(Sylvia sits down comfortably in her office, crossing her legs after the call she made with the mysterious masked individual, smirking as she considers his offer. She then turns to a radio placed on her desk and pushes on a small red button above it, a means of communication for her. Meanwhile, in a tiny apartment, a quartet of teenagers spend their time listlessly. Boltix — a sixteen-year old boy with blue and yellow spiky hair and yellow eyes wearing a black leather jacket over a white shirt with a lighting symbol — leans his back on the couch, while Mistrick — a sixteen-year old girl with silver hair tied into a ponytail and black eyes wearing a half-sleeved black crop top with black sports pants — sits beside him and scrolls through her phone in boredom.)
Mistrick: (unamused, scrolling through her phone) Yeah, yeah, seen that crap before.
(Jackpot — a sixteen-year old boy with orange hair tied into a bun and hazel eyes wearing a red hoodie with a black cap — pulls out a bag of potato chips from a pot attached to his back, one that can create whatever he thinks of. Stone — a twenty-year old boy, older than the others, with a bald head, brown eyes, a more muscular body, and a darker skin tone, wearing a sleeveless white shirt with sports pants — trains on a punching back, repeatedly punching and kicking it with a scowl. Those monotonous activities are put to a halt when a radio placed on a table makes a ringing sound, alerting the others. They approach the radio with curious expressions, and Stone presses on the red button on top of the radio.)
Stone: (via phone) ’Sup?
Sylvia: (via phone, smirking) Heads up, Sparks. You’ve got a mission.
Boltix: (chuckling a bit) So you finally decided to pull out your fingers and give us something fun. It is something fun, right?
Sylvia: You bet. Search and capture. Familiar territory. You won’t even have to travel for long.
Mistrick: (sighing deeply) I had high expectations for this. Oh, well.
Jackpot: (annoyed) Hunting for bounties is so last week! We’ve been doing this since forever!
Sylvia: It’s not just any hunt, Jackpot. Your target… is a Surge user. Just like the rest of you.
Mistrick: (intrigued) That’s interesting. An operator from Aegis?
Sylvia: Not exactly. We’re talking about something else. Something massive… with an even more massive bounty on it. Someone out there is willing to pay handsomely if you bring it to him… alive. He also told me that you might expect competition from Aegis, so you gotta beat ’em to the punch.
Stone: (gritting his teeth) Aegis, you say?
Boltix: (smirking) Alright, that does sound like fun. We’re in.
Stone: (firmly) Send us the location, and we’ll be there.
Sylvia: (grinning) Will do. Now go after that money bag, Sparks.
(The radio transmission is cut off, and the Sparks nod at each other with smirks on their faces then head out of their tiny apartment and outdoors. Mistrick glances at her phone, which has received the location where they’re meant to strike.)
Mistrick: The target’s in Reno as well. That’s cool.
Jackpot: (intrigued) Sylvia said that the target is no ordinary Surge user. I wonder what could be waiting for us.
Boltix: (smirking) Nothing we can’t handle, that’s for sure.
Stone: (gritting his teeth) Enough speculation, Sparks. We’ve got a mission on our hands.
(Meanwhile, elsewhere in Reno, Flare and Focus finally cross paths as Focus glances at his watch, the energy signature massively intensifying, displaying an incredible amount of energy passing by. He glances at his right in shock, getting a glimpse of none other than Flare, still licking on her ice cream, and for a moment, the world seems to stop around him, his expression frozen in shock.)
Focus: (thinking to himself, shocked) That’s… she’s the Beacon!
(Focus snaps out of it as he sees Flare blending in with the crowd, and he hurriedly walks after her, still careful enough not to draw attention to himself. He silently follows and observes Flare, who is still licking on her ice cream without any care in the world. Focus keeps following her in pure bafflement as she turns to the right.)
Focus: (thinking to himself, baffled) There’s no mistake about it. She’s the Surge Beacon. But… how? Her actual Surge levels are nothing special, just the average level of a regular Surge user, but the latent energy is off the charts. What is she capable of?
(As he keeps on following Flare, she suddenly turns to the left and passes through the traffic, and Focus, surprised at this, follows her. They set foot on another sidewalk, and as Flare finishes her ice cream, she munches on the cone and takes a turn to the right and into an alley with very few people.)
Focus: (thinking to himself) That’s weird. Does she know she’s being followed? Is that why she’s heading into an abandoned area? This could be my window of attack.
(Focus places a hand inside his pocket, gripping the taser gun at his disposal and readying himself to strike when the time is right. Flare takes several sharp turns right and left, eventually reaching a dead end, with no one else around, and Focus immediately takes the opportunity and pulls out his taser gun, firing a shot at her, but she quickly turns around and strikes it with a fiery fist, to his shock. Afterwards, she glances at his shocked expression with a smirk.)
Flare! The Fire Surge! She can control and generate flames for defense, propulsion, or even as mere “fire”-power! See what I did there? She’s not as regular as she seems! She’s the first sighting of a Surge Beacon in a long while, meaning that she’s got a target on her back the size of Jersey… and massive reserves of power deep within!
Flare: (smirking) Gotcha now… stalker. What’re you here for?
Focus: (firmly, putting his taser gun into his pocket) I didn’t think you’d notice me. I was careful not to give myself away.
Flare: I’m more observant than I look like. I mean… of course some random operator from a secret government agency would try to capture me after my latest crashout. That’s not so far from the truth now, is it?
Focus: You know how it is. I’m indeed under orders to capture you. You already went ahead and got the two of us out of sight, I see.
Flare: (grinning) You sure you’re ready for this, pal? You’ve already seen what I’m capable of. How about you pretend you never saw me… and I pretend you never shot that taser bullet at me?
Focus: (firmly) So full of yourself, aren’t you? Don’t get too comfortable. You haven’t seen what I’m capable of either.
Flare: (her smirk widening) You don’t get to act so comfortable either. What could you possibly be capable of?
Focus: (clenching his fists) A lot.
(Flare grins excitedly then propels herself into a rooftop with flames underneath her legs, and Focus jumps between walls and lands at an opposite rooftop, seeing Flare taking a fighting stance. He too assumes a fighting stance, the two Surge users glaring at each other, Flare’s excited smirk meeting Focus’s firm expression.)
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Flare: (chuckling a bit) YOLO!
(Flare lights up her palms with fire then propels herself at Focus through flames underneath her legs. She launches two fireballs right at Focus from midair, and the latter glances at them with an unamused expression. Despite their outward speed, from Flare’s perspective, they look unbelievably slow, and he cancels them out by a simple chop with his arm, to Flare’s shock. She acrobatically propels herself once again, this time with flames coming from her palms, and sets foot behind Focus, who turns to her with an unbothered expression, placing his hands on his pocket.)
Focus: (unamused) Don’t tell me you’ve got a catchphrase.
Flare: (crossing her arms, pouting) Yeah, I do. You don’t get to judge. Also… (yelling in exasperation) WHAT THE SUPER-SOLDIER SERUM WAS THAT?!
Focus: (unbothered) You’re not the only weirdo in the world. Try to wrap your head around that.
Flare: (frustrated) PULL YOUR HANDS OUT OF YOUR POCKETS ALREADY! AND STOP AURA FARMING! YOU’RE NOT HIM!!!
Focus: (rolling his eyes) I’ll only pull my hands out of my pockets if you force me to use them.
Flare: (gritting her teeth in annoyance) Think you’re so cute, huh?
Focus: (deadpan) Cute? I’m a menace.
Focus! The Superhuman Surge! He may not look like the flashiest tool in the shed, but he’s surely the sharpest there is! His latent energy grants him super heightened reflexes, as well as incredible speed and strength, making him the perfect fighting machine! There’s lots of potential in this kid beyond just that, something that could cement him as the most powerful Surge user alive!
(Flare dashes at Focus once again for a blow, her fists lighted up with fire, only for the latter to suddenly disappear from sight and reappear behind her, his hands still in his pockets. She turns to land a punch at his face, but he eloquently leans his body away from the punch and then acrobatically kicks her in the chin, sending her skidding back. She grits her teeth and dashes at him once again, but he headbutts her fist and sends her off balance, then he lands a kick at her gut and sends her flying. She regains her footing and runs at Focus while launching fireball after fireball at him, and he runs at her as well while dodging her fireballs. One of the fireballs, however, strikes the floor underneath him, and he’s forced to jump out of the way, the opportunity that Flare waited for.)
Flare: Gotcha!
(She propels herself at Focus with the flames underneath her legs, dashing at him for a blow. However, even when he’s midair, he manages to tilt his to dodge Flare’s punch, his hands still in his pockets, to Flare’s shock. He manages to adjust his body once again and kicks her in the back, sending her flying then falling on her face. She gets back up on her feet and turns to Focus with a frustrated expression, seeing him standing opposite to her, his hands in his pockets, ever so unbothered and nonchalant.)
Flare: (frustrated) Alright, now what is that?! Nobody dodges midair! It’s impossible!
Focus: (deadpan) Just like it’s impossible for someone to control fire.
Flare: Um… I mean… it is kinda impossible by normal standards.
Focus: And that too is impossible if judged by normal standards. I don’t see why you’re so frustrated.
Flare: (frustrated) Just… just shut up!
(Flare takes a fighting stance, a fiery aura engulfing her as she prepares several fireballs, while Focus’s unbothered stance is not changed in the slightest. However, just when they were about to resume their fight, a middle-aged man walks into the rooftop and is stopped dead in his tracks when he sees what’s going on. Flare immediately discards her attack, and she and Focus glances at him with blank bafflement, while the man glances around in astonishment.)
Both: (in unison, blankly) You saw nothing.
(The man reluctantly nods in disbelief as he steps back and slowly walks back in, closing the door behind him and leaving Flare and Focus alone on the rooftop. With his awkward moment done with, Flare continues the fight, yelling in determination as she propels herself above with the flames in her legs and launches several fireballs at Focus, loudly grunting while doing so and causing a small explosion at the rooftop he’s standing on. She sets foot on the floor, seeing a massive black mark on the floor as a result of her fireball attacks, but then she quickly turns to block another taser shot from Focus, who was standing behind her, one hand in his pocket and the other holding the taser gun.)
Focus: (unamused) You missed with every single strike, but let’s focus on the positives. You did considerable damage to my ears.
Flare: (scowling) That’s funny coming from you. You just missed a taser shot. Again.
Focus: I didn’t miss. You blocked the shot. There’s a difference.
(Flare charges up her fists with fire then dashes at Focus again, who holds his taser gun with one hand and has his other hand in his pocket, reacting with a disinterested expression as he gets ready to face Flare. Meanwhile, back at the parking garage, the four Aegis soldiers wait inside their armored van, worried at the fact that they haven’t heard from Focus in a while.)
Soldier 1A: (gritting his teeth) We haven’t heard from Focus since he left. Is he having trouble? Should we link up with him?
Soldier 1B: He could still be tracking the beacon for all we know. We can’t risk drawing attention to him. Let’s wait just a little longer.
(The soldiers nod and keep waiting with tense expressions, but then suddenly, the back door to the armored van is forced open by none other than Stone, who scowls at them, Jackpot accompanying him. The pot attached to Jackpot’s back creates and launches a taser gun to Stone, who grabs it and quickly shoots down the four soldiers, taking them out. The two drag the four soldiers out of the car and throw them on the floor, Stone being particularly bitter about it, something that Jackpot notices.)
Jackpot: (concerned) Somethin’ the matter, pal?
Stone: (muttering) It’s nothing. Let’s just blow up this van and get moving. We gotta catch up with the others.
Jackpot: Alright, if you say so.
(Jackpot launches several sticky grenades out of the pot attached to his back right at the van, sticking them all into its exterior, then he also pulls out the switch from the pot and grips it. As he and Stone get into their Jeep, with the latter taking the wheel, he pushes the red button on the switch, blowing up the van. With that out of the way, they drive off out of the parking garage to join the action. Meanwhile, back at the rooftop, Focus eloquently dodges Flare’s constant fireballs, one hand on his pocket and the other gripping the taser gun.)
Focus: (thinking to himself) What’s with this girl? That subpar usage of a Surge is not what I expected from a so-called Beacon. Or perhaps it’s to be expected. After all, she doesn’t have much control over her overwhelming power. I can’t let her spiral out of control. Enough playing around. Gotta put her down while I still can.
(Focus acrobatically dodges a group of fireballs then fires a taser shot at Flare, but she blocks it with her fiery aura. He grits his teeth and circles around Flare at high speed, firing one bullet after another in an attempt to subdue her, but she keeps blocking the shots. She manages to take Focus by surprise and dashes at him for a blow, forcing him to pull his other hand out of his pocket and use it to block the blow.)
Flare: (smirking) Had to use your hand, huh?
(Her cockiness allows Focus to grab her fist and twist her around then kick her in the gut, sending her plummeting back into the ground. As she gets back up, she finds Focus setting foot on the ground with ease, and she throw a punch at him. However, he quickly parries her blow and grabs her by the neck, slamming her into a wall. She attempts to break free from his grip, but to no avail, and he aims his taser gun at her to finally subdue her. However, he runs out of taser bullets, to his shock, as he repeatedly pulls the trigger on an empty gun.)
Focus: (muttering in annoyance) You gotta be kidding me.
Flare: (smirking) Too bad. Now let’s try that again, shall we? (her legs blazing with fire) YOLO.
(She extends her legs right at Focus, propelling her laser backwards through the wall through the flames coming from her legs, which simultaneously send Focus off balance. She then readjusts herself and propels herself once again right back at Focus, punching him in the face with a fiery fist and sending him crashing through a wall. However, he immediately emerges from the rubble, a faint dark blue aura surrounding him, an indication of his Surge. The two glare at each other, Focus’s stern expression meeting Flare’s excited grin, as she too charges up her fiery aura. The two — with almost no regard to their secrecy — dash at each other, their auras clashing as their battle takes a new turn.)
(They take off through the entire area, clashing and ricocheting off each other repeatedly, while the public watches in astonishment and panickedly back off. Their erratic movement disrupts the flow of traffic, putting it to a halt altogether. They exchange blows at rapid speeds, then Focus gets in behind Flare and kicks her in the back, only for her to propel herself back at him with her palms and attempt a kick at his face, which he blocks with the back of his hand. However, Flare cheekily lands a fireball at his gut with her loose hand, sending him flying. As Focus sets foot on a rooftop, she follows with a barrage of fireballs, forcing him to jump out of the way repeatedly while canceling out some fireballs. However, she reappears behind him and kicks him in the back, sending him flying, and as he acrobatically regains his balance, he notices her fiery aura flickering into some sort of neon red flames that engulf her, with her hair and pupils showing a similar transformation, as if something deep inside of her is starting to surface as she grins in excitement.)
Focus: (thinking to himself, urgently) The situation’s going out of control. I gotta stop it!
(Flare dashes at him for a punch, and he barely blocks it with the back of his hand, getting sent flying regardless. Flare then charges up a massive beam of fire and launches it at him, and as he regains his footing, he grits his teeth, charges up his aura further, and dashes at that beam, his aura cutting through it. It eventually gets canceled out, and Flare sees Focus closing in on her with an energized fist, and she swings a fiery fist at him as well, but just before their fists collide, the two of them are taken by surprise from their left side by a punch to the face, and the one who dealt that blow… is none other than Boltix.)
Team Flare or Team Focus?
