"Of course I know I'm committing a crime — and don't call me 'Hero,' such a dirty name!"
Flamingo's words lit a fuse inside him; his emotions flared like the flames that licked his wings.
"Is that… really you?"
The middle-aged man, clutched by Flamingo's left hand, screamed in pain.
"It seems you finally remembered me, Prosecutor Yanei Takefumi!" Flamingo snarled, the veins in his arm standing out. "You're still wandering the mall—living the high life!"
Lock, who had been watching from the escalator landing, pieced together the villain's motive. Flamingo had once been a Pro Hero. He'd been stripped of his license. He'd come to the mall seeking revenge against the prosecutor who'd prosecuted him. The falling decorations? Flamingo had set fires at random; the heat had weakened the fixture and caused it to snap.
"So… you're out for revenge?" Yanei gasped, his voice choked as the flamingo's grip tightened around his throat. He could hardly breathe. The memory of what happened two years ago rushed back into everyone's minds.
When Flamingo first debuted as a hero, he gained fame quickly. During a mission to apprehend criminals, he'd captured his targets — but had also tortured and killed them in brutal ways. The public outcry was enormous. Under the law, heroes do not have the right to kill unless ordered; otherwise, it's treated as an illegal act subject to trial.
Prosecutor Yanei Takefumi, leading the investigation, judged Flamingo's actions as serious crimes and brought charges. Flamingo was stripped of his hero license and sentenced — two years in prison, suspended for two years. The sentence seemed severe, but a suspended term left a sliver of leniency: if Flamingo behaved for two years, the criminal sentence could be cancelled. His hero license could be regained by retaking the exam.
…
"As a prosecutor, I will handle your case impartially and fairly." Even with his life in Flamingo's hands, Yanei tried to sound resolute.
"And I'll recommend leniency — a suspended sentence and a chance to repent." Yanei grabbed Flamingo's arm, pulling with all his strength, but he couldn't budge the grip. His neck was cut off from the air; he was about to pass out.
"Don't be stupid now — it's been almost two years," Fire Buster urged, trying to reason with Flamingo. But his words did little; he'd already been beaten and was struggling to hold the line. His water pumps sputtered and sprayed, but the flames were so intense they vaporized the water almost instantly.
"Heh—don't you get it?" Flamingo sneered, spitting on the floor. "The important thing is to remind the public of my sentence!"
When the news of Flamingo's conviction had spread, the backlash had been brutal. The social media flood turned on him; he couldn't even use electronic devices without harassment. Outside, passersby would glare at him like he was a walking criminal. Even staying home didn't help—cold looks came from relatives and neighbors. Worst of all, his long-term girlfriend left him, calling him a murderer. The admiration he once enjoyed as a hero had vanished.
Desperate and broken, Flamingo had isolated himself in the suburbs. One day, a man in black approached him with an offer: "Let's tear down this false peace together. Let's take revenge on those sanctimonious 'heroes.'"
Flamingo, bitter and raw, responded with furious agreement. "Yes! I killed criminals — why am I treated like this? It's society's fault. It's that prosecutor Yanei's fault!"
He fell into darkness willingly.
…
"Then, Yanei Takefum, be the first sacrifice in my plan. Die now!" Flamingo snarled, tightening his grip and conjuring a flame in his palm, preparing to end the prosecutor's life.
"Don't even think about succeeding!"
Fire Buster, seeing Yanei's life hanging by a thread, had no option but to act. He thrust both pumps forward and blasted water at Flamingo.
"Fools! With the Quirk-enhancing serum the lord gave me, ordinary water is useless!" Flamingo declared, waving his free arm. The violent flames struck the sprayed water; the clash of hot and cold set the air trembling. Still, the fire pressed forward, advancing despite the spray, and Fire Buster's strength began to waver.
Lock watched from his hiding place and refused to remain a bystander. He couldn't simply watch the prosecutor die. While keeping his distance, he whispered and formed a magic circle in his hands — a precise, flowing pattern of runes that churned with liquid blue light.
From the circle, a stream of magical water poured forth — not ordinary water, but a shaped torrent given will and form by his spell. The current rushed toward Flamingo.
"What—another hero arrived?" Flamingo barked, startled by the sudden attack. He hesitated; his right arm's flame was somewhat contained by Fire Buster, and his left hand still held Yanei by the throat. Flamingo loosened his left hand for a split second to repel the new threat, intending to stomp Yanei afterward to ensure he couldn't escape.
A fierce gust of hot wind blew back at Flamingo — the heat itself forcing him to squint. At that moment, Lock moved. Using the speed magic he'd drawn earlier, he closed the distance in a blink.
In the flash of Lock's movement, Yanei vanished from Flamingo's grasp. He reappeared at the side of Fire Buster, coughing and gasping for air. No one could quite explain the speed — it stunned the professional hero.
Lock's water attack had been a feint; his priority was to rescue the hostage so that the prosecutor could fight, clear-headed, without the threat to his life. The plan worked. With Yanei safe, Lock readied himself for the next move.
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