Chapter 159 Boosting Incident (Version 2.0)

A man wearing a hood grinned mischievously as he watched the helmsman of the submarine in front of him. His long black hair swayed with the waves, irritating his eyes. This made him flick his bangs from time to time, which is a pain to see. Even the other people in the submarine didn't want to look at him. It just made them feel annoyed to the point that they want to shave his head.

"We're here," The man said, turning around just so he could address everyone in the submarine. They eagerly stared at him, notwithstanding his habit of flicking his bangs as if they were flies on his forehead. "Tonight, we show the world just how powerless these superheroes are!" He announced, raising his hands to further prove his point. A cheer could be heard amongst the crowd, then they started displaying their powers.

'It's all thanks to that guy Crow Russel. But who would've thought that he'd side with us? No, maybe it's the supreme leader's will. I am but a mere chess piece. It is unnecessary for me to question his decisions.' The man said to himself, walking towards the crowd of villains.

He passed by them, but he continued walking, finally arriving at the tail part of the submarine where all the goods are stored. Finally, the great plan of the supreme leader will be put to fruition, and no one can stop it once it commences, not even the mighty Midoriyama Duo. No one.

...

The Boosting Incident. An incident where villains all over the globe were given the opportunity to become on par with the superheroes they want to kill. With the Superpower Booster, villains amplified their power by more than a hundred percent, giving them the edge to defeat the superheroes they hated to their very core. Once again, absolute power belonged to the side of the villains, and the superheroes are fighting a losing war. The villains run amok the streets, pillaging as they go, and no one can stop them. The superheroes couldn't do a single thing, and some governments even pushed the blame on the superheroes, stating that they weren't doing their duties properly. Many superheroes were lost that day, and a lot more resigned. They couldn't take the pressure that everyone depended on them too much. Why don't they fend for themselves? I'm fighting for mankind and yet they're blaming me for this incident? Those thoughts whirled around the heads of the superheroes. They saw the fight as pointless. A small percentage of them even joined the villain's side.

It was pure chaos, back then. And it's surprising to know that this tribulation happened only twenty or so years ago.

Before the Boosting Incident, the Invasion of the Metralloids occurred, a race of metallic species that saw Earth as a weak target, and decided to invade it. Many superheroes valiantly fought in this Space War, and fortunately, Earth won. They were able to stop the invasion, but at what cost? Many superheroes died that day. Because of that single piece of bad news, the villains ganged up and took the opportunity so they could bring down superheroes once and for all. A mere week after the Metralloid Invasion, the Boosting Incident occurred. Most formidable superheroes were out of commission due to the recent Boosting Incident and well, the subpar superheroes couldn't really take care of the villains. Even the weakest villain could easily go head to head with the top ten, this says a lot about the Superpower Booster that had been commercialized under the radar of the government and the SAO.

p And now, another identical incident is bound to happen. If Splatoon's team couldn't stop the submarines and the 'Dejects' by the Yokohama Port, then Japan will fall into pandemonium once more. And this time, more villains would join in, wreaking havoc.

...

"Creaker-san, something's weird with the submarines!" The helmsman screamed.

"What's happening?" Creaker asked, but his voice didn't sound panicked at all.

"We can't go up. I've already displaced all water."

Beep.

[There's something wrong with our submarine. We can't go up. Over.]

[This is submarine three, we can't break to the surface. Over.]

"What's happening?" Creaker bit his nails in frustration, trying to figure out a way to get out of the standstill.

...

Back on the surface.

Splatoon gritted his teeth and clenched every muscle he could. It took all of his strength and focus to keep three submarines underwater and right now, he can't afford to be moved. Even the slightest touch could throw him off his game. A nerve appeared on his forehead, and blood started rushing to his head as he clenched his jaws, even more, causing his eyes to go bloodshot. 'No... I must hold them until reinforcements arrive.'

Meanwhile, Satoshi was doing his best to keep all the villains at bay. He was charging at a group, throwing a few villains around, dodging every projectile that came at him, and all the while protecting Splatoon from the villains who were trying to disrupt him. This was the first time Satoshi fought these many people. Even with Merman, Flexor, and Plume's assistance, he was still having a hard time. He had already summoned the Ice Queen, and Gabriel, but even they couldn't deal with twenty or so villains. "How could they be so powerful? I thought they were only third-rate villains?" Satoshi said to himself as an ice spike flew by. Fortunately, Satoshi cleanly dodged it and it hit one of the villains at the back of his head. The ice spike didn't scratch the villain's head though.

"Sorry, are you all right, master? That villain was about to stab you by the neck. You weren't able to sense him." Ice Queen calmly warned Satoshi.

"Thanks for the cover," Satoshi responded as he wiped a drop of sweat from his forehead.

They've been fighting for more than ten minutes now, and yet not one villain had been defeated yet. Merman and Flexor came to a realization, but they didn't want to voice out their suspicion, for fear that that would instill discouragement in their hearts.

'These guys, they've already used Superpower Boosters!'