Can We Be Heroes?

Chapter 26• The problem called Vixen.

For two days straight, the news cycle had been dominated by a single story: Vixen, the ever-elusive vigilante, had struck again. And this time, he had gone after yet another well known and much beloved pro hero.

Screens across the city displayed grainy footage of Vixen, his orange and white fox-themed outfit unmistakable, standing boldly in the middle of a busy street in broad daylight. He had exposed a hero’s dirty secrets—dastardly acts and carnal desires that had sent shockwaves through the community.

“This is unprecedented,” one anchor said, her tone equal parts shock and curiosity. “For a vigilante to expose a licensed pro hero in such a public manner raises serious questions about the integrity of hero society.”

“And about the competency of the heroes tasked with catching him,” her co-anchor added, shaking his head as the footage rolled on.

The video had quickly gone viral: Vixen standing atop a lamppost, holding up a USB drive he claimed contained evidence against the hero. He even had the audacity to play some of the incriminating audio through a portable speaker, causing a crowd to gather below.

The pro heroes who arrived on the scene had tried to apprehend him, but Vixen had made a mockery of them.

In one clip, Vixen was seen performing a ridiculous, mocking dance, spinning and twirling as he dodged attempts to capture him. Heroes leaped and lunged, only to miss spectacularly, their efforts reduced to slapstick comedy as Vixen moved with graceful agility.

“Is that all you’ve got?” Vixen’s voice rang out, clear as day, as he leaped from one rooftop to another, his whip snapping with precision. “You might want to work on your cardio, heroes!”

The crowd had erupted in laughter and cheers, and the hashtag #VixenStrikesAgain had trended within minutes.

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At a hero agency, the mood was anything but cheerful.

“He’s making us look like fools!” one hero fumed, slamming his fist onto the table as the footage replayed on the large screen in the meeting room. “The public’s starting to question our competence!”

Another hero sighed, rubbing his temples. “It’s not just about catching him. He’s exposing corruption, and people are eating it up. They think he’s doing what we’re supposed to be doing.”

“Maybe because he is,” a younger hero muttered under his breath, earning glares from the others.

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Back at his apartment Monoma, aka Vixen, lounged on his couch, a smug grin plastered across his face as he scrolled through the countless memes and tweets about his latest escapade.

“‘Vixen for #1 Hero’?” he read aloud, chuckling. “Well, I wouldn’t go that far, but I appreciate the sentiment.”

Darkness surrounded him, his room lit only by the glow of his laptop screen. The USB drive containing evidence against the disgraced hero sat on the table beside him.

Stretching lazily, Monoma leaned back, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction. “Let’s see them try to catch me next time,” he murmured.

Because for all their efforts, Monoma knew one thing for sure: Vixen wasn’t just a thorn in the side of hero society—he was the wildfire they couldn’t contain.

Just then his phone beeped and his smirk turned into a frown. No. This couldn't be happening? Had a month already gone by so quickly?

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