Chapter 10: Is That What I Think It Is?

"Hilarious. Who? Sounds like quite the stupid hero name." The angry big headed villain retorted.

Invincible scratched the back of his head. The man's remark seemed to have dealt a bit of emotional damage.

"It's not that bad…" He spoke quietly.

The villain's face was contorted with rage. Blood dripped from the cable ports on his head. His hands glowed with energy. The surrounding area began to twist and turn.

"I won't forgive you…Do you know..WHAT YOU'VE DONE?!" He roared. His fury was palpable.

"Uh…stop your diabolical plan to rule the world?" He guessed.

Most of these villains were all the same. Taz's expression cracked for a second. Viltrum was no different. At this moment, a portal opened up beside the villain. He quickly dashed toward it. As he attempted to escape, Taz's eyes glowed red.

BZZZZZT

Two thin rays shot out. The villain suddenly lost his balance, falling to the floor. He turned around to see his legs severed from his body.

"Ahhhhhh!" He cried out in pain. He couldn't help but glare at the hero.

"Did you forget I was here?" The stoic viltrumite asked. His expression was cold.

"I, Angstrom Levy, won't forget you either!" The man promised. Another portal opened up below him, immediately swallowing his figure.

Taz burst into motion, not expecting that the portals could move. He was a step too late. The villain was gone. Invincible sighed with relief before falling onto his back.

"It's over…I can't wait to lay down." He exclaimed.

"...." The apathetic viltrumite ignored the ameteur hero, turning around to exit the premises.

"Where are you going? What about all this?" Invincible gestured to the whole facility. The elite soldier paused for a second.

"Handle it. Call Cecil or something."

With those final words he disappeared. A sonic boom could be heard when he reached the skies.

"...There's no reception down here." Mark commented.

…

…

…

A few weeks had gone by since the chimera incident. As time passed, the name Absolver spread throughout the world due to his feats. He would appear whenever there was an immediate threat to the people's lives. The enemy would vanish as if they were never there. Nobody ever saw Taz deal with normal villains. The civilians would only see him when it was a threat worthy of his appearance.

"You know, this is my favorite part of the day. Using you as a body pillow is so addicting."

Hearing these words, Taz returned to the present. The sun had fallen a long time ago. Night had arrived with the arrival of a full moon. In the high rise apartment, the young viltrumite could be seen lazing in the bedroom. The half naked chinese beauty rested on top of him. Her legs wrapped around his waist. It seemed as if they had just finished exercising.

"I thought saving people was your joy." He responded casually. His eyes were closed as he relished in their alone time.

"Yeah, but come on. This is what I get to come home to. It almost feels like a dream." She spoke quietly. Her finger ran circles on his bare chest.

Taz wrapped his arms around her soft frame. His eyes opened just to gaze upon her beautiful asian features. Kate stared at him with a smile, placing kisses on his jaw every now and then.

"I hope you understand. No matter what, I won't let you go." He declared softly.

"I believe you…" She purred. The viltrumite shook his head.

"You don't understand. Even if you fear me, or hate me in the future. You are stuck with me." He continued. Kate giggled.

"Why would I ever fear you? Or hate you?" She questioned. Taz squeezed her against his body. Her soft skin pressed against his.

"I'm just saying." He finished.

There was no way he would ever tell her why he was really here. When the time came, he planned to hide her away until everything was finished. He cared not if she would hate him for it.

Kate rolled her eyes. What followed next was a long and steamy kiss. When she pulled back, her dainty hands played with his hair.

"Taz?"

"Hmm..?"

"You can fly really fast right?"

"I can."

"Then how about we go to China for brunch tomorrow? There's something I want to see." She suggested. Taz shrugged.

"Sounds good."

"Yea?" She hummed. Her hands caressed his body again.

"What?" He asked.

"What? Hehe." She copied his words.

Taz huffed before flipping her over. He was now on top while looking down at her. Their lips met for the nth time. After a bunch of cute giggles, the sound quickly changed. A rhythmic creak reverberated across the room. Another round had started along with the sound of lustful passion.

…

…

…

The next day, the two could be seen in a restaurant on the street corner. The streets were different, as well as the culture. The language was also different. They had made it to China. Taz and Kate sat on a table on the second floor. It overlooked the street corner. The young viltrumite didn't like having his back to the open. It was always imperative to be able to see incoming danger.

"This is my spot. I've been here plenty of times as a child." Kate explained. Taz raised an eyebrow while eating his dish.

"It's a good restaurant."

"Not the restaurant. I mean this street corner, silly!"

"..."

An hour went by as they enjoyed brunch. Taz eventually got up to pay the bill. There was a medium sized line that awaited him. As he waited, Kate constantly focused her gaze on the street corner. It was as if she was hoping to see someone. Eventually, she got her wish.

A chinese teen with a sly frown on his face stopped on the corner. He wore a normal black hoodie with blue jeans. His haircut gave him the aura of a delinquent. There were bandages wrapped around his hands. There was also a patch on his cheek. He watched the passing cars. Kate's gaze quickly sharpened.

"Chūzū chē!" He yelled to a passing car. He seemed to be calling a taxi. The car pulled over to the side, waiting for him to get in. As he walked over to the car, he checked his surroundings. It seemed like he was always searching for threats.

As soon as he looked up, he locked eyes with Kate. The man's eyebrows widened. He immediately changed his direction, walking over to the restaurant. Upon walking up to the second floor, he sat across from her.

"It seems you haven't forgotten your home." The man said. He was speaking in simplified chinese.

"Spare me the patriotic bullshit." She responded. The frowning man smirked.

"What brings you here, sister?"

"I'm just stopping by. I was hungry."

"You came to China for food..." He commented. It didn't sound believable. Kate smiled.

"It's true, but don't worry about that. Are you keeping up with school?" She asked. The rebel leaned back in his chair, not really caring to answer. Her smile quickly became a frown.

"I told you to finish school." She scolded angrily.

"Yeah, yeah I got it." He brushed it off. Kate's gaze finally concentrated on the bandage on his cheek.

"What happened to your face? You're too crafty to get hurt so obviously." She commented. The teen sweatdropped.

"I fell while skateboarding." He spoke while looking away. The older sister raised an eyebrow.

"Paul, take it off and let me see." She demanded.

Her hands reached for the bandage. Paul leaned back in an attempt to avoid her. It quickly became a small scramble. A few customers eyed their table. Eventually, she was able to rip it off. Her face fell. Behind the bandage was an intricate flame tattoo.

"You joined a GANG?!" Kate exclaimed with rage.

SMACK

Paul's face bobbled to the side from the slap. His face hardened into a glare. He said nothing in response. The man looked toward the street corner to mask his anger.

"I can't believe you…you! You're going down the wrong path!" Kate ranted quietly.

At this moment Taz returned. He sat beside Kate upon noticing the teen who seemed a few years younger than him. The stoic viltrumite instantly locked onto Paul. The younger brother couldn't help but freeze up when seeing him. The presence that he gave off made it hard for the teen to act normal. Taz's gaze portrayed his belief that others were beneath him. Seeing her brother's palpable nervousness, Kate elbowed her lover in the side.

"Taz, this is Paul. He's my little brother." She announced. The elite soldier raised an eyebrow. His gaze focused on the teen once again. Paul shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"Greetings." The stoic hero spoke briefly. The little brother nodded his head. No other words were spoken between the two. Taz proceeded to finish his beverage while the siblings conversed. Kate wasn't done berating her brother.

As his mind wandered, his senses allowed him to hear the roar of a beast. He quickly looked toward the sky. The chinese beauty noticed his look. She had gotten used to him speeding away after staring in random directions. Her hand wrapped around his.

"Go. I'll be here." She said. The two locked eyes. His hand gently cupped her chin. After giving her a quick kiss, he stood up and left the restaurant.

"What happened? Where's he going?" Paul asked in confusion. Kate giggled.

"He's a hero too." She responded.

BOOM

A sonic boom could be heard in the distance. The little brother's eyes widened. After seeing the dot in the clouds disappear over the horizon, he spoke.

"Are you sure he's a hero?"

____________

Taz flew through the air at high speeds. In only a couple minutes, he was floating above Germany. The roars of the monster had gotten much closer. The young viltrumite raised an eyebrow upon seeing the creature.

'Is that what I think it is?' He thought.

Terrorizing the city of Berlin was an eastern dragon. Its scales were jade colored with golden skin. It had an extremely long body, spanning across the sky. Fire rained down from the skies. As this was happening, Taz could hear a conversation happening nearby.

"But you DIDN'T kill the guardians, right?"

"I'm the only survivor, and I'm not human. Cecil never liked me."

"You should talk to him!"

"I've tried…This could get bad."

Nolan could be seen at a german cafe with his human wife. They were sitting at one of the outside tables while sipping coffee.

"Oh my god…What do we do?" She asked. Nolan grasped her hand.

"We stay together as a family. Me, you, and Mark. All you have to do is trust me, Debbie." He said.

At this moment, the dragon appeared in their line of sight. Debbie's eyes widened in surprise. She couldn't help but point at it.

"Nolan!" She yelled. The seasoned viltrumite continued to stare into her eyes.

"Do you trust me, Debbie?"

"There's-There's a dragon behind you!" She exclaimed.

"Please, do you trust me?" He asked again. His wife nodded sporadically.

"Yes, Nolan. I trust you!" She responded. Nolan sighed with relief.

"Phew! You have no idea how much I needed to hear you say that."

"Okay! Now do something!" She screamed in panic. The hero in disguise leaned back in his chair.

"I'm on vacation with my beautiful wife. Let Cecil earn his paycheck." He answered.

His head turned in the dragon's direction. Taz and Nolan quickly locked eyes. After a slight head nod, they turned away. Absolver wasted no time and accelerated toward the fire breathing sky lizard.

Upon reaching him, the stoic hero took a deep breath before exhaling a massive wind. The stream of fire instantly changed directions. The dragon paused his actions and focused on Taz. Two military jets could be heard approaching from afar.

"Another hero? I grow bored of these games." The beast villain said. The elite soldier raised an eyebrow.

"So you can talk? No matter, you will die all the same."

"Try me, mortal."

Without saying another word, the two engaged each other. The battle had begun.