Ironhide is standing before me, winding up his first punch with his iron-coated fist.
He swings at me. Right before the punch hits him. I use my instant copy ability to coat myself in iron so I can tank the hit. The punch still stings slightly, as if I were to accidentally bump into a wall.
I stagger back a bit, needing to further plant my feet to stay grounded. I can feel the stitches that are patching up my earlier injury slowly coming undone. But regardless, I must endure.
"Impressive, I was honestly expecting you to be knocked out by the first hit. I can see why Claire chose you." Ironhide says in a monotone voice, already winding up his second punch.
I brace myself for his next hit. Seeing that his swing is even quicker this time. It looks like a blur to me, I can barely react enough to activate my instant copy. Since I wasn't able to fully activate it, the hit hurts more, knocking me back a bit more, as well as reopening my wounds the slightest bit more.
Now that I've used the ability twice, my head feels a bit funny. I suppose Miss Claire was right that this ability exercises my brain. Calling it a "One-time instant activation" was an apt name; in most circumstances, I should never use this more than once.
I can't think about this any further, as Ironhide is already throwing his third punch, this time, however, I notice a second layer of iron on it, as the layer of Iron disappeared from his other fist. I activate my instant copy again. This punch stings more than the last, as if I were hit with a baseball bat. I'm lucky I can defend this with Ironhide's own ability. I think I'd die if I took a direct hit.
I feel a headache coming on, and my fingers are going numb when I use my instant copy for the third time. I don't know if I can handle using it two more times. But regardless, I must endure.
I feel my breath quicken and my heart race as he winds up his fourth punch, it looks exactly the same as his third. I activate my instant copy again. But for some reason, his fist goes right past me.
A feint?!
His other fist connects right with my stomach. Causing me to cough and stumble back. It's a shock to me that I didn't fall over right there. I look forward and notice that the fist he hit me with wasn't coated with iron, nor did it have the same momentum as his feint.
I got lucky.
"I see now. You can copy my power, can't you?" Ironhide asks me, looking down at me with a sense of acknowledgement. "But you're obviously nearing your limits, young one. You cannot handle this last hit. I'd rather not hurt you, so please just come quietly."
"Hell no. Hit me, I won't lose." I spit back at him. My voice was growing hoarse. With my fourth instant copy, I am feeling my headache grow. My hands are completely numb, and I hear this buzzing in my head. It would surely kill me to use my instant copy again. But on the other hand, Ironhide isn't wrong. It could kill me to try and take a hit directly.
Gauging my risks, it's less dangerous to try and take a hit directly. I will endure.
Hearing my words. Ironhide seems to acknowledge my resolve and winds up one last punch. It's coated in a single layer of iron.
He's going easy on me? Has he been doing that the entire time?
Before I can finish that thought, his iron-coated fist connects directly with my stomach. I get blown back directly into a nearby pillar. My wound from my last battle is fully reopened as I cough up blood. I can feel it flooding my mask. As I bounce off the pillar and land on my feet, I stumble backwards, falling to the ground.
Before I can hit the ground. I dig my heels into the concrete and stop myself in place. Before slowly lifting myself up onto my feet. "I said that I wouldn't fall," I say in a slow, raspy tone, almost completely unable to speak.
I see the shock etched on Ironhide's face. And almost a sense of him being impressed. I feel my vision growing hazy and my head getting lighter. I feel myself falling before I feel a hand catch me. "I got it from here, kiddo." I hear Miss Claire say to me, reassuringly. Soon, it all fades to black…
I wake up to a bright light right in my eyes. I feel a presence near me. I must still be alive, although I don't know how much time has passed since my encounter with Ironhide.
As my vision clears up, I notice a bloody rag next to me. As I take in the rest of my surroundings, I see lab equipment lined up on nearby tables. And as I fully regain my senses, I recognize that what I'm lying on is an operating table.
Am I in a lab? Where is Miss Claire?
The person beside me seems to have recognized that I'm awake. They lean down to meet my eyes…
Ah. It's Jane, I'm in her lab. I think I've made sense of the situation now. I hear her clear her throat and begin to speak: "You know you're gonna make Claire worry herself to death if you keep doing dumb stuff and getting hurt, right?"
I nod my head and respond, "It was the only way out of it. Besides, I don't know what came over me. I just felt compelled to combat Ironhide somehow."
"Compelled? What do you mean by that, kid?" Jane asks me, a look of confusion etched on her face.
"I just felt past emotions bubble up, and I exploded. I mean, I told him off before challenging him. I know I said it was the only way, but in all honesty. There was an easier path; I could have just created an opening for Miss Claire to intervene." I tell her. I honestly still don't know what was going on with me.
What the hell was I thinking?!
Jane sighs and sits me up, "I know I defended your stunt with the B rank heroes, but I thought you had enough common sense not to mess with a ranker," she says, looking at me with a sense of disappointment. "I patched you up, kiddo. Claire is back in her lair. She should be back to come get you soon." She follows up.
It looks like she has more to say on the matter, but I think she can tell that I'm already reflecting on it, so she doesn't want to keep beating on the fresh wound since I got the message already.
I nod in response, not saying anything.
I was the one who broke the silence by saying: "What was Miss Claire like when she was my age? You said something about knowing her when she was a kid."
Jane takes a long moment to think before saying, "Claire was… Very reckless and arrogant. She was quite powerful when she was younger, overpowering most adults. It was just her and me when we were younger, alone and unhoused. She would get into dumb fights to get basic necessities so we could survive, while I'd stay back and heal her when she returned. She got a lot of joy out of fighting and beating others, I think a part of her probably still does."
"Do you know why she hates heroes?" I ask. When I do, Jane seems to look away from me.
"Claire should tell you that herself when she is ready. I don't want to spill too much of her business." Jane says, before quickly changing the subject: "I will say though, as she was leaving she was loudly saying something about 'killing a loosed tongued piece of shit'. Do you know what that's about?"
"Mr. Eun-ji spilled info about my existence to Ironhide. Miss Claire is probably gonna kill him." I tell her.
Jane nods, seemingly understanding. "Well, I can't be surprised, I assume Ironhide caught wind that Eun-ji knew something and pressured him into telling him. I'd bet money that he didn't say everything, though. I think Eun-ji thought telling Ironhide about you wouldn't hurt because Ironhide would never hurt a child."
True enough, I suppose. He would never directly hurt anyone he classified as innocent. He doesn't like violence, almost to the point of avoidance in some cases. I'm now even one-hundred percent confident he was holding back during the "game". He was using enough force necessary in his eyes to win, but I was just beyond his expectations.
"Based on my conversations with Eun-ji, he seems to respect Ironhide. It doesn't surprise me that he'd be convinced to say something under pressure." I say, a little bitter. I know I haven't known the man long, but I thought he wouldn't cross Miss Claire like that.
Jane acknowledges my statement, but doesn't respond to it, instead changing the subject, "Claire should be here by now. She said she'd be back in two hours. It's been three."
I slowly stand up, noticing that all of my injuries are truly gone. Jane looks rather tired. It probably takes a lot for her to heal people. I don't want to bother her anymore, so I'll just go. "When Miss Claire and I first left, she had me make a portal back to the lair from here so I can come back myself when needed. I will just return to the lair and check on her myself." I tell her.
Jane nods and lays her head down on a nearby table. "Okay, that sounds good. Be safe, kiddo. I'm gonna take a nap."
I turn around and leave the lab. When I go up the stairs and reach the surface. The ground behind me closes back up, concealing the lab.
I take a deep breath before hopping into my portal and arriving right outside the elevator that leads into the lab. I step inside and push the button that leads down. The elevator starts moving, blaring that elevator music that I was complaining about on the way to my first mission.
When I arrive down and step out. I see a very shocking, but not entirely surprising sight.
Miss Claire has Mr. Eun-ji pinned to a wall by his throat. "Give me one good reason I shouldn't end you right now you son of a bitch! You could have gotten the kid killed!" She shouts at him.
A very scared Mr. Eun-ji manages to spit out through the sounds of him being strangled, "Wait, Claire! Hear me out!"