With Great Power Comes Great Responsibilty

Chapter 12

"Hurry up!"

A downtown convenience store was in chaos as two masked thugs waved their guns at the terrified clerk, who—fearing for his life—shakily handed over the cash.

But just as the criminals turned to flee, two figures dropped from above like shadows. In a blur of motion, the thieves were disarmed, restrained, and the money returned before anyone could even process what had happened.

The masked vigilantes vanished into the night.

The media was instantly captivated. Reporters flooded the area the next morning, eager to uncover the identities of the mysterious heroes. Witnesses were eager to share their accounts.

"They just jumped in and took 'em down!" the store clerk said, still in disbelief.

"These two aren't human!" another man insisted. "My brother swears he saw the red one building a nest! A nest!"

"I think they're people," a woman countered. "Could be men, could be women—who knows under those masks?"

This wasn't an isolated incident.

Just a few nights later, the police responded to a silent alarm at a jewelry store. But when they arrived, they found the situation already handled.

"Hey Bobby," one officer called out, pointing. "Get a load of this!"

Inside, the would-be robbers were trussed up like gift-wrapped criminals, gagged and groaning in the center of the showroom.

Then came the incident in the alley—a mugger cornered a young woman, waving a gun in one hand while snatching her purse with the other.

"Don't move, lady!" he growled.

But out of nowhere, a masked figure landed behind him and delivered a powerful punch that knocked him out cold. The woman's purse was returned, and like the others before, the vigilante disappeared without a word.

No one knew who they were. But the pattern was clear.

There were always two.

One wore a sleek red suit with golden, scale-like patterns and a matching mask—the media dubbed him Red Dragon. The other appeared in a deep blue suit streaked with silver faux fur—soon called Blue Tiger.

No one knew their identities. Only that wherever crime dared to show its face... Red Dragon and Blue Tiger were never far behind.

"Guy with claws and fur?" a girl said to the reporter, clearly excited. "And another one with scales and a tail? Sounds hot."

"They're some kind of freaky wackadoos," a grumpy man muttered.

"They stink, and I don't like 'em!" a thug snapped, still nursing a black eye.

Red Dragon and Blue Tiger were becoming local legends—and the media couldn't get enough of them. Their daring rescues and mysterious appearances made headlines across the city.

But not everyone was impressed.

"Who the hell are Red Dragon and Blue Tiger?" barked Gajeel Redfox, owner and editor-in-chief of the Magnolia Times, as he slapped the morning paper on his desk. "They're criminals, that's what they are! So why are they on the front page of my paper?!"

"Mr. Redfox," said Yukino, his ever-patient secretary, poking her head in. "Your wife is on the phone."

"I'll call her back later."

"Sir," said Rogue, one of the newsroom's junior reporters, "we sold sixty extra copies thanks to that front-page story."

Gajeel raised an eyebrow. "Really? So the public actually likes these freaks?"