(6 years later)
Issei was sitting in his brother's room in front of a table, playing with two big, life like robot play-dough figures one red and black, the other purple and black.
Issei said, "All right… Guys, let's do that."
""""""""That?"""""""" he repeated multiple times in different voices.
Then he shouted, "What else? COMBINE!!" as he grabbed multiple play-dough robots and set them aside to pick up a fully green robot with badass glasses and a red flowing cape, with a blue flaming skull in the middle.
The purple one said, "What in the world? You lowly lifeforms have mastered vast amounts of energy? Unbelievable!"
Then the bigger green one said, "We evolve beyond the person we were a minute before. We advance a little further with each turn. That's how a drill works!"
The purple one grew larger and shouted, "That is the path that leads to extinction! Why can't you see the limitation of the spiral race?!" He made a drill with his left hand and brought it down toward the green figure.
But then the green figure cocked his right arm back and struck forward with his own drill, hitting dead center against the purple guy's drill. They were locked in a stalemate, looking directly into each other's eyes. The green figure said, "No, that's your limitation! You sit here in your closed-off universe, locking away other lifeforms like you're some kind of king! That's nobody's limitation but your own!"
Then Issei made his voice high-pitched and said, "He's right! We humans used to have somebody much, much bigger than us! For his sake, we'll go forward!" Then, in a slightly higher pitch, "The human spirit is limitless! I've staked everything on its greatness, too!"
The drills slid off each other, both mechs shifting to the side. Then Issei deepened his voice, trying to sound older, and said, "Eat this!" He removed the green figure's cape and shouted, "Finishing Move! SUPER TENGEN TOPPA… GIGAA. DRRRILLL. BREAAAKERRRR!!!"
The purple one responded, "How amusing! In that case… ANTI-SPIRAL GIGAA. DRRRILLL. BREAAAKERRRR!!!"
The massive drills collided, meeting in a stalemate. In Issei's imagination, the drills were bending the fabric of space and time as they rotated with unimaginable power.
Meanwhile, his mother stood at the doorway with a basket of folded laundry, about to step in, but she noticed both her husband and oldest son peeking through a tiny opening in the door, watching as if not to disturb a chef perfecting his masterpiece. Gouro held his arm out to stop his wife and whispered, "Hold on. Let him cook."
Inside the room, the stalemate finally broke. The Anti-Spiral's drill shattered through the other mechs, leaving only the one that had started the fight. But the final mech's drill stopped the Anti-Spiral's attack in place. The Anti-Spiral could only mutter in disbelief, "Impossible! Nothing should be able to withstand our power!"
Issei raised his figure and declared, "Mark my words! This drill will open a hole in the universe. And that hole will become a path for those who follow after us. The dreams of those who have fallen, the hopes of those who will follow, those two sets of dreams weave together into a double helix, drilling a path toward tomorrow! That's Tengen Toppa! THAT IS GURREN LAGANN!! MY DRILL IS THE DRILL THAT CREATES THE HEAVENS!!!"
Outside the room, Haru and Gouro watched with tears of manly pride. Haru could only whisper, "This shit… is so peak."
Miki could only look on, wondering, 'what the hell is happening?'
//////////////////////////
A day later
In Tokyo, at the very tip of Tokyo Tower, a lone figure stood completely covered by a flowing white cape. The sun's glare made it impossible for anyone below to look directly at him, making him look like he was being kissed by the sun itself.
With a slow, deliberate motion, the figure lifted his arm and swept the cape aside. Beneath it was a simple elementary school uniform.
But what truly stood out was his face hidden behind the unmistakable mask of Kamen Rider Double. This was Haruya Hyoudou!
He looked out over the city and, with complete seriousness, whispered to the wind,
"Have I mastered it Mr. Piccolo?... The sun kissed technique."
The air shimmered around him. Light bent slightly, as if the universe itself hesitated to process what it was witnessing.
Down in the streets of Tokyo, a man in a black trench coat froze mid-step, his mouth slowly falling open. He turned toward the top of Tokyo Tower, where a faint silhouette stood against the burning sky, cape rippling like a banner of divinity.
A proud grin spread across the man's face.
"So that's the immense aura I felt." he muttered. "Is he… one of Piccolo's students?"
His eyes glowed a deep, luminous purple as he continued, voice filled with awe. "To think a kid has mastered the Sun-Kissed Technique to this degree, He's got real potential. There's no doubt about it an aura farmer like him will definitely appear at the tournament."
Without another word, the man stepped backward into the shadow cast by a passing bus. The darkness rippled beneath his feet and then swallowed him whole.
Haru, back at the top of Tokyo Tower, looked down over the city, scanning the streets with his super vision, not seeing anything he decided to use his hearing but he heard nothing out of the ordinary.
He sighed. "Another quiet day, huh?"
'Well, might as well run and grab some grub,' he thought as he ran down the side of the building. The wind whipped past him, carrying his quiet voice.
"It's been a while since I saw you guys… a lot's happened. So, let's do this one last time, yeah?" Haru said softly, as if speaking to an invisible crowd only he could see.
"So after my speed testing, I went about my days like normal helping around the house, going to school, and pretending to be an average guy. But then, out of nowhere, I started hearing… voices."
"At first, it was just faint conversations in languages I didn't recognize. I brushed it off thought maybe my hearing was acting up again. But over time, it got worse. Different languages, different tones, people from everywhere… until eventually, I started hearing one I did understand English."
"And let's just say, it was a surprise."
/////////////////////////////////////
(Flashback)
Four years ago
Haru was running, testing his full speed to see how much he'd improved over the past two months. But suddenly, the faint murmurs that had been in his head for weeks exploded tenfold.
He skidded to a stop, knees slamming against the concrete, hands clutching his ears as a storm of voices tore through his mind.
First came a calm, older British voice
"Master Bruce, are you sure about this?"
Then another, firm and familiar
"Yes, Alfre—"
Before it could finish, a different tone cut in a whisper, barely audible, but filled with hate.
"To think… I'd have to create the very man I came here to destroy… just to get back hom-"
Then came a sharp whistle through the wind an arrow slicing the air followed by a sudden scream.
"AHHHH—!"
Even more voices flooded in, overlapping, chaotic. Haru stopped listening.
He screamed, trying to drown it all out, his voice breaking as the pain surged through his skull.
He threw his head back, eyes snapping open
They were crimson red.
ZAPPPP!
Twin beams of searing light shot from his eyes, tearing into the sky.
All Haru saw was red.
He knew he was losing control.
And that he had to stop.
With trembling hands, he forced his eyes shut and focused desperately reaching out with his senses. He searched for the one sound that always calmed him. His mother.
He locked onto her heartbeat, her gentle humming in the kitchen preparing dinner and he listened.
He listened until all he could hear was her.
Even now, he thanks the stars he wasn't anywhere near home that day.
(End of the flash back)
Haru rounded the corner and stopped when he spotted a small takoyaki stand glowing warmly under the evening light. The handwritten sign read: "6 pieces for 700 yen."
He tugged his white cape tighter, making sure it covered his school uniform, and slowed his perception of time back to normal. With a calm breath, he stepped forward.
"Can I get six pieces, please?" he asked, voice slightly muffled behind his Kamen Rider mask.
The clerk looked up from the sizzling grill and froze for a second. In front of him stood a kid wrapped in a flowing white cape, face hidden behind a Kamen Rider Double mask.
"...Sure, kid," the man finally said, shaking his head with a faint smile as he poured the batter. "One order of takoyaki coming right up."
As the sizzling sound of batter filled the air, Haru thought to himself
'I've been doing this superhero thing for almost three years now… but since I move so fast, no one sees anything but a green blur. They've actually started calling me the Green Blur kinda became a myth around Tokyo.'
'If what I've heard is true, then there's no doubt, I'm this universe's Superman. But… There's never been a Japanese Superman before. And I don't remember Superman having a little brother either…'
The clerk handed over the food.
"Thank you. Have a nice day." Haru said politely before walking away.
'You know, I've started to notice a pattern. Every two years, I get a new power. Two years ago, I sneezed so hard I went straight through the ceiling. It turns out that it was frost breath. Luckily, Mom and Dad thought it was a gas leak.'
'But outside of hero stuff, nothing new really happened. Still no friends, don't have time for that. Not to mention… kids are annoying.'
///////////////////////
Haru sat on top of a building scribbling on a note book.
'If I really am this world's Superman… then I've gotta have a suit, right?' he thought, sketching a large S on the page. 'But I don't wanna show my face, so maybe something more like Invincible? Wait… wasn't there a version of Mark that wore a cape? Yeah, maybe that could work.'
Then Haru closed his notebook, tucking it neatly into his bag before glancing at the watch on his wrist. It read 7:30 p.m.
"Better start heading home," he muttered.
He stood, stretched, and took one last look at the glowing city below before crouching slightly, the air around him trembling. Then.
WHOOSH!
In less than five seconds, he was already past the city limits, Tokyo shrinking behind him like a fading memory. The moment he hit open terrain, he let loose a bit his speed ramping from cruising pace to Mach 29. The sea below splitting apart in his wake like a blade slicing through water.
Twenty five seconds later, the air stilled. A gust of displaced wind swept through a quiet neighborhood as Haru stepped out from the shadows of an alley near his house, his out hero outfit gone, cape and mask neatly tucked away in his backpack. He was perfectly calm, not a single hair out of place.
'Made it… thirty seconds flat.' he thought, glancing at his watch.
He walked toward the front door, quietly opening it. The sound of laughter and conversation filled the house, his parents chatting with another couple.
Before he could announce his arrival, he spotted Issei sprinting past, chasing after a girl with light brown hair and a bright smile.
Haru watched them for a moment, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly.
'Oh right… almost forgot one thing.' he thought, amused. 'Issei made a friend.'
Author's note:
Won't be posting tomorrow; I need to go study for a test.
But what would you guys like the suit to look like? Right now, I'm currently leaning towards this