THE OTHER ALLEY – CAPTAIN MAN AND KOTOBE
Captain Man leaned against the wall. He looked at Kotobe.
"I'm still indestructible. My ideals are still solid."
He paused.
"But I think age has started to catch up with my ideals. Sometimes, every now and then, my body gives out."
He smiled.
"But don't worry. It's nothing serious."
Kotobe looked at him.
"You're the first to discover my secret. Maybe that's a sign."
He looked at Kotobe's costume. Yellow and green.
"But wait a minute… your costume."
Kotobe blushed.
"Yes, you noticed. I took inspiration from your costume. From the diamond age. With yellow and green. It's your only costume that had colors that didn't look like the American flag."
He lowered his eyes.
"It's one of your rarest. You only wore it once."
Captain Man, in his head, knew the truth.
That costume he's talking about… it wasn't a special costume. It was his usual costume, accidentally put in the washing machine with a fading yellow. It had turned completely yellow.
But oh well, he thought. He doesn't need to know.
He wiped the blood from his cheek. Put his smile back on.
"AHAHAH! You're very well informed!"
---
THE NEWS – TELEVISION BROADCAST
The screen showed a reporter.
"A criminal has been apprehended. He reportedly claimed to be Captain Man's new nemesis. But don't worry, he didn't do anything. Like the first two nemeses of the symbol of peace, Captain Man apprehended him with the help of his sidekick, ONE."
Two people were watching television at home.
"Who's that?"
"You don't know him? That's ONE."
"Ah, yeah. He seems nice."
"Good news. The mysterious hero Space Jacket, who saved City A after a fight with a scarab demon, quickly became the star of social media. He reached peaks of popularity never seen in a single appearance, comparable to the Black Monkey phenomenon."
BAM.
Someone slammed the table.
"FUCKING FRAUD HERO PIECE OF SHIT!"
Rat was standing, red with anger.
Bull calmed him down.
"Calm down, Rat."
"The Fifteen Greats are assembled," someone said.
Rabbit: "He's right."
Rat: "You, shut up. How am I supposed to calm down when this dick-sucker is trying to steal the buzz from our professional heroes?!"
Lion entered.
"The Association was created specifically to regulate hero activities and make their work legal."
He sat down.
"To bring down this competition, we simply need to use our power and openly declare that the Gambling Agency is illegal."
Rat's face lit up.
"Magnificent! I love it!"
Lion nodded.
"Of course, it's the plan Crow sent me."
He looked at the silent man, standing apart.
"Isn't that right, architect of the shadows?"
Crow remained silent.
---
THE LABORATORY – SPACE JACKET
Space Jacket landed in his lab.
"Dad!"
Julie removed her helmet. Oil stains on her cheeks. A big smile.
"My little Julie, you were wonderful. Thanks to you, I'll finally realize my dream."
He turned around.
"Now, it's Takuya who will play the role of Space Jacket. In the meantime, you can focus on designing the armors."
Amélie entered.
"Midas. I need to talk to you."
Julie jumped up.
"Hi, Auntie!"
Midas stood up. His smile vanished immediately.
"Very well. I'm coming."
He followed Amélie.
Julie was left alone, in front of the screens.
---
TO BE CONTINUED…