The System Gave Everyone Superpowers

I walked out of the Aegis Tower holding a cold can of Braple.

I took a sip. It tasted like liquid candy and artificial fruit. It was disgusting. I immediately threw the can in the nearest trash bin. But I made sure to smile while I did it, just in case a drone was watching.

I walked back to my penthouse and turned on the TV.

I flipped through the news channels. Most of them were talking about the Team Battle Trial. They showed clips of me flying and smiling.

But one channel was talking about something else.

I stopped flipping and turned up the volume.

The news anchor looked serious. "We have an update on the fallout from the Grand Hotel attack. The HRC has officially finalized their ruling against former Gadol Hero, Leonard Spike."

A picture of Leo appeared on the screen.

"The HRC found Mr. Spike liable for excessive property damage during his fight with Black Hole," the anchor reported. "He has been ordered to pay two million dollars in fines."

Two million dollars. That was impossible. Gadol’s hero division was bankrupt and Leo was just a low-level Hero. He didn't have that kind of money.

"Because Gadol’s Hero division is bankrupt, they cannot cover the costs," the anchor continued. "Mr. Spike is unable to pay. Therefore, the HRC has officially suspended his Hero License and seized his assets."

The picture of Leo faded away.

"Leonard Spike has vanished from the public registry," the anchor said. "He is now considered a civilian and if he uses his Blessing in public during his suspension will be arrested."

I turned off the TV and went to sleep.

A week later, I was on night patrol in District 8.

It was a rough neighborhood with dark streets, broken streetlights, and a lot of crime.

I had two Aegis media drones floating right in front of me, lighting up the sidewalk with bright spotlights.

I walked slowly, making sure my gold and white suit looked perfect.

In my right hand, I held a cold can of Braple energy drink. I made sure the rainbow logo was facing the cameras. Every few minutes, I took a small sip and smiled.

It was the easiest money I had ever made.

"Looking good, Seasons," Captain May said in my earpiece. "Viewership is high. Keep walking down 5th Street."

"Copy that, Captain," I said cheerfully.

I kept walking. The patrol was incredibly boring. No Villains wanted to attack a Hero surrounded by cameras and spotlights. They all hid when they saw me coming.

Which was exactly what I wanted.

As I walked past a dark alley, I heard a loud crash. It sounded like a garbage dumpster getting smashed.

I stopped. The drones hovered around me.

I heard a man yell in pain, followed by the sound of punches.

"Captain," I whispered, keeping my smile for the cameras. "I hear a fight in the alley."

"The drones don't have night vision," May said. "And we don't want to broadcast a bloody fight to the kids at home. Secure the perimeter and stay in the light. I'll send the regular police."

"I'll just take a quick look," I said.

I stepped out of the bright spotlights and walked into the dark alley, leaving the drones behind on the sidewalk.

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It was hard to see at first. But then, a bright yellow light flashed in the darkness.

I hid behind a stack of wooden pallets and watched.

There were five Villains in the alley with knives and low-tier Blessings.

They were running for their lives.

Someone was hunting them.

A figure dropped down from the fire escape. He moved incredibly fast and punched the first Villain in the chest. A bright yellow shockwave of kinetic energy exploded from his fist, knocking the Villain out cold instantly.

I stared at the figure.

He was wearing a pure white tactical suit with a black mask. It was the exact visual opposite of Black Hole.

The news had been talking about a new vigilante operating in the outer districts the last couple of days. They called him "White Hole." This must be him.

I watched White Hole punch another Villain, his fists glowing with yellow light.

The remaining three Villains panicked. One of them tried to shoot a weak fireball, but White Hole dodged it easily. He grabbed the Villain's arm, twisted it, and delivered a brutal punch to his jaw.

The Villain crumpled to the ground.

The last two Villains dropped their weapons and ran toward the back of the alley, trying to escape over a chain-link fence.

White just stood there, breathing heavily, his white suit glowing faintly in the dark.

He had taken down three armed Villains in less than thirty seconds.

I stepped out from behind the wooden pallets.

"Nice suit," I said quietly.

White Hole spun around, raising his glowing yellow fists before staring at my suit. He slowly lowered his fists and reached up to pull the mask off his face.

It was Leo.

He looked different. His hair was cut short. The smile he used to have was gone.

"Shay," Leo said. "Or should I call you Seasons now?"

"Shay is fine," I said. "What are you doing, Leo? The HRC suspended your license. If they catch you fighting Villains, they will throw you in a deep dark hole."

"I don't care about the HRC," Leo said, kicking one of the unconscious Villains' knives away. "They don't protect people. They just protect property and sponsors. I'm doing the job they won't do."

"You're a vigilante," I said. "You're breaking the law."

"The law is corrupt," Leo snapped. "You know it is, Shay. You saw what happened at the hotel. You saw how they treated Zachary."

I looked at the unconscious Villains on the ground. Leo had hit them hard. He wasn't holding back anymore.

"The news calls you White Hole," I said. "Are you copying the terrorists?"

"I am the opposite of them," Leo said fiercely. "Black Hole kills innocent people to destroy the system. I protect innocent people because the system won't."

He looked at me, his eyes narrowing.

"But you," Leo said, pointing at the Braple can in my hand. "You sold out. You became exactly what Black Hole hates. A corporate puppet."

I looked down at the colorful can of energy drink in my hand.

"It pays well," I said honestly.

Leo shook his head in disgust. "Money. That's all you care about. You have an S-Tier Blessing, Shay. You could actually change this city and save thousands of lives. Instead, you're doing commercials."

"I like commercials," I shrugged. "They don't shoot at me."

Leo clenched his fists and the yellow kinetic energy flared up again, brighter this time.

"You're a hypocrite," Leo said, his voice rising. "You know the System is broken and Aegis is corrupt. But you just smile and take their money. You're worse than the Villains."

I sighed. I hated when people got self-righteous.

"Look, Leo," I said. "I'm sorry about what happened to you. I really am. But I'm not a savior. I just want to be comfortable. I'm not going to fight a war against the whole world just because it's unfair."

"Then you're in my way," Leo said.

He took a step toward me.

"I am an illegal vigilante," Leo said, his eyes locked on mine. "You are an S-Rank Hero. The law says you have to arrest me right now."

Fighting him meant sweating and writing a huge arrest report. It meant dealing with Captain May asking questions about why I fought a vigilante off-camera.

It sounded like a massive headache and one I wasn’t going to get paid for.

"Are you going to arrest me, Seasons?" Leo demanded, raising his glowing fists. "Are you going to do your corporate duty?"

I looked at my Braple can.

Then, I tapped my earpiece.

"Captain May," I said into the microphone.

"Seasons," May replied instantly. "Did you find the Villains in the alley?"

Leo tightened his stance, preparing to lunge at me.

"Yeah, I found them," I said. "Three low-level guys. But they're already unconscious. Looks like they got into a fight with each other. I'm going to head back to the main street."

Leo blinked, the yellow glow fading from his fists, completely confused.

"Understood," May said. "The drones are waiting for you. Don't linger in the dark."

I took my finger off the earpiece.

I took a long sip of my energy drink.

"You're letting me go?" Leo asked, his voice full of disbelief. "Why?"

"Because fighting you sounds like a lot of paperwork," I said. "And I don't get paid extra for arresting vigilantes."

Leo stared at me.

"Just do me a favor, White Hole," I said, turning around to walk back toward the street. "Stay out of District 8. This is my patrol route. If I catch you fighting in my territory again, I will have to arrest you. And I hit a lot harder than those guys."

I walked out of the dark alley and back into the bright spotlights of the media drones.

I immediately flashed my golden smile and held up the Braple can.

"Nothing to worry about, citizens!" I announced cheerfully to the cameras. "Just some trash in the alley. District 8 is perfectly safe!"

I spent the rest of my shift walking around and smiling. It was incredibly boring, but my bank account kept growing.

Let Leo play the tragic hero in the shadows. I was perfectly happy being the fake idol in the light.

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