After a month had passed since he'd agreed to the fight, Lester was at the Super Brawl Circuit fighting event, wearing the same t-shirt and cargo shorts he'd used for his power evaluation.

  Now, as he walked toward the fighting pit, Lester took a look around the large hall where the event was held. There was an audience here. Maybe a hundred people, sitting in a stand next to the arena. They weren't cheering. It was strange as he was just casually making his way toward the center, where the arena was. No lights were shone his way either. Far from a dramatic entrance of a famous superhero or supervillain. But these were the street-level fights. He would have to win here a couple of times to advance to the big leagues.

  As he went, Lester saw a fighter limp past him. The guy was wearing a green jumpsuit with some flower decorations. Probably the loser of the previous match. People tended to get hurt here sometimes. But there were almost no casualties.

  Then he saw another guy, being carried on a stretcher. There was some kind of a red and thorny rose poking out of the guy's belly, roots visibly running in the guy's flesh. Lester took a closer look. The poor fellow was still breathing. And the wound didn't seem that bad. He would probably live. He, Lester, was not going to get hurt like that guy had, because he was immune to damage. Or at least he was highly resistant to damage since his damage resistance was C-rank. And he would maybe just have to survive this one fight, and he could, after, decide if he wanted to risk his life and limb more, depending on how this one went.

  Lester took a deep breath and continued his walk, thinking about the coming fight. It was against some hero known as Derek Stainless. Hopefully, the guy could not turn into stainless steel. That would be totally unfair. But Derek was probably just some C-rank hero. The fight organizers wouldn't pit him against someone too powerful.

  Soon he reached the arena at the center. It was a six by six-meter square metal cage, standing on a concrete floor. The walls consisted of bars of steel several centimeters thick. They looked like they could take a beating. There was also a transparent plexiglass wall protecting the audience from stuff that could fly out from the arena during the fight.

  "Are you Lester Liquidium?" a man wearing a tuxedo with a bow tie asked.

  "Yeah," Lester answered.

  "Well, you can't be. There's a Mr. Liquidium somewhere out there. It's too close."

  Lester had done his research and he'd found out about Mr. Liquidium. But the guy hadn't been active for years and on top of that Lester Liquidium was a totally different name. But he doubted the guy in the tuxedo would want to hear his arguments about this.

  "So, should I go with Lester then?"

  "You can go with Lester Liquid. There's plenty of people with Liquid in their name."

  Lester nodded, knowing this wasn't a final choice. And Lester Liquid had been his third choice anyway, just after Lester Liquidium and Slick Danger.

  "Okay, we can go with that," Lester said.

  "Good, get into the cage and go stand in the red corner."

  Lester nodded and turned to comply, but he was interrupted by the tuxedo guy who said, "And one more thing. You're a supervillain fighting a superhero. Go with the narrative."

  "I understand," Lester said.

  But as he was about to go again, the guy again interrupted him, "And kid, because this is your first fight, I'll give you a piece of advice. If and probably when you get beaten, whatever happens, don't run away crying. That would stain your entire future career."

  "Okay, thanks," Lester said, as he went into the cage through an open door and walked to the red corner. As he looked around the arena, he noticed a couple of blood stains. Hopefully, his power would prevent him from adding his own to the mix.

  Lester watched as another man got into the arena. He was around the same age as he himself was, a bit taller and somewhat more fit though. The guy's hair had an overly styled look, where it curved back with the power of some kind of super hair gel. And the guy's clothing also looked expensive. A body suit somewhere between motorsport and combat armor, held tight against his body but seemingly flexible as he moved around covered neck down in this blue and white suit.

  The man, assumedly Derek Stainless, gave Lester a quick glance and let out a small snort, seemingly not impressed by what he saw in Lester.

  Lester knew he definitely didn't look, dressed in his cargo shorts, as fancy as Derek there. But this wasn't a fashion competition. It was a real fight, which the rich kid would soon find out. Well, technically it wasn't that ultra real of a fight since there were some rules. You weren't, for one, supposed to kill or permanently injure your opponent. However, sometimes stuff happened, and the fighting circuit ruled that no one was at fault. But in the end, the goal was to knock your opponent out or otherwise immobilize them, or make them surrender before the timer ran out. And if the timer did run out, the match would be considered a tie. The fight could end in other ways too. For example, you could win by throwing your opponent through the thick cage bars so they were out of the ring. That did happen but rarely.

  The tuxedo man jumped into the ring with them, a microphone in hand, yelling "Ladies and gentlemen. It's time for another exhilarating fight in the Recalm City street-level Super Brawl Circuit." The man turned toward Derek "We have in the blue corner. The one hero who's gone through four matches with four victories. The one hero who will, after the victory in this match, rise up into the higher circuits. The one you are all cheering for."

  As the announcer paused, Lester heard the crowd cheer, and he noticed a lot of young women there with signs proclaiming their love for his dandy opponent. The guy was definitely popular. Also, the man's victory streak didn't sound good. This might actually turn out to be a really tough fight.

  The announcer continued Derek's introduction, "He comes from a line of great superheroes. And you are witnessing him here. At the start of his career. And you will remember that you were here. And you will tell your grandchildren that you were here and you saw him fight. And now without any more delay."

  The tuxedo guy paused for drama.

  "I give you the one and only." There was a sound of drumming. "Derek Stainless."

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  The crowd cheered, with shrieks of hysteric fans in the mix.

  After it had calmed down a bit, the announcer gave the microphone to Derek, who took it and said, "Thanks. And I want to thank the people who came here to see me. I'm hoping you'll join me again at the city-level fights. I'll be waiting for you there. Also, I'll make this fight here one you will remember. Thank you. I love you all."

  After the crowd stopped cheering and the announcer got the microphone back, he turned to Lester and said, "And in the red corner, we have the challenger. The one who thinks he'll be able to take down Derek Stainless. Break the young hero."

  Lester heard the crowd boo. It felt a bit odd to be booed at, like it was not that they were booing at him specifically but at the character he was playing.

  The announcer finished. "This small-time villain fights today with the name Lester Liquid."

  After a bit more booing, the tuxedo guy put the microphone away then leaned toward Lester and said, "Remember, keep with the narrative." Then he handed Lester the mike.

  Lester stood there staring at the microphone. It was indeed a totally bizarre situation. In reality, he hadn't even heard about this Derek guy before. And now he was supposed to say how he hated the guy or something.

  But the show must go on, Lester thought, then he turned to the crowd and said, "That's right, I'm here to show you how these so-called heroes, like Derek here, are only a bunch of arrogant rich kids. They are not worth your admiration. And you will witness, today, as I take Derek Stainless down from his fake mountain."

  As he gave the microphone back, Lester heard the crowd yell and boo. There was definitely anger there, so he might have done good with the narrative part. Also, maybe he should have put on some kind of a mask, so people wouldn't recognize him when he was outside the ring.

  The tuxedo man got to the middle of the cage and said, "Let's get this show rolling. Fighters to your corners." Then he got out of the cage, and the cage door slammed shut behind him. "Are the fighters ready?"

  Lester felt his body shake with adrenaline. This would be his debut fight. He would have to at least get through it with dignity. No, that was not enough. He would beat this shining idiot, who seemed to think that he, Lester, was just another sure step on his climb to his heroic glory.

  Lester nodded and said, "Ready." As did Derek but with a much more relaxed voice.

  "Is the audience ready!" the tuxedo guy shouted.

  While he ignored the roar of the audience, Lester focused on one thing. He would not turn into water. Except for maybe in small parts if Derek was able to hit hard enough.

  "So it begins," the tuxedo guy said, the bell rang, and Lester was face to face with Derek Stainless.

  Lester lifted his fists up and watched his opponent. Derek jumped from side to side, like he was just doing some light sparring. Then he suddenly snapped to the right a couple of meters, almost faster than Lester could see. Derek definitely had physical powers. He would have to watch out for sudden attacks from the guy.

  "Hey villain guy, this your first fight?" Derek asked.

  "N—"

  Lester was cut short as Derek snapped forward, throwing a right cross into Lester's nose.

  Lester woke up in the corner and he looked around. His shirt was on the floor. He must have turned into water for a moment. But his shorts were, thankfully, still on.

  Lester got up, lifting his fists to guard his face.

  "Quite a trick you did there, Mr. Puddles," Derek said and let out a small laugh.

  Lester realized the fight likely would not go his way. His opponent was strong. Maybe even B-rank. Though, the fight organizers should not have been supposed to set up a match that was so unfair.

  Derek moved again, throwing a series of punches, but this time Lester was able to anticipate the attack, and he moved back, holding his arms up and quickly tilting his body to the left and right. But even still, one punch connected well with a raised hand, making it momentarily turn into water.

  Derek hopped back and said, "You know, Mr. Puddles, you're ruining my fight here by being too defensive."

  Lester knew his opponent had a point. Derek was making him look really bad. He would definitely have to do something, or he would end up being just another idiot villain, trying to prove that they were something they were not.

  Lester glanced at the crowd and said, "Yeah, your fans seem to be a bit disappointed." And Derek took the bait and turned to look. At that moment, Lester launched forward and swung his right knee between Derek's hands, directly into the guy's chin, but as the tip of his knee hit, Lester felt a sting, like getting stabbed in the knee, and his leg turned to water. Even still, Derek took a stumbling step back, as Lester continued his attack, throwing a right toward his opponent's nose, but Derek flashed backward out of the range. And now he stood there, feeling his chin with his hand.

  "Damn, Mr. Puddles, that was annoying," Derek said, "Not the kick—that didn't hurt much—but the fact that, for a moment there, you almost made me look bad."

  Lester didn't answer. He knew the moment had been his only chance, and he'd just ticked Derek off. The guy would not hold back anymore. But whatever the prick of a hero would throw at him, he would be ready.

  In an instant, the air around Derek flared blue, and Lester saw his opponent blur forward, almost like teleporting in front of him. And the guy's fist slammed into his chest with a thunderous boom.

  As his head came back together, Lester's mind snapped back to consciousness, and he realized that he was no longer in the cage. He was in the space between the cage and the audience stand, and he was naked. Derek must have hit him hard enough to make his whole body turn into liquid, which then had splashed through the heavy bars of the cage.

  "Fuck," Lester whispered while covering his naughty bits.

  The announcer was shouting enthusiastically, "The villain is out of the arena, and he's totally naked. This will go down as one of the funniest moments in the history of the Super Brawl Circuit. And just to remind you all. Throwing someone through the bars counts as a victory. Derek Stainless wins!"

  Amidst the cheers and laughter of the crowd, Lester quickly tried to think of what to do. But there wasn't anything he could do. What he'd feared had happened. He was now naked in front of hundreds of people and maybe thousands more through online streaming. No one would take him seriously after this. He would always be known for this moment. A joke of a villain. What was there left?

  The tuxedo announcer walked next to him, holding the microphone, which he then put away for a moment and said to Lester, "Remember, what I said earlier about not running away crying. And keep with the narrative." The tuxedo guy then brought up the microphone again and said, "Lester Liquid, a moment ago, you were boasting about taking down Derek Stainless. I guess things didn't go how you planned."

  Lester saw as the tuxedo guy extended the microphone toward him. He would have to say something. Something that would redeem at least some of his broken reputation. But what?

  Just as the tuxedo guy seemed to decide that Lester didn't want to talk, Lester sprang up, grabbed the mike, and addressed everyone there, "Derek Stainless got lucky today. But I swear that one day, I will face him again and on that day I will defeat him." He turned toward Derek. "That's right Derek Stainless. One day, I will bring you down." Lester then added, "Can I have my shorts back."

  After a moment had passed, while he was putting his clothes back on, Lester got a message from the Villain Interface.

  Quest Complete: Fight against a hero in the local street-level Super Brawl Circuit.

  You performed poorly. However, you faced a much stronger opponent—a B-rank hero. You gain 2 points.

  Lester noted the B-rank. The organizers had indeed put him against a much stronger opponent. It was like he was set up to lose the fight.

  Lester turned his focus toward Derek, who was now meeting with his fans, who seemed to be extremely excited about the guy. Actually, Lester decided, he might, one day, do what he'd said in his villain speech. He would get more points, get stronger, master his powers, and then he would face this Derek Stainless idiot again. And then he would totally beat the crap out of him.

  New Quest: Face Derek Stainless in the city-level Super Brawl Circuit.

  Award: 3 points and 5 extra points for victory.