Chapter 7: CH-7. You stole my power!
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"You can hide like a mouse? Fine, I'll see how long you can hide!"
When the fireman John saw that he had failed to deal with Michael quickly and efficiently, he sneered ferociously. Suddenly, a part of the flame separated and rushed toward Skye!
"Keep hiding if you can!"
John laughed triumphantly.
"Damn it!"
Michael hadn't expected that John would be so despicable as to attack Skye. Without thinking, he turned around and ran toward her.
His speed increased to the limit—he felt like he was about to fly—and finally caught up with the flame. But he was too late to push Skye away, so he could only stand in front of her.
"Careful!"
Skye snapped out of her shock and shouted hurriedly.
Unfortunately, it was too late.
"No…"
Skye screamed as she watched the flames hit Michael. However, John did not stop, and the flames shot wildly at Michael like bullets.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The noise continued, and Michael was completely engulfed in flames.
"Haha, you sacrificed yourself for a woman? What an idiot! Unfortunately, even if you die, your woman... will die too!"
John laughed triumphantly and walked over slowly.
"A bastard like you can never be—" John's triumphant laughter came to an abrupt halt, his eyes widening in disbelief as he looked at the figure gradually emerging from the flames.
Michael's skin was red like magma, combined with the flames, making him look like the king of hell himself.
"No, this is impossible. How are you still standing?" John shouted in disbelief as he looked at Michael, whose clothes were torn and body was like molten lava, his expression grim. John quickly controlled the flames to attack again, but they had no effect on Michael.
"That's it? Is this all you can do? John, you disappoint me so much. If you hadn't laid a hand on my woman, maybe… I would have toyed with you a little longer. But now... you have the honor of becoming the first stepping stone on my path to greatness." Michael's voice seemed to come from the depths of the underworld, sending a chill down John's spine. He subconsciously stepped back, trying to distance himself.
Whoosh!
In an instant, Michael appeared before John, grabbed his neck, and lifted him up.
The intense heat caused John to scream in agony. Though he could control fire and resist burns to a certain extent, the temperature Michael emitted was too much—there were no flames, just a searing heat that felt like it could melt anything.
It felt like his neck was going to melt. He struggled hard, controlling the flames with both hands and hitting Michael continuously, but it had no effect. He finally realized how ridiculous his previous confidence was. He thought his flames had Michael on the run, but Michael hadn't been afraid at all—he'd just been toying with him.
Now, John was terrified. He regretted his actions and feared death even more.
"Apologize, beg for mercy?" He no longer cared about his pride. Fear overwhelmed him, and he wanted to beg for his life, but he couldn't make a sound. His strength was draining, and the flames were slipping from his control.
He seemed to feel something being drawn out of his body by Michael's hand—a power he could not stop.
Snap!
Michael let go of his neck, and John collapsed to the ground. He felt his consciousness slipping. In the corner of his vision, he saw Michael's body return to normal, but when Michael raised his hands, flames danced between them, twisting into different shapes.
"This... this is my ability. You… you stole my power! You... you are a demon!" John screamed with all his remaining strength.
Michael glanced at him and raised his palm. The flames danced wildly.
"No..."
A loud shout rang out, and Michael paused, turning to see Skye running over.
Skye shook her head slightly, "Don't kill him, dear. We'll get into trouble."
"No, kill me, kill me!" John shouted desperately. Without his power, he had no value anymore. Magneto wouldn't care about him. To John, losing his power was worse than death.
Snap!
Michael clapped his hands, and the flames vanished. He bent down and picked up the lighter John had used earlier.
"Let's go."
"Okay."
Skye nodded, and together they left the alley, leaving John lying on the ground, screaming in despair.
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Michael couldn't help but smile bitterly as he looked at his burnt clothes. It wasn't easy being a superhero. If he had the chance, he'd really need to get a combat suit or something, not to be cool, but just for convenience.
Otherwise, it would be too annoying if every time he fought, it ended up like this. He couldn't help but think of the Hulk—his pants were always one of Marvel's great mysteries. They were always intact...
Speaking of the Hulk, it would be amazing to have his abilities. At least he'd be invincible on Earth.
However, after absorbing John's powers, Michael had noticed something. While he could absorb abilities through palm contact, it wasn't easy, especially when the other person resisted. The resistance was strong.
The Extremis Virus and fire control abilities were different. When he absorbed Pepper's abilities, it was easier because she hadn't resisted, and it was a serum-based power.
But John's fire control ability came from his X-gene, an innate talent, making it harder to absorb—especially with resistance. At first, he couldn't absorb it at all. It was only because John had been weakened by the heat that Michael succeeded. If John had been in full strength, the absorption wouldn't have been smooth.
Absorbing someone's ability wasn't as simple as just touching them; it required them to be defenseless or too weak to resist. And different abilities had different levels of resistance.
So, for now, obtaining the Hulk's abilities would be impossible. Even if Hulk stood there without resisting, Michael doubted he could absorb it. He needed to become much stronger.
But no matter what, Michael had gained fire control, and it was a useful ability.
So, despite his ruined clothes, Michael was in a good mood.
"Sorry, Skye, I'm afraid we'll have to cancel our meal."
Michael said apologetically to Skye, who was looking for clothes for him.
Skye shook her head, "It's okay, but we need to leave now." She handed him the clothes, then turned to get ready to drive. Michael changed and saw that Skye seemed calm, which made him feel relieved.
It seemed she wasn't afraid or troubled by his abilities.
After all, there were plenty of people with powers in this world, and Skye had specifically studied them. So she wouldn't panic easily.
But Michael knew that news of John's defeat and loss of powers would spread quickly. The Brotherhood of Mutants would definitely learn of it, and SHIELD would too. After all, even though Black Widow wasn't here, SHIELD's surveillance was sophisticated. They'd definitely been keeping tabs on him.
And even if they hadn't, the fact that he could take away abilities would draw their attention.