Spectacular World

The Meaning Of Hero

"Geez, you managed to do all of this?" A member of the Hero Branch stared at the destroyed body of Red Ape. The villain's limbs were twisted and broken, but most notable was the fact that he had been badly burned, most of his skin being gone. Red Ape needed the entire medical team just to keep him clinging to life as they got ready to load him into an armored van.

It wasn't just the villain that shocked them either, though. The superhero was in bad condition as well.

The Hero Branch workers often didn't have powers; they were simply members of the government that helped out, so the sight of such a mighty being in a broken state was shocking. Myth rested on the ground, with many of the Branch doctors tending to his wounds.

The Hero Branch was who you called when you beat a villain. They were a part of the government that worked with the superheroes, being a sort of mix between the cops and the military. They were also the ones that called the shots, so a superhero wouldn't get too big of a head and think about taking over.

"Yes, I did all of this." Myth finally said. It wasn't good to lie, and the hero hated doing it, but that red-haired man had made it clear he wanted his name to stay out of this, and that girl was a minor, not part of a team, and on top of all of that, he could get in massive trouble if the big wigs learned he just let two people tag along with him, Supers or not.

"It must have been one hell of a battle." A sly voice seemed to echo around the street. Everyone froze when they heard it. The road had been closed off while they loaded the villain up, so a new voice caught them off guard. Walking from the end of the street with their hands in their pockets, there was a man with a sly smirk on his face..

He was in their early twenties, the same age as Myth, and, much like the resting hero, the man was dressed up in his very own hero costume. Money Tree was an odd man but strong. His outfit was just as strange, looking like something you'd see on a detective in a comic. A trench coat, fedora, gloves—all of that. What made it a costume, though, was the fact that it wasn't made out of cloth. Instead, the entire outfit was made out of dollar bills. An actual money suit. He even had a domino mask made from several hundred-dollar bills.

As the hero walked forward, the sound of loose change followed. "I've missed you, big guy." Money Tree grinned.

"Money Tree." Myth slowly got to his feet and managed a small smile. "How are you, sir?" He asked, holding his hand out.

"Ha! Yeah, don't call me Sir." Money Tree said, taking his hat off and tipping it. Dozens of coins dropped to the floor.

"Well, it's only right. After all, you are the leader of the Sub Enforcers, now." Myth tried to hide the bitter tone from entering his voice as he said that. It wasn't much of a secret that he had become a solo hero when the Branch selected Money Tree instead of him for the leadership role. "What brings you here?"

If Money Tree noticed the hostility, he didn't comment on it. Instead, the hero crouched down to stare at the villain. "Can't I just drop by to say hello to an old buddy?"

"It's not like you. Which is why I have to assume you have another reason for seeing me out of the blue like this."

"Yeah." Money Tree shrugged. "You got me. I'll cut to the chase. Why's he still alive?"

Myth followed the man's gaze and stared down at the burned body of Red Ape as the Hero Branch workers did their best to keep the man stable. "Believe me, I'd prefer someone like this guy to rot as well, but I can't."

"Why not?"

"Information." Myth rubbed his chin and winced, feeling his bruised muscles and bones ache. "I know I'm a bit out of shape from a lack of serious fights, but I'm still tough, you know. When I fought Red Ape, he had something. That strength he showed off... He was hitting me hard enough to harm my bull form. Red Ape is just a normal human in terms of strength, so whatever he took gave him a serious power up."