How the Hero Team Was Formed (1)
The glass windows on the second floor of the building exploded outward as screams ripped through the air.
“Kyaaaaaaaah!! It’s a villain!!”
“Ruuuuun!!!”
What had been a peaceful street only minutes earlier was now drowning in chaos. Sirens immediately began blaring from every corner, their emergency lights flashing in frantic pulses.
The screams had come from the Korea Central Bank, Sinsa-dong Second Branch. Beyond the shattered windows, a fat man in a tight green frog-themed bodysuit was roaring at the bank tellers.
“Shut up! All of you shut the hell up!! If you don’t want to die, hurry up and stuff the cash in here!”
The man swung his gun wildly, then bellowed at one teller who was moving too slowly.
That was when he noticed another teller in the corner quietly reaching under the counter.
“Stop!! What the hell are you pressing?!”
He lunged, but the teller’s finger had already jabbed the emergency button.
A deafening alarm blared at once, accompanied by a mechanical voice that echoed throughout the entire bank.
Villain incursion alert! Citizens, please proceed to the nearest safety shelter immediately! Villain incursion alert! Citizens, please immediately…
“You goddamn bitch!”
Crash!
The man grabbed the teller’s head and slammed it down onto the counter with brutal force. He shoved the barrel of his gun against her temple and screamed.
“Because of you, we’re gonna have a pile of corpses to clean up today!”
“That line’s a little cliché, don’t you think?”
A clear, ringing voice cut through the noise from behind the man.
Even amid the cacophony of the street and the fleeing citizens’ screams, the voice carried with unnatural clarity. The man flinched at the familiar tone and slowly turned his head.
“Hi there! Did I get here a little too fast?”
“How…? The report only went out a few seconds ago…?”
“I happened to be in the area, my ears are pretty sharp, and my legs are pretty fast. Any other questions?”
Perched atop a streetlamp visible through the broken window, a woman wearing a black rabbit-ear headband sat with her legs crossed, grinning boldly down at him.
Her skintight black suit pushed up her generous chest and accentuated her slim waist. The high-cut bottoms showcased her pale, toned legs in perfect, mouthwatering detail.
Only then did the man realize why her voice had sounded so sickeningly familiar.
“Botal Rabbit…!!!”
“Correct!”
The woman laughed brightly, completely unbothered by the gun barrel waving in front of her face. The citizens who had been running away froze at the sight.
“Kyaaaaaaaah! It’s Botal Rabbit!!!”
“An autograph! Please give me an autograph, sis!!”
“A photo! I need a photo right noooow!!!”
The screams they had uttered at the villain’s appearance were nothing compared to the frenzied cheers now erupting from every direction. The entire street surged toward her in a wave of adoration.
Botal Rabbit smirked and waved them off lightly.
“Ah, the price of fame! So, you there—what should I call you? Hmm… Fat Frog?”
“It’s Killer Toad!”
“Right, Frog Man. Clearly F-class. At best I’d give you D-class. The only threat I see is that gun in your hand. How about you surrender before I have to break it?”
“I’m Killer Toad!! And my power isn’t limited to something this trivial!!”
Bang! Bang!
The man fired three rapid shots at Botal Rabbit and leaped to the left. Even if the bank robbery failed, any smart villain always had a Plan B and a Plan C ready.
He rolled across the floor, aiming for an escape route.
But his body suddenly slammed to a halt, stopped by an overwhelming force.
A shadow had dropped in front of him.
When he slowly looked up, he saw pale calves and thighs, the faint outline of a perfectly shaped triangle, and skin-tight black leather pants that clung to every curve…
“When the hell did you—?!”
“I told you. My legs are pretty fast~”
Botal Rabbit giggled and swung her leg in a wide arc, smashing her foot into the side of his head.
With a heavy thud, the man tumbled across the floor.
“Listen, rookie. Every freshly awakened villain always wants to rob a bank…”
Do you know why you never hear about any of them actually succeeding?
Botal Rabbit grinned fiercely. Even as he rolled, the man found himself thinking in a daze.
Because… they all fail…?
“Exactly. We knew you’d try it, so we prepared accordingly. The moment a bank theft alarm sounds, the hero emergency response team can reach any location in the country within five minutes.”
And I just happened to be nearby.
Along with him.
Botal Rabbit smiled as she looked past the fallen villain. A massive shadow had appeared behind the man.
The shadow lifted the villain effortlessly, seized both his arms in one enormous hand, and—
Crack!
—crushed his wrists.
“Graaaaaaaaah!!”
“You are under arrest.”
“Aaaaaaaaagh!!”
“You have the right to remain silent. You have the right to an attorney—”
“There are no such rights! What rights does a superhuman criminal get?! Colossus! Put him down, he can’t even talk like that!”
“Rights denied.”
The expressionless man with short grey hair dropped the villain to the floor like a sack of garbage and walked toward Botal Rabbit.
The crowd that had been watching immediately erupted again.
“Kyaaaaaaaah! It’s Iron Colossus!!”
“I-I can’t breathe! I think I’m going to die!!”
“It’s the hero team HT!! Autographs! Please give us autographs!!”
As the people surged toward them, Botal Rabbit nimbly leaped back onto the streetlamp. Looking down at the writhing, zombie-like mob, she let out a refreshing laugh.
“We’re a little busy, everyone! Sorry! Colossus! Say something too!”
“Photos are troublesome.”
“Pfft—haha!! You crazy idiot!!”
Botal Rabbit burst into laughter at his deadpan reply, kicking her legs in the air.
“Our interview is running late! We need to hand this guy over to the response team and go right now!”
“It has only been three minutes since the incident occurred. We must wait two more minutes.”
“We don’t have time for that! This interview has been in the works forever!! Hurry! Hurry!!”
Thump! Thump!
When Botal Rabbit stomped her feet, the entire streetlamp shook violently.
The citizens screamed at the sight.
“It’s stumping! Kyaaah! She’s too cute!!”
“I’m going to confess! I’m going to marry that sis!”
“Sorry! I’m straight!!”
“Nooooooo!!”
While the excited crowd continued shouting, sirens wailed and two figures came running into the building.
“Freeze! Get on the ground! If you move I’ll sh—? Huh? Sunbae? Aren’t you off duty today? This is our jurisdiction.”
“Hi, juniors! I just stopped by on the way!”
Botal Rabbit waved cheerfully at the two new arrivals.
Iron Colossus simply ripped the entire streetlamp—complete with Botal Rabbit still sitting on it—out of the ground, hoisted it onto one shoulder, and began walking away. The crowd parted before his massive frame as he strode down the street.
From her perch atop the lamppost balanced on his shoulder, Botal Rabbit’s bright laughter rang out clearly.
“You juniors are late! I’m docking your attendance for this!!”