Adventures of an Employed Planeswalker

(Matt's PoV - Metroville)

Ok, here we go- oh... Power Sense is going crazy!

There are pings everywhere... I furrow my brows, further concentrating.

These pings are faint and constant. Maybe I shouldn't call them pings at all, they're more like constant heartbeat signs, just less annoying.

I'm in the middle of a street, and the crowd moves around me minding their own businesses. Some of these people let out this signal very faintly.

I bump into one such person - a lady with her hair done in a ponytail - and with a quick scan I memorize her anatomy. A quick apology and I was off walking with the crowd.

'Her biology is mostly the same as a human's, with some exceptions on her DNA. Her muscle fibers are slightly stronger and more resilient, her cells are producing quite a lot more energy than normal, and the main point is her brain, which seems a lot more developed than it should.'

These powers are biological then, good. I need to find the Parr family not only to better understand these powers but also to keep track of them. I don't know what the Anomaly here is, but I bet it either has to do with Syndrome or that Deavor woman.

'Or maybe the Underminer? Who knows.' The important detail is that the Parr family interacts with all of them. Following them is paramount to keep up with the timeline of events.

Now... where do they live? 'I already miss the wonders of so much technology around...'

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I wracked my brain to get as much information about the movie to the forefront of my mind. Looking over old memories proved to be a helpful exercise. Several details were once glossed over and only by truly meditating and 'reliving' them could I absorb more of them.

Observing the memories, I noticed the fact that the silver-haired chick was after Frozone at first, not Mr. Incredible. Another interesting detail is that they left home at night to fight a fire on a Wednesday. 'Bowling Night', they said. Heh.

Well well well, if it isn't a coincidence that tonight is Wednesday. I'll figure out the police's radio frequency and watch out. With some luck, there'll be some big fire tonight. Until then... 'What the hell do you do to pass the time in the 60's?... Guess I'll try the local cuisine.'

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(Bob Parr's PoV - Metroville)

Another boring day working on my meaningless job for my annoying boss. I tried doing a good deed today: helping an old lady have a fighting chance to get her insurance.

I DON'T get it! It's an insurance company! Why do we need to ensure our customers DON'T get their insurance? I wonder how this company is even up and running!

It... doesn't matter anymore, Bob. You're home now and you can relax-

"Bob! Your son was sent to the office again!" Helen raises her voice, snapping me out of reading the newspaper. I shake my head, it was just getting interesting.

"Oh. What for?" I ask, looking at Dash. He's biting his meatloaf without cutting it, with little success.

"Can you help him cut his meatloaf?" Helen asks me, making me sigh and get up to help the little champ. "He put a tack on the teacher's seat. During class." She glares at Dash.

Dash frowns, "No one saw me! You could barely see it on tape..." He puts his hand on his chin in annoyance.

"They caught you on tape and you still got away with it? Woah! You must've been booking it! How fast do you think you were going?!" I ask excitedly. I've always been curious about Dash's top speed, but we could never figure it out. Damn anti-super law.

"Bob! We are not encouraging this!" Helen makes her point clear.

"I'm not encouraging it! I'm just asking how fast he was-"

"Honey!" She raises her voice and I follow her look. The meatloaf... and the plate below it is cut, the knife is stuck on the table. Great, I got distracted again.

"First the car and now I gotta pay to fix the table-" I grunt in frustration.

"The car? What happened to the car?" Helen asks. I take my plate and put it in front of Dash.

"I'll get another plate," I say, getting my newspaper and going to the kitchen.

"Damn plate..." I say, getting another one of these flimsy porcelain plates and getting myself some more meatloaf.

Finally reading the newspaper, I spot the face of a man I haven't seen in years. The article reads 'Simon J. Paladino, long time advocate of superheroes rights... is missing!?' "Gazer Beam..."

"BOB! It's time to engage!" Helen calls from the other room.

Ignoring the bombastic news I just read, I move to the dining room to find my wife holding our kids in her stretched-out arms... while they wrestle each other beneath the table. "Don't just stand there! I need you to... intervene!" She yells at me, beckoning me into action.

"You want me to intervene? Okay, I'll intervene! I'm intervening!" I say, lifting the table. It doesn't stop the kids' squabble; even with their mother's arms tied around them and dangling in the air they continue to fight, getting ready to bite each other's legs and arms-

DINGDONG

Everyone snaps to their place at the table. I whisper-shout to Dash, "Get the door!"

He runs over there and answers it. "Hey, Lucius!" is his excited greeting.

"Hey, speedo! Hey Helen, Vi, Jack-Jack." Lucius greets everyone with an easy smile.

"Hehey! Ice of you to drop by!" I greet him, much to his dismay.

"Ha! Never heard that one before." He retorts, deadpan.

"Lucius!" Dash warns, before spitting out water.

"Woah!" Lucius jumps forward, freezes the water mid-air, rolls, and catches it. "Haha!" He presents the frozen water to us.

Dash doesn't seem very happy though, "I like it when it shatters..."

I get up quickly, say a quick "I'll be back later!" and get my coat from the hanger.

"Hey, where are you two going?" Heles asks...

"It's Wednesday-" I respond.

"Oh... Bowling night." And Helen answers herself. "Say hello to Honey for me, Lucius!"

"Will do uh," Lucius waves as I push him out. "Goodnight Helen, goodnight kids!" I quickly close the door, eager to get away and relax a little.

"Let's go, let's go, let's go!" I say, pushing Lucius to his car.

"Calm down, Bob! What's gotten into you?" Lucius asks once we get in the car.

I look at him seriously, "You read the papers?"

He nods, "Gazer Beam..." We share a moment of silence. He starts the car and heads towards the city.

"Shit like that's been happenin' for some time now, Bob... you think...?" Lucius was always a cautious guy.

I shake my head quickly, "No, they wouldn't do that. Everyone from back in the day knows what's at stake!"

"Hah... Whatever you say, Bob... look, how about we just go bowling this time, eh?"Lucius offers, parking the car in an alley.

I sigh, "I know, I know. We have to be careful now that everyone's alert. Still, we can't just sit by if anything happens!"

"Bob... how about we do what our wives think we're doing, for once?" Lucius pleads.

"Hey, I'm not-" I'm interrupted by the police radio coming to life with the report of a building on fire.

"Bob..." Lucius starts, with a warning tone.

"Lucius... we can't let the people there!" I hate saying things like these, but if that's what's needed to convince him...

He sighs, turning on the car again. "I swear I wish we went bowling..." He puts on his ski mask and I put mine.

"BOWLING NIGHT! HAHAHAHA!" We leave quickly, headed to the building.

"Confirm to switch targets?" A voice says into a communicator.

"Yes. Believe me, this is the one he wants." A seductive woman's voice responds, a satisfied smirk displayed on her face.

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(Matt's PoV - Wednesday, April 11th, 1962. 11:40 p.m. - Metroville)

Fires are more common in this city than I thought, but the report of a whole building on fire was quick to catch my attention. It is, after all, a whole building on fire. The light it gives off is noticeable in the city's skyline.

I fly over, hearing on the police radio that their ETA is 10 minutes. In the movie, Bob and Lucius were there on time to save the people, but with a couple of minutes to spare for police arrival. They should be there already.

'Oh yeah, there they are.' I quickly notice their auras approaching in a car. Another car follows them from behind, parking a few buildings over.

Bob and Lucius get out of their car, already wearing ski masks. They nod to each other as they get to the building's front entrance. Frozone uses his freezing powers to lower the front entrance's temperature and Mr. Incredible smashes through it. The building shakes, groans, and crackles - the last throes of the burning wood and collapsing support within.

I land on the building they're getting into, extending my reach to cover it. I instantly frown.

The constant shifting and movement of the fire, the people (both alive and dead), the wood cracking, the many melting metals, the fabrics burning...

'So much information... Perfect!' I like the challenge.

To make a good first impression on those two, I form a barrier around the people still alive in the building. It'll make sure they don't burn... 'But it won't make them breathe better; there's too little breathable air inside...' sigh

I float them all to the second floor, avoiding the first floor for now as they were there searching for people. Surprisingly, very few people are still around the place. Then again, a lot of people died... Guess they were caught in their sleep.

Keeping the people neatly piled in a very visible place right at the stairs, I focus on the feedback this new way of sensing gives me.

I float in a meditative state, crossing my legs and breathing in.

The sound and touch are the main things that attack me with a vengeance. It's the throughput of the whole building on fire... the amount of things happening at once is crazy. It's both a good and a bad thing I don't have a way to extend my sense of smell like this.

'Now, let's take a crack at this Sphere of Influence thing...'

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(Lucius' PoV)

Why did I agree to this again!?

"Bob, I got nothin'! Found anything!?" I yell, not having found anyone still alive on this floor. The bodies... I almost forgot the bad parts of this business.

The troglodyte I call friend shakes his head quickly, heading for the stairs. "I'll check the second floor, you go right up to the third! We can't waste any more time!" He says, jumping four steps at a time.

The guy may be a buffoon, but he takes saving people seriously every time.

I hurry after him too, preparing to keep running up the stairs to the third floor- only to bump into Bob's back.

"What are you standin' around for!?" I peek around him, alerted. It might be something blocking the way, maybe a hole?

The sight that greets me strikes me as odd. A bunch of people bundled up together. They are all unconscious, some coughing periodically, but they are all... very conveniently placed, aren't they?

I share a look with Bob and he nods. Yeah, I think this is sketchy as well, but the people take priority.

"I'll go up to the third floor! Get these people out of here!" I yell over the fire, a wooden support beam falling behind me blocking the access to the second floor. 'Wasn't there a person there before?'

Ignoring the nagging feeling, I rush up the stairs.

The third floor, while not completely destroyed, is the hottest floor. I have no water in me to sweat anymore and the smoke is starting to make me cough. 'I hate fires...'

A few minutes of pained breathing later and I find no other people. I go to a nearby window, punching the glass out of it. Looking down, I see Bob putting people reclining against the building in front of this one.

"BOB! No more people in here, help me with the landing! " I yell, preparing to jump. I see Bob nodding and running. He stays right outside this window and I jump. He catches me easily, putting me down soon after.

We hear a few groans and turn to see the people breathing better, some even starting to wake up. We turn to each other, fist-bumping.

"Ahem!" I turn around fast, not having heard anyone approaching from behind. 'Am I that rusty?'

"Gentlemen! Exemplary work there! May we have a word?" A young man standing between us and the building says, seemingly unconcerned by the raging fire going on behind him.

"Look out!" Bob shouts, jumping to save the guy from falling debris. Surprisingly enough, Bob stops mid-jump and the debris also stops in the air. I widen my eyes. 'A super... and so young.'

"You, sir, are very heavy. In both a good and bad way." The young man says, waving his hand. Bob floats back to my side, shaking his head and body. The piece of building falling down is neatly put behind the super, the fire in it no longer burning.

Now that I notice it... the whole building is no longer on fire? 'What the heck!?'

"While I'm sure you're eager to talk - mainly to ask me questions - the police are due to arrive in... 1 minute and 25 seconds, approximately. Would you like a ride?" He asks. I shake my head.

"No, we got a car-" He waves his hand dismissively.

"I can take that too, you know." He smiles in a self-satisfied way.

Great, he's one of those...

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(Matt's PoV - Wednesday, April 11th, 1962. 11:55 p.m. - Metroville)

Now away from the previously burning building, I leave their car on the ground. We are in a suburban neighborhood.

I lean onto the car's hood, waiting for them to get out.

They both do, sharing glances all the while and staying somewhat fight-ready.

"First things first: Hello, I'm Matt and it's nice to meet you. I didn't know Mr. Incredible and Frozone were still active in business." They both tense, but keep their casual stance, belying their readiness to attack or escape. Bob specifically seems to be on edge. I guess being held completely still hit his ego harder than I thought it would...

"We aren't... not officially anyway. We just wanted to help because we could." Bob says, crossing his arms and squaring his shoulders.

"Hm, I see. Good to know true heroics aren't dead yet." I off-handedly comment. I genuinely appreciate people like Bob; their simple-minded ambition to help people is commendable, although some of them can be hard-headed...

"And what were you doing there, kiddo?" He says, using a deeper tone of voice.

"Same as you. I was passing by and decided to help." I shrug, not willing to explain much else. "Oh, did you know you got a tail?"

I can see their masks creasing on their brows as they share another glance. "Did you see them?"

I shake my head. I didn't need to, anyway. "I didn't. They left as soon as you rushed into the building. I'd take care; maybe they know who you are."

"Don't worry! Our identities are well kept." He says again.

A beat of silence follows. "Would you mind a handshake?" I ask.

They tilt their heads slightly before Bob chuckles. "So you're a fan?"

I shake my head this way and that, pushing off the car's hood. "Something like that, yes." I extend my hand.

Mr. Incredible takes my hand and shakes it. He grips with a noticeable strength for a normal human, but I grip back showing him he can try harder. He grins and grips harder.

We keep at this little contest until I say, "I yield! I yield! Damn, even if you've gotten fat, you're still pretty strong!" I say, shaking my hand.

"Hey! I'm not fat! Just a little... big around the edges, ok?" He defends himself, though he looks smug about winning the bout.

"I'd be careful; nobody would like to see Mr. Incredible die of an Incredible heart attack." I wink at him, enjoying his baffled and slightly offended look.

I extend my hand to Lucius, who chuckles and shakes it. "You tell him, kid. I've been trying to get this guy to exercise, but all he says is "That thing's too light! It feels like I'm playing with Legos!'"

I laugh at that, hoping to make him ignore the fact I'm holding the handshake for longer than necessary. It works for a few seconds but turns weird pretty quickly.

"You gon' let up or...?" He asks, trying to pull his hand back.

I laugh it off, letting his hand go. "My bad, this meeting is just... surreal to me." I blink a few times, organizing the amount of information I just got.

"Well, kid, I'd say 'keep to the straight and narrow', but you're a super using your powers; you know what you're doing is not legal, right?" Bob comments.

I nod, "I do, yeah. Stupid law if you ask me, but it is what it is. I won't keep you any longer. Bye!" I wave at them and start flying away.

I have a lot to unpack; Frozone's DNA makes him control the water molecules in the air! This shit's complex as fuck! Mr. Incredible's, on the other hand, is simple... perhaps even overly so. He's built like a tank: stronger, faster, and especially tougher than a normal human. He also has some sort of mutation that changed his brain, but I'll need more time to figure that one out.

So many ideas... also, they don't have any different organs. It's all a weirdly functioning mutation to their DNA. 'It's how it works in this World, I guess.'

Now I need time to try and integrate those into me...

'Introducing myself to them now will pay dividends in the future.' I'm still debating over looking for Nomanisan Island (nice name, by the way) now or later... Nah, I'll go now. You never know when shit will hit the fan and if Syndrome is related to the Anomaly, I want to deal with him as soon as possible.

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(Matt's PoV - Friday, April 14th, 1962. 6:00 a.m. - Nomanisan Island)

It took me a while to find this island... about 28 hours searching the tropics near the U.S. I'm still not satisfied with my sub-sonic flight speed, but that is improving.

The whole Sphere of Influence thing is also slow going; I still have the same amount of control as ever, maybe a bit stronger, but I haven't noticed any groundbreaking change so far.

I had time to analyze their DNA structure. Analyzing DNA's through this power is instinctive, but still so very complex and time-consuming. I know what to look for, but for every significant change in their DNA, there are at least five others to support the first. That creates a cascade of changes: the way their cells produce energy is wildly more efficient, and how their tissue grows, deforms, toughens...

To sum it up; I made plenty of changes to myself and I'm even thinking about creating new 'powers', emulating how they are formed. Of course, I'll have to study a bunch of examples to 'emulate' an entirely new power, but as long as it's something mostly normal and biological... 'Like regeneration, for example. Hehe.'

{Can't you already kinda regenerate? Why are you so fixated on that?}

'Well, I can... it's just not at the level I'd like. I want a constant, crazy fast regeneration.' Wait.

If I can make some processes of powers passive and I have biological control... maybe I could make that?

I immediately start 'healing' myself constantly. It's weird at first like I'm asking my power to do something that isn't necessary. It doesn't *fight* me per se, more like it keeps telling me it's unnecessary. I toggle it to passive and it keeps pinging me like that for 5 minutes and then... it's gone.

Ok, I don't feel any different now. I will a blade to appear, marveling as my hand morphs into one. The transformation is crazy; my skin and muscles turn over themselves and become the dark blue blade. There's a faint whisper of a brighter blue energy coating the blade as well.

"Damn, that's sick..." Gaping at it aside, I slash a long way cut into my other arm. The pain is felt, but negligible. It feels like cutting through a thick layer of wet sand: not difficult, but not as easy as it should be. Thick, red blood pools along the cut. I retransform my hand and pass it over the cut. It's no longer bleeding, though the cut is still there, very slowly knitting itself.

The little nanites present in the blood start destroying themselves and any biological signature in the few drops of blood that did come out. 'That's pretty neat...'

'Not quite like I want to, but it's a start...' The nanites rush to the affected area to recuperate it... maybe that could become a part of this so-called regeneration?

Who knows.

Landing on the Island feels like any other tropical island... if you ignore the technological facilities, lack of animals, and an active volcano that suspiciously does not erupt. Overall, pretty good place, 9/10, would be better without the supervillain lair.

I grab a coconut, poke a hole into it with a quick finger-blade, and drink its water.

I take a deep whiff of air, inhaling the clean air with a slight undertone of volcanic sulfur. "This place really is refreshing."

"Identification, please." A bird lands on a nearby tree branch and speaks. It's a cute little surveillance robot. I bet it was a big reason why people were so adamant pigeons were government drones sent to spy on the populace.

I seize it and bring it closer to me. It almost starts to blare its alarm, but with a simple touch, I shut it up, subverting its programming and worming my way into its network.

"Identity confirmed." I put it back into the tree branch it once was and it flies away.

This place has a more refined network than I would think possible for this era... then again, it was built by a "kid's" movie super genius. The bird can send high-definition videos in real-time with no lag whatsoever.

If anything, this might be the most bandwidth I've ever seen in a network, despite its range covering the whole island.

"Movie logic at its finest, indeed... Don't mind if I do!" I grin and start flying towards the main base.

On the way, I see some... soldiers? Paid mercenaries? Milling around at checkpoints and moving from place to place on their weird ball-trains, blade-spinning hover vehicles, and the occasional cargo manta-jet.

The base is a hive of activity, troops bringing in materials using treaded trucks and the train balls with little propellers up top. It's hilarious that this shit can even lift itself off the ground, but Syndrome's genius must know no bounds.

After a few moments just looking at this base, I can already think of a few ways of doing this the stealthy way:

I can turn invisible and get in there.

I can try to expand my reach in a targeted way, 'getting in there' without actually being there.

I could blow up the whole Island...

{That wouldn't be stealthy.}

Right.

Doesn't matter, I could play this like that... or I could go in guns blazing. The last time I fought was back when I got into the Colonizer's dimension. I don't believe I'm a battle junkie or anything, but fighting was fun.

It can still be fun now.

'Syn, form a mask over my eyes and retract the clothes. Let's pay the superheroes from here an homage.' I smile widely, extending my arms outwards and enjoying the usage of my skin-tight suit to play the hero.

"HEAR YE, VILLAINS! A HERO HAS COME TO DETAIN YOU ALL!"

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(Mirage's PoV)

Mr. Incredible should have received my package yesterday. The proof planted against him worked as well. Bob Parr no longer works in InsuriCare, he should be desperate soon enough.

"Everything is in order, boss. He should contact me by tomorrow, at the latest." I report to my boss.

Syndrome is the name he presents himself as. He might look genial, smart, and charismatic, but I've seen the facade slip. He gets this maniacal grin whenever he looks at his droids, Mr. Incredible's picture, or... a picture of the world.

I'm not crazy enough to ask or interrupt him when he gets that glint in his eyes, but I prepared something of an escape plan. Just in case.

"Good... good job. Soon, my plans will start unraveling. Soon enough, the WORLD will see me for the HERO I AM! Their SAVIOR! Their NEW MESSIAH." He grandstands in front of his favorite window. A window facing his army of droids. "They will learn their place beneath me."

'There it is again... I wonder if there's a reason why these episodes are getting more frequent?' No sooner did that errant thought cross my mind, the alarm sounded.

We both turn to the main computer in the boss's personal room, the screen flickering to show a man wearing a skin-tight black- no, that's a very dark blue - suit with a stylized A on his chest, spreading his arms. Several of our guards yell and shoot at him, but he seems to laugh it off and the bullets don't bother him.

"Zoom in on his face and run a scan. I want to know who that is..." Boss says, walking towards the computer screen. The computer does as instructed, analyzing the individual's face, suit, and body type and consulting several databases we created over the years.

As the computer searches, the unknown hero outside keeps smiling and waving his hands. For each wave, a platoon of guards goes flying around or into each other. Soon enough the troops with velocipods come out... not changing anything. The hero ducks and weaves on the air with ease, dodging them. For the last velocipod, he punches the thing in its side and it comes crashing down.

"Super Strength, Flight, Telekinesis... No, I don't remember anyone like that." Syndrome presses a button, projecting his voice from the base's speakers.

"Who are you?" His voice is eerily cold, calm. His eyes squint and his mouth slightly purses to the side; a sign he's annoyed.

The hero was seemingly contemplating the place the velocipod flew to. Syndrome asked again, "Who. Are. You."

The hero shakes his head and faces the exact camera we were looking through. He smiles and says, "AHA! SO THERE YOU ARE!" He speaks loudly and... too clearly. Syndrome widens his eyes, looking around the room we're in, spooked that the sound came from much closer than it should. "I'VE COME TO FACE YOU, VILLAIN! I AM APEX! AND IN MY WAKE NO EVIL SHALL REMAIN!" Apex smiles like this is all too funny. Amusing, even.

"Apex... no, never heard of you. It doesn't matter, get him alive. I want to know how he knows about this place." Boss says, releasing the button and turning to leave.

I quickly follow him, "Do you think he might be a threat?"

"Absolutely. I'll activate the droids. Those useless guards won't hold him back for long." He answers coldly, making me shiver. This...

"Is he really that dangerous? Maybe a few more guards using heavy artillery-"

Syndrome keeps on walking, though he steps harder on the ground. "No. He's too powerful for that alone. Damn supers..."

Why did this Apex come now? So close to the fruition of our plans too...

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(Matt's PoV - Friday, April 14th, 1962. 7:10 a.m. - Nomanisan Island)

This is fun!

Waving my hand and making people fly everywhere, I feel so powerful! I don't have to care about forming barriers around them or avoiding unnecessary environmental damage... maybe I should take this approach more often?

Another group of spinning-blade flying vehicles (Velocipods, according to their servers) form around me. I curl into myself and then expand my whole body, making my own version of an omnidirectional Shinra Tensei. Needless to say, they all explode either on contact with my push or with whatever they crash into.

Oh, looks like they're sending out the big guns. I'll be a bit more careful then.

'Syn, can you do semi-full coverage? Leave the head and the 'A' out.'

{You complained about this suit, but now you wanna show it off?}

'It's a mark; the start of my superhero career!' I reply with a whiny tone of voice, to which she laughs.

{You are hard to figure out, Matt. But I like that about you too~!} She does as I asked and I consider making a barrier around my body, but I want to test my new toughness. I keep my hold on myself just enough to keep flying.

The guards who were shooting me using conventional guns started blasting me with mounted turrets. I feel the impact of their slugs and explosions, but they're easy enough to shrug off. Besides...

I could always dodge. Heh.

Oh, here they are!

Five massive balls of metal roll out from massive gates that lead deeper into the base. As soon as they get near, I feel the wrongness coming from them. It's weaker than normal, so maybe Corruption? No matter, I'll smash the balls anyway.

... That came out wrong.

I fling myself at one of them before they can stop, punching it with all my strength. It gets launched far back but otherwise shows no other signs of damage. 'Damn thing is tough, alright.'

The other four surround me and deploy their legs and 'eyes'. They all try to swat me from different directions. I dodge three of them and tank the fourth, trying to gauge its strength. It's pretty fucking strong. Its one-clawed strike felt stronger than anything else they've thrown at me.

"This thing packs a punch! Ok, what about THIS!" I coat my arms with Haki and punch it away. This time it flies away with a big dent in the place of impact. "Haha!"

The other three - and the fourth, already rolling back to tighten their circle - all aim their 'eyes' at me and use two of their claws to form a tight sphere around me, their third claw coming to strike me from multiple directions.

The strikes hit me hard, but this new Super Durability and Armament Haki are enough to protect me. Even the droids seem surprised by my resilience. I don't waste the opportunity, punching two nearby claws and disabling them.

As I jump to punch another droid, my Observation warns me of their counter, allowing me to correct my course mid-flight and finish the blow.

'Yeah, I need to aim for the weak spots, otherwise, it's going to take a while... Oh! Let's try Overclocked Armament Haki!!'

Grinning like crazy, I use the droids as platforms and finally propel myself toward one not yet damaged. Overclocking Haki feels great; precise precognition, stronger muscles, firmer belief. I superman punch into the droid and get stuck a few meters inside its armor. I have no time to wrangle myself out of it as another droid takes my legs and throws me away.

Despite the throw and subsequent laser shots fired at me, I laugh out loud and change directions mid-air again, pummeling another droid. It tries to jump to the side to dodge and the other droids try to provide cover fire... the lasers only heat my skin slightly, the Haki blocking most of it. The droid's dodge is ineffective since I can correct my course with but a thought.

The result is another droid punched through. I can literally feel my Armament Haki coming into place and getting stronger. I haven't ever just punched something to my heart's content, marveling at the thrill of combat itself.

The droids don't give me time to breathe, striking their companion at a shot of catching me. I grab onto some important-looking cables and components and yoink them all out with me, deactivating the droid I was within.

The three remaining droids (the one I punched into first eventually fell over, sparks flickering from its interior periodically) tried to attack me all at once with two spinning claws each. Those claws are made of a tough metal alloy, I wonder if I can block it...

I cross my arms in front of my body and harden my Overclocked Haki as much as possible. The impacts running through my arms are painful, but I don't feel any cuts or scrapes.

'Do you feel it when I use Haki, Syn?'

{Nope!}

'I wonder if you can learn Haki...'

The three droids stop their attack, also noticing it isn't effective. They all turn their lasers on me and instead of shots, they focus a beam on the same spot. That makes me feel the burn getting through to my skin and I leap out of the way. "OH HOH! That's so smart!"

They learn fast and know how to cooperate! How cute!

Gushing aside, I coat my entire body in Haki and Aura and jump completely through one of the droids, taking the inner power regulator out with me on the other side. Not giving the other droids time to adapt to my newfound strength and speed, I grab one of them by the claw and swing it like a mace at the remaining one. They crash and dent, but still want to get up. I grab two of their claws with telekinesis and perforate their power regulators, finishing the encounter.

"It was fun, but these bastards were a bit too big, too unwieldy to punch." I dust my hands off, noticing the slight charring on the symbiote covering already disappeared. 'Good job too, Syn.'

{Light work~!}

Now, where is the little Anomaly...

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(Mirage's PoV)

"What do you mean he's too strong!?" I yell, losing my composure for a moment. He can't be serious! After all the work we've put in? He wants to... run away!? From a no-name hero!?

"Have you seen him!?" Syndrome turns around and screams at my face, which makes me recoil. "He is punching the droids' armor like it's nothing! He hasn't been harmed even with three concentrated lasers! I..." He runs a hand through his hair, before snapping into a walk towards the main console.

I follow him unsurely. I've never seen him this desperate, this... out of control before. Ragged breathing, widened eyes, and constricted pupils; he's frantic, restless.

He pushes a button on the panel, making a keyboard appear. A long password (that even I didn't know) later and a big red button appears on the table. Syndrome grimaces slightly, before pushing the button with conviction.

He keeps the button pressed for a few minutes, before pushing it again and again in frustration. "What!?"

Apex's voice comes from the speakers. "I hope you won't mind me, Syndrome. I might have invited myself in." The computer screen opens window after window of superhero data, finally showing the top-secret schematics of the Omnidroid V8. "You've been busy, haven't you?"

We hear the sound of the door hissing open and in comes Apex himself, glancing at me and Syndrome and then at the computer screen. "What is the goal here, anyway? Why build so many giant robots?" Apex asks.

He is calm, maintaining an even tone of voice that belies his absolute confidence. The strange thing I noticed is the lack of chest movement... is he not breathing?

He catches me staring and winks at me, making me blush in embarrassment. How long has it been since I've lost my composure like this?

"Who are you? WHY are you here? You supers should be hiding like rats, afraid of what the people will say." Syndrome says, keeping a distance from Apex, but subtly clicking buttons on his wrist controller.

"I'm not your average superhero. No, I don't think I'm a superhero at all! As for why I'm here..." He smiles sadistically. "To ruin your plans, of course."

Syndrome chooses that time to point his finger at Apex and shoots his zero-point energy beam.

"Ha! I got you monologuing, hero! You are so cocky! Where's your super strength? Super durability? Hm??" Syndrome gloats, waving Apex in the air with contemptuous ease.

Despite the safety that the beam passes me, I can't help but notice Apex... doesn't seem surprised or worried about his current situation.

Syndrome goes on, "You will be one of the first to witness the start of a new era... MY ERA!" Syndrome's eyes glint a red twinge as he looks at Apex.

Apparently noticing it too, Apex quirks an eyebrow but otherwise doesn't move.

"You were an obstacle, just another of many I overcame. Now... I want to know how you knew about this place." Syndrome nods his head towards me. "Call what guards we have available. Take this guy to the containment room."

"That won't be necessary," Apex says, casually walking out of the beam's trapping influence.

Syndrome and I widen our eyes and I start walking away from him slowly, hoping to not get Apex's attention.

"I think I can get better answers if I take it out of you." Is all Apex says before he dashes to Syndrome.

Syndrome tries to defend himself shooting a thin red laser at Apex, but he dodges out of the way with minimal movements and grabs Syndrome by the face, holding him up in the air. He screams, bashes Apex in the head, and kicks him in the stomach: all to no avail. Syndrome's eyes flash a brighter red for a moment before his struggle stops.

"Wha-" He looks genuinely lost before he snaps out of it. "L-look! We can maybe come to an agreement? Maybe I can give you some money? Or-or my inventions! Did you like the beam?" He asks, an unsure smile on his face.

Apex doesn't seem particularly amused. "Why did you build the droids? Why attack Metroville?"

Syndrome's face darkens. "I... to show them. To show him not to underestimate me! I'll show them; people don't need powers to be super!"

Apex is unimpressed, "Show them... by killing random people? Destroying the city, putting people in danger? Even if that worked, where would that end? You show your heroes you are better than them... by creating the incidents you're stopping... Doesn't sound very hero-y." Apex looks into Syndrome's eyes. "I know there's nothing 'super' about you. You're delusional."

Syndrome starts to struggle again, getting red-faced, but Apex drops him to the ground.

"You don't know anything! You don't know how humiliating it was! 'I work alone' Gah! What about the several times he teamed up with Frozone, huh!? He thought I didn't see it? Noo, I just wasn't good enough." Syndrome rants and punches the ground. "I was never super."

Apex squats in front of Syndrome, "So you did all this... because someone rejected you? From what you said, it should be Mr. Incredible, right? Why did you want to be a hero with him anyway?"

Syndrome doesn't look up and murmurs, "I wanted people to know me..." He looks up at Apex's eyes. "I wanted to show people that if you were smart enough, you could still be a hero."

"And... what exactly changed in the way? Why make such a convoluted plan just to be regarded by one of the people who rejected you?" Apex questions curiously.

"I..." Syndrome stops, thinking about it.

"Unfortunately, the greatest vengeance you can have against that type of people is becoming bigger than them. Did he reject you? Show him and everyone else how much better you are at being a hero, despite having no powers. A real hero..." Apex taps Syndrome in the shoulder. "Just don't create a situation you don't have control over, Buddy."

Syndrome widens his eyes, "Wha-"

Apex stands up and looks at the room full of droids. "The A.I. you created learns and grows fast. Very fast. If you weren't careful, it might turn against you and become a real problem."

Syndrome strangely preens at that comment instead of looking abashed.

"Good thing I'm here. I'll solve this problem and you..." He side-eyes Syndrome. "You're going to prison, I guess." Then he looks at me. "Now, you... I don't know, actually. Probably going with him." He shrugs.

Me and Boss are then floated up to him and he touches both of our heads, making my eyelids heavy and my brain cloudy...

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(Matt's PoV - Friday, April 14th, 1962. 8:08 a.m. - Nomanisan Island)

I noticed I can't get into the droids programming while they're Corrupted, so I spent the last 40 minutes touching them all to get rid of the Corruption.

From what I saw, not much changed on Syndrome once I got the Anomaly out of him. The only thing I noticed was a slight decrease in his anger, but it could be because he was already defeated.

The one I'm kind of curious about is the silver-haired girl. Even on their servers, she is only called Mirage, and no significant information is held about her, only saying she was recommended by a business partner residing in Paris. Touching her revealed she has a power; a constant change to her brain and eyes. I don't know exactly what it does, maybe if I touch her while she is using it I can find out?

Anyways, the droids are now under my control, their A.I. properly programmed to not attack me. The problem is: can I take these with me if I want?

I don't mind that much about them, though I have the schematics to build them and the A.I.s. But what if I want to take anything else with me? How would I do that?

That line of questioning aside, I didn't feel the relief yet. There are more Anomalies around the world. The only other two I can think about are either underground somewhere or, hopefully, in Metroville.

Now, how do I deal with this whole ass island?

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Here I am, a few hours later lazily floating on the ocean water. The solution I had involved immobilizing everyone on the island and calling the police on Metroville. I don't have that superhero agency's number, so I'm hoping the destroyed Omnidroid I left in a precinct with the island's coordinates on a note will be enough for them to be involved.

Or for whoever comes here to take this seriously.

I took this time to test and, surely enough, my Haki grew during the fight. It ain't much, but it's more than I can make it grow passively. The one that grew the most was Armament - the most it's grown in... maybe ever?

'Yeah, I'm definitely taking fights more often.'

I also tested Frozone's ice generation. I can use the water molecules in the atmosphere and environment, but also the ones inside my body. That dehydrates me, but my protections come in clutch once again, replenishing whatever water I lose almost instantly. That said, I'm training it in a very water-rich environment anyway, so it wouldn't change much in the middle of the ocean. I'm freezing the nearby ocean while keeping a radius around myself liquid. This power also makes me crazily resistant to cold climates and frostbite.

The way I'm currently training tests this power to its limits because of three factors: It was made to be used through the hands, while I'm using it through my whole body in direct contact with the water around me. The second factor is the fact I'm not using it just to freeze the water, I'm also using the power to keep the water directly around me cold but not frozen. Last but not least, the salinity in this water is significant enough to lower its freezing point slightly. It's a minor detail, but it adds up when you try it over great distances.

I noticed an interesting thing: most of the powers I had for a while develop pretty much evenly. The more I train, the better and stronger they get, sure, but these new powers developed way too quickly.

I would think this speed impossible, were it not for Hypermutation. The conundrum is: Why does it only affect these new powers? And why does it seem like I'm hitting a plateau?

The only options I can think of are: either some equalization between powers is happening or Hypermutation makes them grow that fast until they reach a collective ceiling. If it's the first, maybe I'd see some atrophy in other powers, but I haven't noticed anything different. The second hypothesis would mean that constantly pushing my limits and powers increases that ceiling...

It also means getting more powers is not a hindrance at all. They'll grow fast until they catch up with the others.

'I'm also thinking about 'Adaptability'... maybe this precise control over water molecules is hard-capped for people like Frozone, but only a thought away for me. Maybe that's why my telekinesis is so versatile... though I do believe the boys can get there too.'

I hear helicopter rotors and boat motors coming from a distance.

I raise my head and I see three big ships coming from the northeast, flanked by four helicopters. Looks like they took my warning seriously. I direct water upwards with telekinesis and freeze it, making an arrow-shaped ice pillar pointing at myself floating on the water. The pillar is at least 50 meters high, so it should be easily visible even from afar.

Twenty minutes or so later I feel them surround the island and one aura approaches me, freezing the ocean water to skate across it.

"Hey, fella! You must be the one who dropped the roboball on Metroville, right?" Frozone says, inspecting the ice pillar. He's wearing his iconic white and ice-blue hero suit, visor included.

"Yeah, that'd be me. There's a bunch of bad guys on the island and I didn't want to fly them all to the mainland." I wave at him lazily. "I hope you guys brought in enough vessels for the amount I wrote."

"You wouldn't believe the amount of bureaucracy this stunt will bring..." Despite his comment, he's smiling. "Anyway friend, I'll have to detain you." His smile fades as he freezes the water around me, leaving only my head unfrozen.

"I'll... ignore you did that," I say, looking at him seriously and melting the ice back into water.

"So you made it! Damn, how'd ya get powers so similar to mine?" He exclaims incredulously, his earlier demands forgotten.

I chuckle, seeing through his ploy to ask about the powers. "Well, you know how it is. Won the lottery, is all."

"HEY, FROZONE! We need you over here to make some ramps!" I hear a familiar voice callout from the island.

We both turn to see and there waving back is Mr. Incredible, wearing his classic (if stretched out) blue suit with the 'I' in the chest.

"Heh. Tell your pal over there I handled the tail you guys had that day and that I'm willing to help him slim down if he wants." I tell Frozone, who snorts and starts skating to the island. It takes a few seconds to register in his head that I'm the same guy as the other day, but he only shakes his head and keeps skating there.

The hours after that had several government agents coming and going from their ships, carrying mercenaries, Syndrome and Mirage, whatever vehicles they could get their hands on and everything not nailed down. I eventually flew ashore to offer my help, I was pretty bored just floating on the water. As soon as I got to land, a man named Rick Dicker asked me a few questions about what happened here and how I got to this place.

I made up some excuse about tracking the person following Mr. Incredible and Frozone the other day and explained what happened on the island. He took notes of everything and thanked me for the prompt reaction, despite the illegality of my actions.

After I started helping, loading things into the ships became too easy. In 10 minutes the ships were full of cuffed or tied mercenaries and machinery properly tied to be studied later.

I saw Frozone and Mr. Incredible getting together and talking while pointing at me. Bob spoke about how I was doing so much hero work, despite it being illegal, and trying to convince Lucius that they could get back in action. I flew over to them.

"Hey, old-timers!" I greet them with a wave they return. "You might want to come with me. I have some things to show you and to talk to you." I motion to the main base.

They look at each other and mumble "Sure."

When we get closer to the base, a few guards stop us. "Confidential, gentlemen."

"Why don't you call Rick? I don't mean to doubt your agents' abilities, but I can help you all get into the database in the blink of an eye." I offer, just trying to get in there fast.

The agent nods surprisingly fast, fishing a walkie-talkie from within his suit and relaying the message. "He'll be here in a minute."

After Rick got to us, I explained my reasoning and led them all into the base. On the way, we saw the many facilities built into it, the rockets, robots, vehicle bays, and everything Syndrome did to equip his base.

"Would you believe me if I said the one who did all this is an old fan of yours, Mr. Incredible?" My comment takes the three off guard.

Bob shakes his head. "What do you mean by 'fan'?"

"Hmm... 'Incrediboy' I think was the name he chose? He calls himself Syndrome these days, but he's still the same old Buddy." Bob widens his eyes.

"He... he did this?" He gulps.

"Yeah. His main plan relied on those ball robots he called Omnidroids. They are pretty tough, I'll give him that, but I called you three here because of the way he tested them and created improvements."

They keep quiet as we get to the main command center. I could get them to the computer behind the lavafall, but the information can also be accessed through here, so it's much more convenient.

I touch the computer and it lights up showing information on Operation Kronos.

Superhero after superhero appear on the screen, showing their victory or demise against the earlier versions of the Omnidroids. The further the archives are shown, the paler the three people with me become. When I finally show the most recent Omnidroid to be paired with Mr. Incredible, we all look at him.

He recovers from his shock enough to cough. "Yeah, I... I received an offer from a government agency looking to solve a problem they had..." He says, scratching behind his head in embarrassment.

"What did I say about bringing that type of thing to me, Incredible!?" Rick complains, groaning in frustration.

"Yeah yeah, I'm sorry, Rick. It's just... complicated after what happened." He tries explaining himself.

I shrug and direct them to the window leading to the several dozen strong army of droids. "Here are the remnants of the droid army. I messed with their A.I. so it should be ok for use, though I'd take great care about who you use this on and who controls them."

Rick takes notes about the files on the computer and asks for a way to access them, which I give promptly.

"Look, you... you probably saved my ass here kid. Frozone passed me your advice and I think I'll take you up on that offer." Bob eventually says to me, looking down at his stretched-out suit with a grimace.

I get close to him and whisper in his ear. "Would you hate me if I told you I know who you are? Your secret identity."

His eyes widen but the surprise fades quickly. "How'd you find out?"

I smirk, "The car you guys were using led to a Lucius Best. I only had to look no further than known associates and wedding photos to find the Parr family."

He looks impressed. "Damn, kid. Even I only have one photo of that wedding, haha! Well, I also know your secret identity, so we're even!" He punches me in the shoulder. "Hey, you didn't even flinch!"

"Yeah, I've been exercising. You want a spar? I'm sure the professionals will get things in order." I offer, looking at Rick perusing the files in the computer and talking on a few radios he has on his person.

"Sure! Let's see what the new generation has to show!"

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We cross eyes over the nearby vegetation. I nod and start running at him. Bob does the same and we meet in the middle in a tug-of-war. His bigger stature means he's got more leverage to push me and soon he's making me create grooves on the ground, trying to hold him back.

I smirk, planting my right foot on the ground and stopping the push entirely, putting all his push force downwards into my body, making my foot dig into the ground but not move further.

"Not bad at all, big guy!" I flex my arms and push him with a burst of all my strength.

He gets pushed away enough to disturb his balance, but he rights himself quickly. I lean in with a punch to his stomach, but he raises his left arm in a guard that stops my punch dead in its tracks. He punishes it with a wide right hook I duck under, but he transitions it into a hammer blow to my upper back.

I shrug off the blow and try to hit him with an uppercut that he leans away from, headbutting my arm into my own body and laughing. "You fight like a rookie!"

After recovering, I try to kick him in the chest but he catches my foot and swings me over himself and to the ground. "Oof!"

I roll onto my back and see him with his hands on his waist. "That all you got, newbie?"

I pick myself up and shake my head, squaring up again. He looks at my posture and sighs. "Look, maybe you're a little too new to this or something but... do you even know how to fight?"

I grimace, "No... but it doesn't matter. I'll learn as we go." He seems ready to start lecturing me, but I cut him off. "Unless you're getting tired?"

He sighs, but it soon turns to laughter. "If that's how you want to roll!" He cracks his knuckles and we get back into it.

He ducks, weaves, and punches through holes in my guard for a few exchanges, but slowly I watch the way he moves and with Death Perception, I start copying him. Gradually, the fight which was pretty one-sided due to skill became closer and closer, until we were exchanging strikes and counters tit for tat.

"Damn!" Bob says, jumping back and heaving for air. "You... you fight just like me! You a fast learner too!?"

I clean my nose of some blood pooled there from a nasty hook, "Yeah. I think we're pretty evenly matched in strength and toughness but you're... well, you're not in your best shape." I stretch and jump a little to show him I'm still good to go.

He takes a few more seconds to breathe, "Yeah, it looks like I'm fighting myself, just smaller and younger... and less handsome." He swipes his hair up.

I quirk an eyebrow, "You? Handsome? With that balding hairline? Stop lying to yourself, man." And I dash up to him again.

All this time I've been focusing on copying his movements, but what if I actively try to control my strength? It is a power, despite its passive state.

Bob advances with a closed guard and sets a two-jab and hook combo. I dodge the two jabs and catch the hook in my hand, flexing all the muscles in my free arm to punch him as hard as I can. He, predictably, catches the punch with his hand, but he has noticeable difficulty. He notices it and grimaces but continues the fight with a headbutt I mirror.

We both step off and jump up, preparing a hammer blow from above. Bob, expecting me to copy his move, jumped a little higher and transitioned his hammer blow into a shoulder slam that pressed me to the ground. I notice his plan and try to turn mid-air but without telekinesis, I can't make it in time.

The sound of my body crashing into the ground is pretty loud, but the damage done is negligible. I stand back up again and simply stretch from side to side. "That was hard on the back."

From that exchange, I learned that I can give my strength a slight burst, but not much more than that.

"Geez, kid! You can really go on for a while!" Bob says, getting up from his kneeling position on the ground and wincing in apparent pain.

"I can show you one more trick, but apparently something is wrong..." I walk up to him and press into his shoulder in a specific place.

"GAAAH!" He screams, curling up in pain.

"Yep, as I thought. You messed up your back pulling that stunt." I pull him up and get behind him, pulling both his arms behind him.

"Hey, hey! What are you-AAAHH!" He screams as I set his back into place with an audible crack.

I let his arms go and he immediately gets back up, rolling his shoulders like a new man. "God damnit, kid! Could've warned me!"

I shake my head, "Come on, let's see if there's anything else we can help with. I'm tired of feeling like I'm beating up the elderly." I taunt him, despite the fact he beat me quite soundly.

He only grins, laughing it off like the banter it was.

Fighting with just his powers was fun and most importantly, made one issue pretty apparent: I clearly have no real skills in a melee fight. I might be the one standing tall at the end, but if it wasn't for all the other powers I have, I would have lost.

I'll have to fix that.