As the hours passed Kira had become increasingly restless at home, so she called her brother and convinced him to meet her in the city during his lunch break. So at around half-past twelve, Kira walked to the nearby train station and headed into the city centre. After a quick train ride she met her brother and they got some lunch at Kira’s favourite fast food place, followed by a stroll through one of Scarlet City’s main shopping streets. Her brother spoiled her a bit and by the time he needed to return to work she was holding a large bag full of clothes. Even then he promised to get her a new phone at the weekend, as hers had been smashed by the kidnappers to prevent tracking. Saying goodbye to Sam, Kira started heading back towards the train station. As she walked past one of the lovely parks in the city, this one bordering a university campus, it began to lightly snow. She shivered as delicate snowflakes landed on her face and almost matching hair. She continued into the park, not really caring if she would have to catch a later train. She enjoyed a leisurely stroll through the park, daydreaming and enjoying the peace and quiet of the nearly deserted area - she guessed most university students were still in class. As she came to the park exit she was ripped out of her thoughts by the sight of three police cars in the street beyond, officers standing around them with weapons drawn. A second later gunshots started going off but for some reason Kira kept walking towards the scene, albeit hesitantly. Suddenly one of the cars was hit by something and combusted with a roaring blast, sending officers flying to the ground and creating an expanding field of smoke. Another car was hit, then the last which didn’t catch flame but instead just crumpled and skidded along the floor, it's windows smashed out. Kira still couldn’t see what was hitting them as the area was now obscured by smoke and flames. A man strolled out from behind the totaled police cars, walking straight through smoke and flames towards the only remaining officer. He wore some kind of green jumpsuit, covered in armoured pads and wore military boots. The lower Half of his face was covered by a black mask that resembled a skull’s teeth. The policeman fired his pistol three times, each shot hurting Kira’s head but doing nothing to the slowly approaching man. “I won’t lie, this is going to hurt - a lot.” He said, voice muffled by his mask. He punched the officer, the impact making an audible crunch, his arm piercing through the man entirely. Kira screamed, covering her mouth to stop herself but it was too late. The villain snapped his head to her, his eyes lighting up sadistically. “What’ve we got here, shouldn’t you be in school little girl?” Kira dropped her shopping bag, trembling. As she looked around she discovered she was the only one left on the street - it looked like everyone else had been smart and run. She instantly regretted being stupid enough to not just stay put at home. He walked towards her, rotating his shoulder as though warming up. As he got to about five metres away Kira suddenly realised she hadn’t moved. Shouldn’t fight or flight have kicked in by now? Kira thought, still motionless. She clearly hadn’t run, then it dawned on her. Oh, I guess this is ‘fight’ then. She raised her right hand, channeling a blast though it and let loose towards the villain. He was mid stride and was knocked over. He stood up, a look of surprise evident through his exposed features. He started towards her again, so she fired off another blast from her right arm, doing her best to aim her power despite the pain it caused. Again he stumbled. “So you’re powered, huh?” He said before getting back up. “I guess you’ll do until a real hero arrives.” He said, seemingly waiting for a hero to arrive and face off as though he had started a rampage just for the sake of it, or perhaps purely to satisfy a sadistic desire for destruction. She hit him with her most controlled blast repeatedly, it still unpredictably shot off at odd angles, some hitting him square on and others barely connecting. Kira’s arm was really beginning to hurt as she backed up, firing blasts off again and again, but seemingly having no effect. She eventually stopped, breathing heavy, no longer able to keep up the rate of fire which left her right sleeve burnt and the arm damaged. She had never used her powers this much in one go, and concentrating on controlling so many blasts took its toll on her entire body. “Don’t be stupid, little girl,” He spat, “Part of my power is energy absorption, you can’t hurt me!” Kira panted heavily, her bent-over body racked with pain. Her right arm felt like it was on fire; there were burns up and down it caused by the recoil from her discharges. “Energy absorption huh?” Kira said, just loudly enough for the villain to hear across the street. “You said energy absorption, not nullification, so I’m gonna bet you have a limit.” “What are you talking about you stupid little- “ Kira stood up, snapping her head to face the villain, her eyes boring into his. There were tears of pain in them, but behind them there was a bright orange fire in her normally light blue eyes. “Let’s find that limit!” She shouted, focusing everything on channeling her power into her right arm, ignoring the intense pain as she tensed it in preparation. “Not a chance!” He retorted, charging towards her. Kira punched her arm towards him before releasing a discharge. The barely aimed, screaming explosion slammed into him, sending him skidding back a few metres. The villain laughed sardonically. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. Just some weak little g- “ He was cut off by another blast, this time from Kira’s left arm, this explosion burning up her sleeve. This time his stance was wide with his knees bent, ready for the blast, and he barely moved as it hit him. Kira’s legs shook and wobbled, two more powerful discharges leaving her weak and lightheaded. She fell to her knees, her head bowed in defeat. “Looks like you’re out of gas! So much for finding my limit, because it looks like you’ve reached yours first!” He said, cruelly. “Now. It’s time to finish this.” He slowly walked towards Kira, cracking his knuckles. “After all that energy you threw at me, I think one punch will be enough to break every bone in your weak little body…” Tears fell down Kira’s face, dripping onto the tarmac. ****, ****, ****, ****, why am I so weak she thought, knowing this guy would be free to kill anyone else he found after dispatching her. “If it makes you feel any better, I’ve fought pro heroes that didn’t put up as good a fight as you. Who knows, you might even make the front page after a show like this - at least you’ll die a little famous!” He said, laughing as he stopped above her. Pro Heroes, Kira thought. They’re strong. They always fight evil. They never give up - especially to scumbags like this! Kira slowly rose, her knees shaking, and wiped her tears away with her hurt right arm. She looked at him and a thin trickle of blood from his nose caught her eye. Maybe she had come close to his limit. “What are you doing little girl? You’ve already given me one hundred percent of your power!” “Well then,” Kira said, eyes burning with contained power. “It looks like,” Her skin began to glow as well, first faintly, then blindingly, crisscrossed by blue veins of energy, “I’LL HAVE TO GO BEYOND ONE HUNDRED PERCENT!” Kira released a massive discharge, easily the most powerful she had ever created. She didn’t bother to aim it through a single limb, instead letting it blast outwards in all directions. The villain’s shocked expression turned to that of pain as the sheer amount of energy she discharged battered him, her blast still continuing to emanate in waves from her. His eyes widened, he couldn’t breath. His clothes caught fire, incinerating, then his hair, and with a final surge from Kira even his skin began to blacken. She screamed as she unleashed the last of her blast, tears formed in her eyes but evaporated as soon as they rolled onto her cheeks. The villain was caught by the final surge, flung across the street and into a wall, cracking the brick and slumping to the ground, broken. I did it. Then Kira fell to the ground as well, as soon as her discharge subsided. She instantly lost consciousness, falling onto a patch of ground that was completely scorched by her torrent of explosive energy.
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