, although it was nice to know that she wasn't too angry as to not listen to him. He watched her as she stared at the floor, wondering what was going on in her head.

"Lincoln-san, do you remember a while ago, my request to you?" She said suddenly, startling him. Lincoln looked up in thought, scratching his cheek with one finger. Request . . . request . . .

"Oh, yeah, back when I took my hero test."

"Yes. I had requested that you make me stronger. Well, now I have a different one." Lincoln blinked in confusion. "I request that you are never dishonest with me ever again. I'm requesting this of you as a friend."

". . . Of course. I promise I'll never do anything to mislead you again."

"And another thing. Should you ever choose to be dishonest, I have every right to shave your head."

"Huh?! What the hell kind of logic is that?!"

"If you value our friendship you will agree."

". . . Fine, if I'm ever dishonest again, you can shave my head." Her gaze softened and she gave him a small smile.

"Was that so hard?"

"Jerk . . . so, we cool?"

"Yes, we are cool." Lincoln sighed in relief.

"Good."

"Although, I believe that this will be a lot harder with your family."

"Yeah. They'll be . . . honestly, I don't know how they'll react. People are way too complicated."

"Indeed. Although, if I'm being completely honest with you," She stressed those two words. So, she's not done guilt-tripping me, huh? "I care very little for those people's feelings."

"Hey, those people are still my family, you know."

"I understand that. I still do not care."

"Fine, just be nice to them when they get here. Unless you're just gonna leave and do more perverted stuff with that loli."

"I'M NOT A PERVERT!"

"Whatever you say. I'm gonna go wait outside, I need some fresh air." He said, stepping outside the front door. The sound of cars honking in the distance made him immediately regret his decision. He had forgotten how noisy the city could be when he lived in a part with no people.

He sat down on a bench in the front yard and let out a loud sigh.

That was easily the scariest thing I've done since being here. How hard is this gonna be with them? I was lucky Hayami was so understanding, but I have no idea how they're gonna react. It's been almost 4 years since I've seen them, and I doubt they'll be happy with me when I explain everything. What's today, September 14? That makes it . . . 3 years and 7 months? Yeah, I got here in February. Geez, it's been so long.

He leaned his head back and looked up at the sky. Dark clouds were starting to gather overhead, as thunder roared in the distance.

That's strange, the forecast for today was sunny . . .

He sat up straight, looking over at the city. Smoke was billowing up in different locations, most likely from some type of explosion. Still, there must have been at least 30 different attacks, all happening at once. Behind him, he heard the front door open.

"Lincoln-tan!" Hayami yelled behind him. "There's a Demon-Level threat in the city."

"Sounds big. Let's go." He shot off toward the city, leaving the cyborg to try and keep up with him.

"Of course, this way!" Super-Charged yelled, leading the group of 12 down a side road towards one of the emergency shelters in the city. A large building, but it was extremely durable.

The Loud family (Plus Ronnie and Clyde) struggled to keep pace with the augmented hero as they ran down the street. The sounds of screaming and explosions filled the air around them as the ground shook beneath their feet. Around them, people were all running in the same direction as they were, pushing and shoving to be first into the emergency shelter.

"Hey!" Someone called out to him in Japanese. Super-Charged looked over to see Smile Man (A-Class rank 27).

"Smile Man! What's going on?"

"There's dragon-like monsters attacking all over the city! We need as much firepower as we can get!"

"Of course!" He turned to his charges, yelling to them in English. "Follow the crowd, the shelter isn't that far from here, of course! Keep your heads down and move it!"

"Wait! We can help!" The Purple Rocker protested.

"Of course, but you're not yet authorized to operate here. As well, you must watch over your family and any civilians as the get to the shelter. Now go!" He turned and ran, not waiting for their response. He activated his pack and took off, Smile Man close behind.

"Where's the closest one?!"

"The next street over!"

He jumped on top of a small building, seeing a dragon-like monster. He landed on the roof, taking a moment to study the monster. It was at least 10 meters tall, easily doubling him in size. There was already a hero currently fighting with it, someone with long pink hair and a comically over-sized sword, even by a hero's standards. Still, despite the hero's weak-looking frame, they were swinging it around with class and power, meeting the dragon's swipes blow for blow.

Of course, it hasn't noticed us yet, if I can get around-

"Dao!"

WHY?!

The monster turned to the sound immediately, sending a fireball hurtling at them. Super-Charged powered his pack in an instant, shooting away from the attack.

"Don't look away, idiot!" He heard someone yell. He looked to see that the hero who was just fighting the dragon embedding the sword into its chest.

"RAAARGH!" The monster yelled, swiping at the hero before they jumped back. Super-Charged took this moment to launch himself at the back of the monster, charging up his augmentations. The monster must have sensed him because it turned and swiped at him. He shot a bolt of electricity from his pack at the ground, just barely dodging the attack and flying over the monster.

"RETURN!" The pink-haired hero yelled. The sword in the monster's chest shook before it disappeared into its body, coming out of its back and into the hand of its owner. Seeing his window, Super-Charged switched directions, aiming down at the monster, and shot himself towards it.

"Charged PUNCH!" He yelled the last word, punching his fist into the top of the monster's head with an explosion of electricity. The monster was unable to move or scream as volts of electricity were pumped through its muscles and organs. Soon its heart gave out and it fell to the ground dead.

Super-Charged stood over the body of the monster, scratching his head. He had no idea what it had gone through before his killing blow, or how much damage the pink-haired hero (who he guessed was Dao) delt to it, but this fight seemed to easy for his liking.

"Oi, what's the big idea!" A voice yelled at him. He looked up to see the pink-haired hero from before standing above him. All she wore was a short dress and some shoes, with a spiked leather jacket.

Of course, this did catch everyone off guard. Perhaps it was her day off when she went into action.

"Dao, it's good to see you!" Smile Man said, coming up from behind Super-Charged.

"Oh, it's you, smiley!" She grinned, apparently no longer angry. "What's up?" Smile Man rubbed his head nervously.

"Nothing much lately, you know, work's been-"

" Of course, there is a Demon-Level Threat," Super-Charged said, interrupting . . . whatever this was becoming.

"O-Oh, right," Smile Man said, looking back to the hero. "We should get going."

"Right!" She exclaimed, raising a fist into the air. "Let's go bash some more baddies!"

"Excuse me!" A robotic sounding voice said. Super-Charged turned around and saw-

"DEMON CYBORG!" Dao yelled way too loudly into his ear. He had half a mind to turn around and smack him. The S-Class hero did not react, a vision of stoic heroism.

These were the types of heroes he admired. He had followed her career since she broke into the A-Class, back before he was a hero. She had risen in the ranks as a true hero, and acted as such too. While most heroes jumped at the chance to profit and make a name for themselves by doing and wearing ridiculous things (For example, the hero currently to his right known as Smile Man), she was a true professional. Not to mention fairly attract- Of course, that was enough thinking for right now.

"Have any of you seen a young boy with white hair run buy here?" The S-Class said.

"N-No, Demon-san." Damn it, I stuttered. Act professional, damn it!

"Hopefully, he made it to the emergency shelter with the other civilians," Smile Man said hopefully. Of course, that wasn't always the case.

"No, he's most likely looking for one of the monsters right now." She said, turning away.

"Oh, we'll help you find him!" Dao yelled, waving her arm in the air. Of course, don't bother her!

"Of course, we should be focused on the monsters right now," Super-Charged said, trying to give them the hint that they should leave her alone

"There seems to be an exceptionally large number of them about two kilometers southeast of this location." The cyborg informed them with ultimate tact. "It would be wisest to take care of that first."

"Of course, that seems the best option," Super-Charged said.

"We shall accompany you, Demon-san." Smile Man said, holding his mallet with vigor.

"Do what you will. I will not wait for you." Demon Cyborg then took off, giving the heroes only a second to adjust before following quickly behind. Of course, if she needs assistance, it's my- . . . our duties as heroes to help a companion in need.

"Mommy, what's going on?" Lily Loud asked over the scared whispering of hundreds of people. Outside, the sounds of combat and explosions shook everything around them. Rita Loud flinched at the latest explosion, one that was close enough to rattle the whole building they were in. Around her, the children were shaking scared and whimpering lightly.

"Don't worry, Lily, it'll all be over soon." Rita tried to reassure her daughter, but she couldn't help but feel terrified herself. She herself had never been in an emergency like this, and the fact that she was almost completely powerless in this situation was terrifying enough in itself. Still, she had to be strong for her family.

"This building was constructed with events far worse than this in mind. We are completely safe in here," Lisa said. Rita felt relieved, even if she shouldn't. Lisa was only 7 after all but still leagues smarter than she was.

"But what if something gets in here?" Lynn said. Looking at her children, even Lucy seemed uneasy with that question.

"Then someone will come to help us. Japan is full of heroes, remember?" Rita said, rubbing the top of Lynn's head.

"Besides, you've got two rocking heroes right here!" Luna said, flexing an almost non-existent muscle.

"This stress isn't good for my skin!" Lola exclaimed, rubbing her cheeks. She was convinced she was rapidly wrinkling from how scared she was at the moment.

"Is that really what you should be worried about right now?" Lana asked, sitting on the cold ground cross-legged.

"Sigh, if only I could read my spellbook to pass the time."

"I still can't get any service!" Lori said angrily, before slumping in defeat. "Bobbie must be so worried." A certain blonde hero stood behind the family with her arms crossed over her chest.

Of course, this is always how it is over here, isn't it? Japan's monster rate has been steadily increasing over the last few years. They don't have anything close to this back in the states. Luna hasn't grasped how serious this could be yet, even after how badly she was beaten last time. Hopefully, it doesn't turn into a situation where we have to step in.

Behind the family, however, Sam stood a little more uneasy than her friend. Her brooding gaze at the floor went unnoticed by the family, save the second oldest. Leni looked back at her while her family conversed, trying to keep themselves calm.

"Hey, you okay?" Leni asked, scooting closer to the younger girl without letting her family hear.

"Hm?" Sam said, suddenly noticing Leni. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Just . . . I feel pretty bad having to sit in here while others are out there fighting."

"Then why don't you go help?"

"It's not that simple, with the already strained relationship with the Japan and U.S. branches and the current political climate-" She stopped herself, remembering who she was talking to. "Let's just say my job won't let me. Still, I wish I could do something right now."

". . . Well, I'm sure everyone would feel better if they knew there was a hero here!" She said brightly, smiling at the hero. Sam smirked.

"Probably, but I don't think anyone here speaks English."

"Oh," Leni said, putting a finger on her chin in thought.

"You seem to be taking this pretty well. Compared to everyone else, I mean."

"Well, I'm a big sister. I have to set an example, right? I can't start freaking out in front of them." Sam was surprised. That's really mature, especially from coming her. "Plus, I have this super cute top in my bag that I'm excited to wear once we go to the beach."

I take it back, you're just an air-head.

"Contact in ten seconds. Get ready!" Demon Cyborg exclaimed. They came to a hill made of destroyed buildings, blocking the view of the enemy. Super-Charged would have like to find a vantage point and do reconnaissance before engaging, but he had the feeling that the heroes around him would be a little more direct in their approach.

The A-Class heroes surrounding her each braced for the incoming combat. Super-Charged's augmentations powering up loudly as electricity crackled around them. This was to be his first time fighting side-by-side with an S-Class, not to mention one he respected more than any of the other heroes in that class.

This is it. 3 . . . 2 -

"*Sigh* Nevermind." Demon Cyborg said, slowly halting her speed. Super-Charged caught off guard, nearly tripped from the sudden stop in his running. The other heroes were a little more graceful with it, but all looked just as confused. "I'll lecture to him later." She said to herself, exasperated.

"Um, Demon-san?" Dao said, tilting her head. The S-Class did not respond, choosing simply to walk over the hill, completely relaxed. Well, as relaxed as Super-Charged thought an S-Class should look. After a moment of confusion, the other heroes followed close behind.

As the stepped over the peak, they looked down at the carnage in complete shock. The blood and gore of monsters lay strewn all over the place, in what seemed to be an absolute slaughter. There were barely any bodies left, only able to identify the things by the wings and claws that were still whole. Super-Charged looked down over the scene in shock that not even he could hide behind his cool persona.

"Lincoln-san!" The S-Class yelled down.

"Oh, hey, Twenty-Three." Out of nowhere, a young-looking boy in civilian clothing popped up in front of them, seemingly out of thin air. Super-Charged was almost caught off guard if he had not trained himself to be constantly vigilant for the unexpected. The other A-Class heroes, obviously, did not have this training, as they audibly gasped at the young boy's sudden appearance. Perhaps it was the monster blood that stained almost three-quarters of his clothing.

Super-Charged took this moment to study the boy. He seemed to be no older than 15, yet had a muscle build most commonly in adult heroes. He must have been through some intense training to get at that level, though he did not know how comfortable he was knowing a child was putting himself through that. He was quickly distracted from that thought, though, as he saw the boy's slight buck teeth and albino hair.

Did this foreigner kid take out all of those monsters on his own? Why was Demon-san calling him by his name? Should a hero not be discouraging this kind of behavior from civilians.

"Have you found any trouble?"

"Nah, these guys were all pretty weak." He sighed. He almost sounded disappointed.

No, this kid is disappointed! What the hell kind of reaction is that!

"I see. Then we should prioritize rescuing civilians."

"Probably. I'm just glad my family's not in the middle of this."

"Hopefully."

"What does that mean?"

"Since the emergency, the Association has not updated me to the location of your parents, being preoccupied with the attacks. It's possible they have not arrived yet, or they may be here."

"Really? I guess we'll just have to get rid of all these guys soon."

"Are you going to look for more monsters?"

"Yeah, don't want to waste any time standing around," he said, turning to leave.

"Wait. Did you manage to get any information from them?"

"Huh? No, they just kept spouting about 'superior race' and stuff. It was pretty annoying." He said nonchalantly.

"S-Sounds like it," Dao said, trying to insert herself into the conversation.

"I see. According to the recent report, most of the monsters have been wiped out. We should go over and search for any more that might be around." They continued without Dao. The pinkette stepped back, visibly saddened from being ignored.

"Sure." He said.

"Demon-san, I will head over and search the rest of the district." Smile Man said.

"Do what you will, I'm not your commander." She said. Smile Man hesitated for a moment, affected by the coldness of her words, before nodding and running off towards the district center.

"Sociable as always, huh?" The young boy said. The S-Class hero was silent for a second, before turning to look back at the direction they had just come from.

"There's a monster attacking the emergency shelter." Demon Cyborg said. The two A-Class grimaced, while the albino boy looked unfazed.

"Oh?"

"Are the civilians okay?" Super-Charged asked.

"They have not broken through the outer layer, but there are still civilians headed that way. We should go before there are any casualties."

"Right. Well, then, let's go." The albino boy said.

"Right." Demon Cyborg said, taking off in the direction of the shelter.

Lincoln took off after her, leaving Super-Charged and Dao to try and catch up with the pair.

Who the hell is this kid? Of course, I suppose it doesn't matter as long as he has a license. Demon Cyborg seemed to know him pretty well, so it should be fine. But what kind of person is he for an S-Class to readily take such commands from.

Dao and Super-Charged trailed behind the two other heroes, struggling to keep pace with them. It should take only a couple of minutes to get there, but a couple of minutes at full sprint was still consuming a lot fo their energy. Super-Charged wasn't surprised though, Demon Cyborg was an S-Class after all.

"S-So, how long have you b-been a hero?" Dao asked, looking at the white-haired boy while trying to hide how much she was struggling to keep pace. Super-Charged looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

Seriously, you're socializing now?

"Hm? Oh, just about 2 weeks now."

"Really?"

"Yeah. So far it's been a pain in the butt with the weekly quota, but I've been managing."

"Weekly . . . wait for a second, you're a C-Class?!" Dao yelled.

"Yep." He said without hesitation. Behind them, Super-Charged had to keep himself from stumbling at the shocking news.

C-Class? There's no way a C-Class could have taken out all those monsters on his own. That amount of power, there's no way. Either he's lying, or these monsters are on average weaker than I initially thought.

"Maybe these monsters are weaker than I thought," Dao said, falling back behind.

"Contact in three seconds. There appears to be four targets."

"Perfectly numbered!" Dao said, readying her sword. "Oi, C-Class, just hang back and watch- "

"5 targets!"

"Huh?!" Dao exclaimed. New enemies, out of nowhere, too?

"7! Get ready!"