Through The Flames

**Date Ended:**  N/A
**Users Involved:** user: MohmohMoh, user: TheCheeseMeister
**Setting:** Las Angeles, California
* **Heroes:** Oscar Johnsson
* **Villains:** Tom Eisenhower

## Bravo One, Going Dark

It was a wonderful night in the city of Las Angeles, friends were partying, vloggers were filming, and bars were packed with people getting a drink after finishing with their work. Yet all was not as going well in the Nightless City, as a young bank clerk and security guard would soon find out. Outside of the bank, near its external power circuit, is a man in heavy armour who the heroes of the USA recognize as the villain Bad Battalion. Opening the circuit, a small soldier made of brick with shears seems to jump out of the wall from above and land on Battalion's hand. The soldier turns towards the circuit board, taking a minute or two to cut the wires supplying the building with power, taking with it a small armful of wires. After the soldier finished its task, the bank and the clerk inside were plunged into darkness.

Having investigated this specific bank numerous times before actually robbing it, Battalion begins to walk towards the rear of the bank, stopping just shy of an external security camera that was running on backup generators. Raising a soldier from some of the discarded trash on the ground, it takes aim with a javelin made of aluminium, and throws it at the camera's lens, destroying it. With the surveillance of the rear entrance totaled, Battalion reaches into a small container on his side, taking a small pinch of whatever powder is inside before closing the container again. He grabs a tin can from off the ground placing it into the same hand that has the powder. After a few short moments, a miniature tin soldier wielding a breaching shotgun is held parallel to the door's lock, and with a sound no louder than a champagne cork firing, the door swings open as the lock keeping it shut was blown apart. Entering the building, Battalion has the javelin wielding soldier take shots at each camera en-route to the vault within the bank, keeping the villain out of sight of any cameras that may be running on back up power. Unbeknownst to Battalion however, the building had a silent alarm that would automatically ring the nearest available hero if the primary power was suddenly cut off to the bank.

Helping an old lady across the street during the nightlife hours of Los Angeles was Oscar Johnsson, Or rather ‘’’Burst Mask’’’. Despite the fact that it was a calm night, heroes were needed to stand ready throughout the city. The old lady thanked Oscar by bowing her head before moving along. It was a rather quiet night if you would disregard the parties, loud cheering and people shouting out of joy. It was these nights that he cherished, people had a sense of joy to them, a sense of safety. This was thanks to heroes like Oscar who could keep it that way.

Using his quirk Burst, Oscar flew upwards, almost as if he was a shooting star. He stopped as he could overlook the city illuminated by the street lights and moonlight alike. Thanks to his hero gear he could hover in place. Oscar pondered why anyone would ever want to break such peace, why anyone would want to cause harm to such a highly functioning society. Despite doing his best to figure it out he couldn’t come up with anything. His thoughts were interrupted as he suddenly got a call through his hero intercoms.

‘’”Any hero that’s close to the Los Angeles bank, please move towards it. There’s a high chance a robbery is going on though nothing has been confirmed.”

Oscar moved his right hand to his headset, clicking on the side as he answered the call. “Burst Mask, going to investigate.”

As he accepted the mission over the intercom, he ignited his feet using his quirk. Soaring through the city as if he was a shooting star he made his way towards the bank. A trail of fire was left behind him in the sky, those who looked up could feel a sense of security as he traversed the skies. “5 minutes until I reach the bank, I hope it’s a false alarm,” he thought to himself as he flew.

Back at the bank, Battalion had made his way to the vault, and had begun preparations to begin working at opening the vault within. Battalion opened the container on his side once more, this time taking a small handful of whatever powder was inside of it. He places his upon one of the spokes of the vault's door, and after a tense fifty seconds, part of the spoke melts away and the powder dissipates to reveal a small tank that is about eighteen centimetres in length in his hand.

Raising the tank up towards his face, he begins to whisper to it, his voice being transmitted as harsh mechanical tone through his mask. "I'm going to go away for a moment soldier, I'm going to need you to begin blasting apart this vault while I'm away. Best of luck my faithful trooper."

A small soldier pops out of the top of the tank and gives a short salute to Battalion before jumping back down the hatch. After the short exchange, the soon-to-be bank robber sets the tank down on the ground, and begins walking towards the front-end of the bank. As he begins to walk away, a loud \*BANG\* can be heard from near the vault as the tank begins to fire its shells at the vault door. After a minute or two of walking towards the front, a small phalanx in roman-esque gear made of concrete with barbed steel spears start to surround his feet.

## Bursting Onto The Stage

Oscar had hurried towards the bank, soaring across the sky. With a loud *thud* he landed in front of the bank. Despite the fact that there should be lights inside of the bank it was pitch black. Raising his right hand to his sunglasses he pressed a small button, suddenly it was clear as day for him as he had activated night vision. It was a nice touch to his gear, yet it wasn't necessarily needed as he had the ability to ignite the air around him for light. Thanks to them he wouldn't risk burning things down when he is in the dark. Walking forward he slammed the doors open, on the other side of the room was a man dressed in an iron suit. Stepping inside Oscar yelled towards the man, "You're a villain? Shit you're out of luck." Igniting the air around the lower half of his body his figure lit up above the burning flames. Following the flames he yelled, "Bursting onto the stage is Burst Mask!"

A sharp burst of static pierces the air as Battalion intakes a quick breath as Burst Mask slams open the door of the bank. "Hello Sir Burst Mask, a pleasure to make your acquaintance!" Battalion gives a quick bow with one arm behind his back, then returning to an upright position, albeit still with an arm behind his back. "It would be a mighty large inconvenience to me if you were to interrupt my ever-so-slightly-less-than-legal means of making money. I don't suppose I could ask you to leave the bank until I'm finished here Sir Burst Mask? I swear I won't take all that much, just enough to make sure I won't need to do it again for a few months." Speaking eloquently, yet slowly to stall for time, Battalion would return his arm to the front of his body. If Burst Mask was paying close attention to Battalion and his soldiers during this, then he would see that a new soldier joined the small group at Battalion's feet, this one separate from the others, it being made of damaged concrete with small wires jutting out at odd angles across it's body. Taking another breath, "So what do you say good Sir, will you let me finish here with this slightly dubious task and let me out of here, no harm no foul?"

Oscar simply laughed at the man's meager attempt at escaping the situation without any conflict. Walking forward in a calm yet determined and prideful manner, Oscar drew back his right fist. Through his laugh he spoke in a deep voice, "Letting you finish your business? Allowing you to steal other people's hard worked money? I don't think so, I'll apprehend you to the police and they can deal with you." Just as he finished speaking he ignited the air behind his feet causing him to soar forward at an alarming speed. His right arm completely drawn back he thrusted it forward with the help of his quirk, forcing it to go even faster than himself. His arm soared towards Battalion's metallic helmet.

Battalion had been anticipating an attack from Burst Mask, but not something this fast from the Pro Hero. Burst Mask's burning fist of justice connected with Battalion's head, sending him corkscrewing through the air and colliding with an ATM on the opposite wall, turning the machine into nothing but an inoperable scrapheap. Slowly standing up from the wrecked ATM, Battalion turns his head towards his adversary, the lower left-hand side of his mask utterly destroyed by the sheer force and heat of the blow. Spitting out a globule of blood, he takes a sharp breath.

"Well, you can't say I didn't at least try to find a peaceful solution to all of this business before it devolved into a brawl."

Pointing at the hero with his entire hand in a move reminiscent of someone karate-chopping the air. The small group of soldiers on the ground where Battalion once was turn and throw their barbed spears at the costume-clad conqueror of villains. The small projectiles hurtling towards the softer flesh, such as thighs, and the rears of the knees.

Oscar saw the men clearly through his goggles. Though their size was small he wasn't one to take any chances nor risks. This was second nature to him as many villains had tricks up their sleeves, despite this villain seemingly is weak he couldn't be too sure. Dropping to his knees he grabbed a hold of his cape, using it like a shield from the spears. His cape was made out of flakes of various hard metals, causing it to be sturdy, hard and flexible. As the spears ran out, Oscar lifted his hands, aiming them towards the miniature soldiers. **Burst Flash**, small bursts of heat penetrated each of the soldier as he continuously shot them.

As a **Burst Flash** ripped through the soldier with wires jutting out of its body, it combusts into a cloud of smoke and with the scent of ozone lingering in the air. With it's death, an obscuring barrier of smoke was put between the hero and villain. Seeing that smokescreen soldier met his end, Battalion grabs a metallic piece with wires attached to it from the ATM and starts to make haste towards the rear of the vault, but not before opening the container on his side. As he maneuvers towards the vault, the tinny sound of small motors would start to fill the air of the bank.

1. ↑ Burst Flash is a move where Oscar bursts the air as if it was a projectile, causing a hot path to erupt towards his target.