Hero Clash Part 2
Adam fired a beam of energy that Owen dodged using several sonic explosions to propel his body. Almost instantly, he appeared above Adam, his right fist loaded with all his power as it came crashing down. Adam reacted by raising both hands, a blue shield forming to protect him as a massive amount of red energy, burning with heat, slammed into the barrier. The force was pushed outward, spilling to the sides and crashing into the ground and nearby buildings. The attack did not just crush the structures; it scorched them as well, a clash of two different forces.
Adam shattered his own defense and grabbed Owen's right arm with both hands. Twisting his body in midair, he hurled him upward, then followed immediately, driving a punch straight into Owen's stomach.
But as Owen was sent flying toward the sky at full speed, he spread his arms, power rapidly gathering in his palms. When Adam closed the distance, Owen brought his hands together in a violent clap, unleashing a shockwave around his body. The impact halted Adam for a brief moment, whether from the deafening explosion that left his senses rattled or from the crushing pressure that forced him backward.
Owen hurled both daggers outward as he began spinning like a top. His red aura poured out from his body and surged along the cables; with every inch, the energy grew denser and more violent until it reached the blades. Then he sent a downward slash straight at Adam.
Adam raised his hands once more and formed a shield of pure energy. Even so, when the daggers, loaded with all that kinetic and vertical force, struck, he was still driven down toward the earth. He smashed into the ground, the impact triggering an explosion that shattered the windows of nearby buildings.
Multiple explosions echoed across the sky, accompanied by red flashes, until another blast erupted at the exact spot where Adam had fallen, throwing up a thick cloud of dust that obscured everything.
Owen appeared with a kick that split the ground open, but Adam had moved at the last second; Owen's foot barely grazed his face.
Blue Marvel did not waste the opening and threw a punch straight at Owen's leg, forcing him down to one knee. The ground cracked even further as Owen diverted most of the energy from the blow.
Adam rose almost immediately and launched an attack aimed directly at Owen's head.
The impact nearly buried him into the earth, but Owen redirected part of that force through his body and into his leg, countering with a kick that sent Adam flying into a nearby building, which collapsed almost at once.
Owen pushed himself up slowly, blood spilling from his mouth and staining part of his face.
He spat the blood aside as if it meant nothing and looked toward Adam, who was emerging from the rubble. He too was bleeding, most noticeably from a split lip and a cut eyebrow. Adam wiped at the wound, studied the blood on his hand for a moment, then lifted his gaze back to Owen.
The air itself seemed to grow heavier, just from the way their eyes met.
"You have so much power, and yet you make it your job to hunt down those who could be allies against evil," Adam said coldly.
Owen looked at him in silence for a moment.
"It is necessary," he replied.
"Necessary for what?" Adam asked, watching him closely.
"For a better future. For heroes and civilians alike," Owen said as he settled back into his stance, both fists raised in front of him.
Meanwhile, high above them, several helicopters could be seen approaching, accompanied by the sirens of other vehicles beyond the evacuation alarms. Units like the DODC, or perhaps federal forces, were closing in.
Hearing his answer, Adam studied him more carefully. He seemed to have many questions, but instead he raised both hands and mirrored Owen's posture, adopting a clearly military combat stance.
Everything suggested that now both of them would stop holding back.
However, before the fight could continue, they both lifted their gaze toward the sky for a moment. Something, or rather someone, was approaching. In fact, several of them.
Adam looked at Owen, frowning. Owen returned the look, as if weighing something in his mind.
Then he lowered his fists and let himself fall flat onto his back.
"Ah… I'm so tired. My powers burn through way too much energy. Maybe those energy bars don't have enough protein for me anymore. I'll have to get Tony and Banner to upgrade them," he said, staring up at the sky.
Adam watched him for a few seconds, clearly not understanding a thing. Then, without saying a single word, he rose slightly into the air and vanished.
Owen followed him with his eyes as he left, before bending forward a little, visibly in pain.
"Damn it… I still don't have enough resistance against his power," he muttered before coughing up blood. He raised his right hand to adjust his left shoulder, which had been knocked out of place by one of the blows. Then he lightly touched his ribs and grimaced. "Damn monster."
He lay back again, staring at the sky, just as he saw Tony, Wanda, and War Machine arrive.
"Hey, you were supposed to be catching street-level heroes. How did you end up this beaten up?" Tony said with a slight grin as he looked down at him.
Wanda stopped floating and rushed over to him immediately, clearly worried.
"You should've seen how I left the other guy," Owen replied with a faint, amused smile.
"Well, I hope it was worth it," Rhodey said as he looked around at the destroyed buildings and factories.
And there really was far too much damage, even considering that both of them had held back quite a bit. After all, most of the fight had been an exchange of close-range blows rather than a full release of their power.
Owen's expression turned serious.
"Tony, we need to adjust some plans," he said, just as Wanda lightly smacked him in the ribs, drawing a very real wince of pain from him.
"First, you need to recover," Wanda said firmly, staring him down.
"Yeah, yeah, I know," Owen replied with a faint smile.
"Hm… I don't know. Maybe I'll have to revise your number. If Number 5 left you like this, Number 2 doesn't suit you very well," Tony joked.
"Threat levels are supposed to measure not just raw power, but future potential too," Owen replied, looking at him with mild annoyance.
"I still think it would be much better if they were measured by popularity," Tony shot back.
"Then you'd stop being ranked fifteenth, right? Tough luck," Rhodey added, joining in.
"Shut up, Number Fifty," Tony replied without even looking at him.
"When did my rank drop that low?" Rhodey complained immediately. "Guess I'll have to run a few dangerous missions to prove I'm a potential threat too," he muttered under his breath.
"So then, Miss Number Six, how's our fake Number Two doing?" Tony said, clearly determined to keep the joke going.
"Ribs, shoulder, knee, and elbow," Wanda replied with an annoyed huff. "You'd better take a break from hunting heroes for a few days," she added seriously, in a tone that did not leave room for argument.
"Fine," Owen said as he closed his eyes. He really was exhausted and nearly out of energy. Using both powers at the same time drained him far too quickly, but against a man who controlled antimatter energy, it had been necessary. At least now he knew he could hurt him and stand his ground. Beating him would take a lot more, but it was not impossible.
"Let's go, before the trouble arrives," Owen said as, with Wanda's help, he got back on his feet. He knew it was only a matter of minutes before those sirens drawing closer finally arrived, and he had absolutely no desire to explain anything to those idiots.