Encounter

Superpowers, it's something that the world has always dreamt of having for as long as anyone could ever imagine. It's the idea that normal people gain special attributes which makes them transcend the norm- making them super. Put simply, it's like normal people gain tremendous power.

Now imagine a world where everyone has superpowers. It's a fantastic fantasy where everyone has the chance to become superheroes. Isn't that just an amazing dream? Even I once dreamt to become a hero. But what would be the reality of giving everyone superpowers...?

Well, if your answer is the outbreak of criminals and breaking of society and heroes- well then that's an extremely good guess. Well yeah, this is my story of how I strived to become a hero.

'Eggs, butter, milk... check.' I thought to myself, ticking off the 32nd, 33rd and final items on the list. Clipping my pen onto my notebook, I placed it into my purse and began pushing the trolley towards the till. The trolley was moderately heavy- carrying dairy products, meat products, vegetables and fruits- a lot of things. Yup, it was time to restock.

My name is Shimura Ichiji, a stable woman living her normal life. I have a good job which pays well and I live on my own in this perfectly 'normal' human society. I wish it were normal- but crimes are occurring left and right these days. There are these powers known as 'Incarnates' which humans have obtained through evolution. These Incarnates had given us many different powers such as super strength, flame controlling, telekinesis and more. Because of this, literally, everyone now has superpowers. Yeah, everyone. Because of that, society had been divided based on power and fame- heroes being at the top of the position whereas other people like the common folk and villains are left under the shadows.

I personally, however, enjoy staying out of the whole hero and villain business thing. While my powers are decently good- I've only ever used them to escape bad situations, which had always been working out for me. I've never used the powers to attack. Not once. Besides, I have a family to look after. No, I'm not a mother- I feel like I'm too young for those types of things. I have younger siblings, my sister being 12 and my brother being 8. My mother is 42 and my father is 46. They had me when they were 24 and 28- meaning I'm only 18. I had always worked hard so that we could live a peaceful life- which I have achieved.

Through the amount of thinking I was doing- I hadn't realised how fast the cashier had scanned all my items. Looking at me, she gave me a solid number. "That'll be..." 'So much yen...' I thought, giving a hefty sigh. Luckily it was my parent's money though. I spent money on electric, water and wifi bills- they paid for the rest and they give me money to restock every month. We all got along fairly well- and they are really all I have and who I really need. Paying the money, I had placed the last bag of items into the trolley before pushing it towards the exit.

I can also drive- having gotten my drivers license at the age of 16. Otherwise- shopping would be a pain since I live decently far from the local shops. It was only a 20-minute walk- but obviously, trolleys can't be taken home and walking that far with so much shopping is like an impossible task.

I had simply gone shopping that day. What I didn't realise that day was the fact that the moment I walked out of the mall- my life was going to change completely from being a stable civilian, to a...

"Villain!!" One of the many civilians shopping cried out, escaping into a tortoise-like shell. Panic spread amongst everyone as a black blur zoomed past everyone. Everyone was running away, some protecting themselves with their powers as shields and some using their increased mobility to run away. This Villain however clearly had more speed than any other.

As the black blur came to a halt, it stared directly at me, putting me to a shock. "You..." It spoke. That was none other than the villain. What a day to live. It was almost instant- but I was on the ground. A knife, through my belly. What. Just. Happened?

I couldn't move, the pain was almost too unbearable. My vision became blurry at that instant- not because I was losing consciousness- this pain kept me wide awake. I looked down at my belly- it wasn't just my own blood that was gushing out of me. Tears streamed down my face as I felt even more pain coming from my head- as if it were being pulled. I kept my eyes shut- trying to endure it, but it was no good. As I opened my eyes, the villain had stared at me with his malicious smirk.

My body was trembling- not because of the pain as I don't think the knife hit any of my vital organs. It was painful nevertheless, but it was mainly due to fear. I have never faced a situation where I was physically hit by a villain. I didn't get a chance to react- usually, I could get away but... this villain has superspeed- a somewhat decent counter to my own incarnate. "A pretty face for a young lady." He smirked, carrying me with no trouble.

I was in too much fear to act. But because of that fear- perhaps I had acted subconsciously...

Suddenly, all actions had come to a halt. Looking up, I was hoping that there would be someone to save me- everything was at a complete stand-still though. No one was moving. The sights of some hiding, some running and some even just standing with their phones out- recording this thing? But that didn't matter to me, what matters was that I escape this villain right now.

1 second passed.

With the villain's grip being tight, it was a struggle to break free. 'I have to get out!' I thought, shaking my body about, to which I then managed to soften the grip of the hand, which forced me to drop onto my back.

2 seconds passed.

Taking a hard fall, I felt pain surging through the entirety of my back, which I reacted with a scream of pain- but luckily it was practically nothing compared to the knife the villain had stabbed me with. There was no time to waste- it was now or never.

3 seconds passed.

Pulling the knife out of my belly, I let out yet another scream of pain. I had steadied it at the villain with my right hand- using my left hand to cover my wound. My hands were shaking. But my mind was somewhat clear- taking out the villain was my main goal. I can't get away- he would catch me in an instant.

4 seconds passed.

My clear mind didn't last, however. The pain from the wound brought me back to the reality I was in. I couldn't kill a person... I simply couldn't. 'I can't kill him...' Dropping the knife, I felt my legs beginning to tremble. What should I do in this situation?

5 seconds passed.

I didn't want to kill him, that would be too much of a burden for me to carry. I have a family to look after- he must have a family too.

6 seconds passed.

I don't have much time left- it's do or die at this point. Pushing away that feeling of fear, I booted the villain's left leg twice.

7 seconds passed.

He didn't budge one bit, but I can't stop here. Putting a bit more momentum into my kick, I swung my leg at the villain's left leg once again- which ended up hurting me a little.

8 seconds passed.

I don't have any time at all- the most I can do is disable his movement. With all my might, I punched his chest a good three times.

9 seconds passed.

At that instant, the villain- who was speeding around, running with me in his hands- was put to an immediate halt. No- it was more than that. From the direction he was running at- his left leg fell apart- being absolutely torn as he continued to roll in that direction. "W-What...?" He questioned as his skin was torn from being grazed by the concrete, his body gushing out more blood than mine did- though his body consisted of more minor scratches in general aside from his broken leg.

At that moment- I saw a flash. Immediately turning as the reaction- I was surrounded by phones. It wasn't just me, however- it was also the villain who had clearly been beaten by me. 'What... have I done?' I thought to myself as I began trembling. I could feel my heartbeat accelerating. Everywhere I turned- there were more flashing and even some red dots about- perhaps recording? I began to lose the pace of my breath, sweating more and more. But it all stopped once my eyes shut. It was almost as if all the flashes were disappearing- and the noise from around me began to muffle up- as if I was under water.

At that moment I passed out, I began to have a long dream. I don't know why I was having the dream- but it was surely one that felt like it was gonna last forever.

"Oh! Ichiji, bad girl!" My Mother exclaimed to me, pushing me back lightly. I suddenly felt a bit odd. Mum was certainly much smaller than this- in fact, I should be taller than her. Yet I'm smaller. Much smaller.

Hugging to her knees, I felt a sense of immaturity within me. She only called me a 'bad girl', there was nothing insulting about that. If anything it's silly. "I want to see you cook," I spoke without a train of thought. It became clear to me about what this is. It's definitely a dream.

Suddenly I was being lifted into the air- by the arms of the person I always looked up to. "Oh alright, Ichiji." She smiled at me, placing me in the chair. I somewhat remember this. Wasn't I 4 at the time? How do I remember this so well?

As Mum continued cutting the vegetables at a very good pace- my jaw was dropping. My thoughts were 'Mum's really the best!' I never chose to look at her bad sides. Looking back at it now, Mum was never perfect. As she came close to finish cutting the final vegetable, the sound of keys rattling alerted both our set of ears. Finishing off the vegetables, she put them into the boiling water before walking towards the front door.

I remember. I followed her, and I saw something I didn't want to see... "Welcome home hun." She greeted Dad. He looked completely worn out after a day's hard work. Leaping into his arms, my mum did exactly what I didn't want to see. "Bleugh! Don't kiss!" I blurted out as the two were already locking lips. They both broke into a laugher, laughing at my reaction.

The day went about as normal. It was a normal day for me. But the night didn't go so well. I couldn't sleep at night. I was having nightmares about villains. They were the one thing I was always scared of because I know that the heroes aren't capable of even taking them on. Since I was a child- I never liked the heroes of today's society. Money, fame, attraction. That's all heroes nowadays ever care about.

Back to what was happening, I remember it so well. I had gotten out of the bed from my room. It was pretty dark since my Mum had put me to bed a little earlier- but as I edged closer to my parent's room, I heard something that bothered me.

"You're going to put our family in danger!" My Mother yelled- clear as day. 'Why is Mum yelling?' I thought to myself as a young child. It was never clear to me- but after growing older- it really did become clear.

"This is the only job I can get that pays well, this is for our family," Dad replied very calmly as if he wasn't in the mood to argue. I had always envisioned Mum to be perfect- because I never looked at her flaws.

"Dad... Mum... I can't sleep..." I cried out to them, weeping. I didn't want the two to fight- I knew that Dad's job was taking a toll on him- but I didn't know that he was a hero, risking our own lives according to Mum's argument. Thankfully, my presence softened the mood between them, but they argued day in and day out. But after having more children, Dad finally decided to stop playing the hero and got a normal job. I got myself a good job and the family became much more stable.

All I ever wanted as a child was to live with my family, happily, without any trouble in life. I loved them so dearly. I worked hard for it, and I got what I wanted.

I truly did love my family. While I did work hard as a normal civilian to achieve that goal- it only lasted very shortly. Before I knew it- it was as if my family were taken from me.