This whole gig was supposed to be a simple test. A little warm-up, even… or at least that was what Toxic Skull thought. Lady Gorgon had called him personally to deal with some punk kid who'd offed Lizard Commando. She wanted him to gauge the kid's abilities, see if he was worth… acquiring.
The B-Ranked villain had to admit, when he first saw Josh in that arena, he wasn't impressive. Josh looked like an overgrown teenager in street clothes.
That is, until they actually fought.
Toxic Skull started by launching a couple of fireballs, just to get a feel for Josh. But Josh dodged them like he was dancing, and then he was on the villain. Faster than the former had seen anyone move without teleportation. The Toxic Skull then tried to throw up a flame shield to deter the nimble teen, but he'd already gotten past it, his fist slamming into Toxic Skull's head with the force of a freight train, sending him flying and crashing against it like a cannonball.
"What the hell…?" He muttered, shaking his head to clear the dizziness. Seeing that the kid had some actual power, the B-Rank villain then decided to get serious.
Stretching up his arms, he channeled a significant amount of radioactive fire until it formed into a massive green ball of flame that was the size of a large bus. A technique that the villain named Sorch. An area-wide attack that, when launched into the ground, would unleash a firestorm large enough to engulf everything in flames within a five-city-block radius. Never mind in a relatively small arena.
Toxic Skull then launched the massive fireball dead center of the field, which then detonated into a massive explosion of flames that consumed the entire surrounding area, making escape impossible and survivability practically futile.
Yet when Josh saw the radioactive flames approach him, he didn't try to dodge… but rather braced himself. Then, with a deep breath, he struck out a concentrated punch and unleashed a blast of pure, focused Ki that met the villain’s fireball head-on before completely dispersing it into harmless sparks. It was as if the radioactive inferno had met the force of an even larger hurricane. The shockwave then slammed Toxic Skull into the arena wall hard enough to crack the metal plating and made his head swim.
“This kid…” the villain mumbled while dealing with the stars swarming his vision. “He isn't just skilled, but packs a hell of a punch too.” The Toxic Skull then smirked. “Still, let's see if that is all he can do.”
Toxic Skull then shot out both of his hands and shot out two torrents of green flames from them as he saturated the entire arena with his toxic flames, as he prepared another technique. Fire Rain. A technique in which his radioactive fire clung to everything within contact, whether it be buildings, walls, floors, or even the very air itself. He would direct the flames upwards, gathering them into a swirling vortex above him and his foe, and then shoot the flames out into a deadly rain of radioactive fire.
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But Josh once again just stood there before stomping his right foot on the floor, and releasing a huge amount of force upwards, which shattered the flaming vortex above him, just as easily, if not more so, than he did with his last technique.
“What the hell is this kid?” Toxic Skull muttered, a slight fear in his voice.
From the observation booth, Dr. Psych watched with undisguised fascination. The holographic display showed every nuance of Josh's movements, the way he channeled and unleashed that strange energy.
"Fascinating," he murmured, more to himself than anyone else. "He's not just strong; he's incredibly precise. Focusing and releasing that energy in controlled bursts, far more efficiently than most metahumans. And going by his vitals, he's barely even stressed. Meaning that he is likely holding back… significantly."
Lady Gorgon, beside him, tapped a gloved finger against her chin, her expression a mixture of intrigue and impatience. "Enough playing around, Edgar. It's time I joined the fun and see what this child can do against two B-Ranks, especially with that… magic of his."
With a nod, Dr. Psych teleported Lady Gorgon to the arena.
Back in the arena, Lady Gorgon materialized beside Toxic Skull and then glanced at Josh with a predatory gleam in her eyes, while he, in turn, tightened his stance, preparing for a proper fight for the first time in what felt like forever.
Meanwhile, miles away, near a secluded mountain shed far from the city, Blue Lock and another hero—a woman with striking pink hair and light hazel eyes dressed in a white magical girl outfit with pink highlights—approached cautiously. The B-Rank Hero Starlight.
"Are you sure about this, Blue Lock?" Starlight asked, her voice tight with apprehension. "This place seems more abandoned than some villain’s hideout.”
Blue Lock knitted his brow grimly. “That just makes it even more obvious that it is a hideout… and I was about to think that the whole ritual thing that Miller kid did was just some fancy light show…”
Starlight's eyes widened, a hint of girlish excitement flickering within them. "No way! You mean you saw someone who can use real magic! Cool!"
Blue Lock rolled his eyes, though his expression remained serious. "Just try to keep your squeeing to a minimum, Starlight. We're here to rescue his parents, not gawk at magic tricks, and if Lady Gorgon is here, this is going to be anything but a children's story."
As they approached the shed, the ground began to tremble. Two figures emerged from the shadows, blocking their path. The first was a tall, gaunt man who looked like he was barely eighteen, with white hair and red eyes, clad in a tight, light and dark brown armored spandex suit with pointed metal protrusions that resembled bunny ears. The second was a heavy-set, bald man with dark skin and a thick, black, curly mustache, his torso bare and covered in intricate tattoos.
Blue Lock tensed and then smiled at the two approaching villains. “Well, seems the kid’s divination was spot on after all.”
