One hour earlier…

  Miles Cooper breezed into the backstage like he owned the place, despite being fifteen minutes late. It didn’t matter to him anyway. From this segment onwards, it was his show.

  A flurry of motion assaulted the man almost immediately as the backstage assistants fussed around him in a last-minute attempt to make sure he was stage-worthy. He cast an impatient gaze at the holographic projection introducing his company.

  “This is a superhuman society, with eighty per cent of us possessing some uncanny ability called ‘Quirks’. After the confusion following the appearance of these powers, a new profession emerged. Heroes. Those we call those who fight for justice and help others in need,” it read. “As a company specialised in the production of suitable articles for every one of our valued customers, Cooper Incorporated ensures that we can provide you heroes with highly adapted products to suit your every need—”

  “Alright, enough formalities!” Shoes clomped against the wooden floor as a figure burst from the curtains. “You’ve seen this dance before; you know the moves. You know who I am; you know what we can do.”

  The CEO of Cooper Inc. winced slightly as the spotlights hurriedly shifted to him. He tried his best to ignore them, focusing on his audience instead. There were at least a hundred of those costumed individuals, all cheering and applauding for him. Many of them were familiar, although a sizable number were fresh faces to him.

  Japan really had an overabundance of heroes.

  “Thank you for waiting, ladies and gentlemen. And thanks for coming.” The man waved his hands as the applause died down. “It’s been a while since we’ve had another proper Hero Billboard Chart, hasn’t it? To those who got the ranks you wanted, well done. To those who didn’t, keep working hard. But to all of you and from the bottom of my heart, thank you.”

  He paused to sink into a deep bow. “Thank you for keeping our world safe.”

  The theatre was silent now.

  “It’s been a rough five years ever since the major war with that terrifying villain, All For One,” he continued grimly.

  The crowd collectively shuddered, as if invoking that supervillain’s name could somehow bring him back from the dead.

  “Now, I know I don’t have any right to comment about the war; I was a little busy being nine thousand kilometres away in London when it all went down. But this, I shall say,” the man said. “You heroes bounced back like it was nothing. Your dedication to your job is ironclad, and that’s why I’m here to help you do it better.”

  A green glow flickered in Miles’ eyes momentarily, and the wall behind him lit up with a complicated spec sheet. The spec sheet swirled around in an impressive whirlwind of animation, before merging into a simple-looking chip. Apprehension gave way to curiosity as the crowd began murmuring among themselves.

  “We are aware that many of you may have the misconception that Cooper Inc. only provides specialised support gear catered to your individual powers.” Miles clasped his hands enthusiastically. “Not anymore! Ladies and gentlemen, I give you our very own portable quirk amplifier, Amplus!”

  Excitement buzzed in the audience as an assistant brought out a chip that looked no different from a phone SIM card. The crowd held their breath, watching the man embed it into a watch. There was a pause before the watch flashed a bright green.

  “Amplus is a general, non-invasive quirk amplifier small enough to be embedded in your wearables, which means you can bring them on missions. Just submit your choice of personal wear to us, and we’ll engineer the chip into it in just two days.” Miles received the watch from his assistant. “Unfortunately, it only works for emitter-type quirks for now. But fret not, we’re already working on another for mutant and transformation types as well.”

  The CEO snapped his fingers, and the wall behind him folded backwards onto the ground, revealing a large piece of forested land. The crowd went quiet for a moment, before roaring in excitement at the popular hero standing in the centre.

  He was wearing a thick burgundy suit pinned together with yellow buttons. A cape draped over his shoulders, its collar lined with thick fur. His left hand wore a tan glove with air pipes, while his right arm was only covered by a skintight blue sleeve. Several tubes wrapped around his torso and ankles, while a few gas-mask-like plates padded his knees and left shoulder. A simple set of goggles was plastered on his forehead.

  “I see he needs no introduction.” Miles stepped back, giving way for his assistant to pass the watch to the tall, heavily dressed hero. “Take it away, Gale Force!”

  Gale Force practically snatched the watch from the man in his excitement and slapped it on his wrist. The crowd held their breath as he fiddled with the belt for a moment, before finally securing it. The hero pressed a button on its side and pulled down his goggles.

  Silence swept the audience as he focused his power.

  “W— Woah! Wow, YEAH!” Gale Force laughed uncontrollably as his body began to hover in the air, carried by turbulent gusts of wind. “This is freaking awesome! LET’S DO THIS!”

  A literal hurricane tore from the air as the hero swept his hand casually. Gale Force screamed in ecstasy once more, conjuring another half-dozen tornadoes from the sky. Trees were uprooted and disintegrated into fine wood splinters within seconds, yet not even the slightest breeze touched the people behind.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  The crowd watched in awe and more than a little terror. Gale Force was already a powerful hero who could manipulate the air with ease, but his power had been amplified several times now. Wearing the watch, the hero appeared not so much a mere aerokinetic hero, but more like some kind of nature god instead.

  Gale Force spent a few more minutes revelling in his amplified power before his feet touched the ground again. He walked back onto the stage with a huge grin on his face and returned the watch to Miles as the artificial wall rose behind him again.

  “How did you find it?” Miles asked with a slight smirk, removing the Amplus chip from the watch and passing it back to his assistant.

  “It’s the best thing ever!” the hero yelled. “So passionate and full of vigour! I want a thousand of these things!”

  Miles grinned victoriously, turning back to his audience with a small bow. “For your consideration, the Amplus—”

  He flinched at the sound of retching and stepped to the side, narrowly avoiding the liquid spewing onto the stage floor. Gasps went through the audience as Gale Force fell to his knees with a thud, vomiting uncontrollably.

  “Inasa!” Miles quickly helped him up. “Oh crap, are you alright?”

  “I’m… fine. Just a little… dizzy…” Gale Force’s lips trembled before puke garbled his words again. The backstage crew hurried in, supporting the hero off the stage.

  “Get him an ambulance!” Miles called after them.

  The reporters did not take long to swarm him like dogs snapping for a piece of meat.

  “Mister Cooper, did Gale Force collapse because of your device?”

  “Why didn’t you tell us about the drawbacks of these amplifiers? Does that have something to do with why some of your ventures failed?”

  Miles retreated behind the stage curtains without a further word, a dark expression hanging on his face.

  A much more welcome face greeted Miles backstage. He quietly released a breath he’d been subconsciously holding. Those reporters certainly did not hesitate to bare their fangs when the opportunity presented itself.

  “Miles! Oh gosh, I didn’t expect Inasa to be so beaten up by the drawbacks,” a bespectacled woman piped up in a concerned voice as she scuttled towards him. “We need to do something about it! Maybe add some dampeners? No… what if the quirk isn’t kinetic in nature? Reduce the energy output? No… the other side effects will still be—”

  “Calm down, Melissa. Trust me, this device will sell.” Miles shook his head. “Focus your efforts on other support items instead.”

  “Huh?” Melissa blinked, her blonde hair waving slightly as she tilted her head in confusion. “Amplus just failed in front of all the top heroes in Japan! Why would anyone still want to buy it?”

  Miles tapped her shoulder, chuckling slightly. Melissa Shield was a genius when it came to inventing, but she was no businesswoman.

  “Supply and demand, my dear girl. Cooper Inc. took over the support item market almost right after Detnarat fell. Beside us, there’s no other support company that even comes close to our success. A portable quirk amplifier that doesn’t involve a drug is too tasty for the heroes to ignore. We just need to focus on PR; make sure the side effects aren’t too badly exaggerated.”

  The woman frowned slightly. “I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again. We need to rework these self-destructive inventions. All it takes is one major accident—”

  “No, we need bold strokes for hero-kind to leap forward. Telling consumers the full truth all the time is not how a business thrives. And besides, there’s a reason why I got Inasa, of all people, to demonstrate Amplus.” There was a twinkle in the man’s eyes. “Gale Force is a zealous hero. Too zealous, in fact. Everyone knows that, especially his fellow heroes. If there’s anything they took away from his demonstration, it’s simply not to overuse their powers while using Amplus. Our clients are smart; they’ll figure out a way to use it safely.”

  A slow clap drew their attention. Miles swung around, and only managed to keep his smile through supreme force of will.

  “I completely agree, director. Heroes are on the frontline for a reason. If they can’t even handle small injuries, they should just hang up the cape.”

  The approaching man was clad in a grey jacket and old-fashioned brown trousers. With his silver-streaked hair and old-fashioned shoes, the CEO of ‘Ion Heroes Marketing Inc.’ looked several years older than his actual age.

  Melissa gave him a short bow before leaving the backstage area.

  “I didn’t know you cared about the Hero Billboard Chart,” Miles muttered.

  “Don’t be like that, Cooper. Why would I miss my old friend’s presentation?” The man laughed heartily. “That would just be rude of me. How the hell have you been, Golden Eagle? I gotta say, though, I was actually hoping you brought a suit to show off a little.”

  “Sure did. It’s a lovely Burberry; three-piece,” Miles said sarcastically, adjusting his bright red tie. “And please don’t call me that; I haven’t been a hero in years. What do you need, Yamato?”

  “The same as always, for you to be on my side. Ion Heroes has a whole team of researchers and a mountain load of funding. Or rather, had. I’ve just liquidated my company. My additional duties as a Senator have been getting rather taxing, after all. Besides, entrepreneurship can only take me so far, and a man like me deserves so much more.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Oh, c’mon, old friend. Haven’t you forgotten about my ambition back in U.A. High? Being a hero was just a means of getting power, though it isn’t foolproof. Being an entrepreneur gets me some money to do what I want, but it has its limits too. Surely men like you and I would agree on that point, at least?”

  “I am nothing like you,” Miles muttered under his breath.

  “What’s that?” The man gave him a small smile. “Anyway, my next frontier is the political world. I’ve already secured my candidacy to run for Prime Minister. You’d be welcome to come and join me when I get elected; I promise you’ll have a good time. We can get up to all sorts of no good.”

  Miles resisted the urge to roll his eyes. After all these years, his ex-classmate had not changed at all.

  “My answer remains unchanged. I prefer to be an independent contractor, free of… unnecessary distractions. Don’t take it personally, Yamato.”

  “That’s Senator Gouma to you, Cooper.” There was an edge to Yamato’s voice for a brief moment, but he quickly covered it up with a professional smile. “But if you say so, then. Be seeing you around.”

  Miles stared at the man’s retreating back for a few seconds before heading off to the car park.