Through the Fires and Flames

Understaffed, overworked... business as usual at the Bears Den. Being shipped out to Hosu for the weekend was a refreshing change of pace; there were new kids to meet and sights to see. Well... that was the plan before this storm settled in. All that thunder and lightning brought tensions to the roof, and he found himself doing his best to lighten Black Bear's load, and the other sidekicks, by distracting a significant gaggle of the younger children with games and snacks. It wasn't perfect, there was still flinching with each thunderclap, and the occasional bout of tears to calm. But he held his own pretty well.

The crackling voice of his supervisor Black Bear ripped forth from his earpiece, drawing his focus away from the kids for a moment. Whatever she needed was clearly important if it was pulling him away from his current duties. "On my way ma'am." A strong, confident smile beamed to the children before him, as he called over one of the less busy sidekicks to sit in for him. "I'll be back soon alright? Big bro's gotta go help Black Bear save the day!"

All too quickly the seriousness of the situation set in, Alain recognized Retribution almost immediately as he arrived in the orphanage's lobby. Whatever villain, or villains Flashfire was facing down, it must've been dire if Black Bear was sending him off ahead without her, time being of the essence and all. Determination set in his scowl as he acknowledged Black Bear's instructions, before turning to Retribution and motioned to the howling storm beyond. "I'm already set to go, lead the way."

Through the blistering sting of the pouring rain Alain sprinted, keeping pace with Retribution as the closed on the site of the escalating brawl. Each pounding step ticking up the passive counter of his kinetic reserves, drop by drop preparing himself for battle. Retribution's key intel was a boon, limited as it was: Fireflash's team of three, facing off against two unknown villains, one likely conjuring the very storm that assailed them, the other a wielding a water manipulation quirk. It was a match up that placed an obvious disadvantage over the fiery trio despite their power... Alain hoped he would be able to tip the scales in their favor.

Even with the sudden pitch in darkness, brought on by a sudden storm blackout, evidence of their target became all too clear. Between the skittering lightning and gilded afterglow of flame, their goal was as bright as day. As much as he was eager to throw himself into the fray a certain degree of tactical finesse was needed. They had an opportunity to flank, find an angle to get the drop on the aggressors. "Retribution! I'm gonna hit the rooftops, find a better angle. You move on ahead and regroup with Flashfire!" A skittering veil of neon coursed over Alain's body as he surged ahead, veering aside into a running leap. Two... three... four storeys cleared in a single bound to a nearby rooftop. Followed by another, each powerful leap lifting him higher above the streets below. Elevating himself to this height left him more exposed to the buffeting winds of the storm, but before too long he gained sight of the battle down below.

Down below, he could see Flashfire and another from her agency facing off against one of the villains, the water user by the looks of things. Perched on a ledge above them was another figure, by his guess this was the other villain. And now he had a choice... make a dynamic entry of epic proportions, figuratively and literally getting the drop on their target. Or... take advantage of the element of surprise and make a move on the storm conjuror. The pieces fell into place as he climbed higher, using the obstruction of the buildings for cover until he reached a ledge above Tempestas' viewing seat. Without a word he dropped down, landing a few feet behind her, bristling with gusto as he gave a charming, menacing smile and audibly cracked his knuckles. "Ello love, nice night for it eh? Shame about the weather, bit shit right now innit?" Fully intent on seizing the moment he lashed out with a burly, gorilla fist to snatch at her collar. No point getting the drop on her if she managed to slip away from him so soon.

A silent snarl flashed across Alain's face as he watched the young villainess slip from his grasp, the briefest touch of her collar still tingling against his fingertips... So much for his element of surprise. The sudden revelation of her ability to fly added another monkey wrench to his plan of attack, it put him at a monstrous disadvantage. Could he reach her from that distance? Absolutely. Even with the partial reserve of energy he retained he could clear the entire intersection with ease. The problem laid in the fact that he only had one shot in the chamber with a jump that big. If he missed -And he was almost certain he would-, it was a fifteen storey drop to the street below.

A signature gusto grew in his posture as he sized her up, stalking back and forth across the ledge with an goading bray. "Come oooooonn... That's no fun! How's a guy supposed to dance with a pretty girl like yourself when you're floating, what? ten, fifteen storeys out in the middle of the bloody air?" Further explosions and flashes of fire drew his gaze to the street below, and a new idea began to form. Fighting this girl was next to useless for him. He simply didn't have the energy, or the quirk for it. But that himbo Flashfire was dueling? Perfect alternative~. A flash of calculation ripped through his mind as he sized up the drop. And then, his demeanor shifted; the goading allure replaced with a cocky dismissiveness, as he calmly shooed her away. "On second thought... you just sit tight there love. We'll come up and deal with you in a minute." He shot her a sneer as he stepped up to the ledge with a preparatory limber. "I'm gonna go fuck up your boyfriend first."

The neon glow around his muscles flared as his weight rolled forwards, allowing gravity to begin his violent descent to the carnage below. "Blitz BULLRUSH!!!" At the perfect point of leverage his heels kicked against the ledge, and a deafening clap shook the stormy night air. Like a cannon shell Alain launched downwards from his perch; cracking the stonework of his ledge launchpad beneath his feet, and sending his bulky mass careening downwards, right towards Tangaroa's head. If the sudden noise managed to drag his attention away from Flashfire, he'd find a muscled berserker raining down from the sky, a meteor of violence and pain screaming down at a terrifying pace, with a wicked haymaker wound up to strike.

The thunderous impact of Alain's landing crushed asphalt beneath his fist, sending a spray of muddy water and rubble in all directions, leaving him to pick himself up and brush himself off in a tidy, thigh deep crater in the road. "Fuck... Missed the bastard." He'd been warned in hero classes about the risks of collateral damage during battles with villains, especially for someone with a quirk as destructive as his. He'd seen his fair share too, though only ever caused by his foes, not by his own hand. Given how much chaos had unfolded so far, he was sure his little dent would be glossed over.

As he stepped out, and turned to face his watery opponent, Alain was struck dumb by the imminence of a towering monolith of water rising up before them, a veritable tsunami that seemed to manifest from thin air. Despite the confidence in the durability of his quirk, he couldn't help the adrenaline fueled chill that arced up his spine at the sight of it. "Fuck..." His first instinct was to turn, regroup with Flashfire and the others to batten down the hatches. Only when his gaze shifted he faced an equally monstrous danger; Flashfire aglow with a positively radioactive heat, clearly planning on countering the villains mighty blow. "Oh shit... Shit, shitshitshit Bloody hell!" No amount of Recoil's power could defend him from that kind of inferno.

With seconds to spare before being boiled alive Alain's eyes blitzed the street around them, quickly locking onto an overturned car, abandoned and pushed onto the pavement. Running on gut instinct he bolted to it, muscles pulsing with renewed kinetic power, he vaulted the wreck and flipped it with a single hand, bracing it against his shoulder mere moments before the two elemental furies collided. The shockwave was titanic, he barely heard himself roar as the car instantly crumpled around his shoulder... barely heard the panicked alarm of his gauntlet screaming in his ear as his body was flooded with kinetic energy from the immense shockwave. Through it all, he felt his skin sizzle and the twisted metal begin to heat against his skin from the dizzying cloud of boiling steam that enveloped him. It hurt to breathe, to even exist in that hellish mire. Yet he grit his teeth through it, forcing heavy breaths to keep himself conscious as the heat battered his senses.

When Flashfire called him out, his silhouette appeared through the swirling haze, wandering back into view with the crumpled mass of his impromptu shield balanced on one shoulder. His pale skin thoroughly pinked by the heat, dripping with sweat and fresh rain water, and coils of steam rising from his drenched costume. The static across his skin lit up his glistening, scarred muscles like starlight; the immense bounty of kinetic energy forcing a cerulean glow in his wavering hair. For such a young man, only a hero in training, he carried a menacing aura about him. "I'm alright... just." He placed himself before the trio, the bulk of his towering figure silhouetted in flashes of lightning. "Get yourself back on your feet, I'll take point. Jump in whenever you see an opening." Scanning the haze before him, Alain braced himself and gripped the smoldering mass of steel on his shoulder. "Time to put this punk's money where his mouth is~."

The moment Tangaroa's shape came into view Alain lunged with a growl, shotputting the wrecked car through the steam cloud in Tangaroa's direction; a distracting attack to catch the villain off guard as Alain bolted into the haze in an arc, aiming to catch him in the crossfire with a sweeping clothesline punch, driven by the full force of his heroic muscle.