Sounds coming from a radio:

Good morning Portugal! It has been almost a month without any Crimsons landing on the ground. Our glorious Defensor Cannons are protecting us good as ever.

My name is Benjamin Gouveia, and I will be your weatherman today. Currently, we are seeing record high temperatures, and those who can see a cloud in the sky should go and buy a lottery ticket. But we always have a solution. Get your towels, wear your swimsuits, and enjoy the sun. Our sponsor says, don't forget to put on your Luz brand sunscreens. Playing in the ocean is fun. The pain of sunburns is not.

Now it's time for local news.

Two days ago, a vigilante captured the leader of villainous escorpiões escalates. He is calling himself the Phoenix and slowly increasing its renown. LUZ will eat him alive.

I closed the radio. "That's our guy. I hope I can persuade him to join my team. The kid has potential."

Father shook his head. "Why are you acting like a seasoned veteran, and did you need to bring your most advanced battlesuit?."

"Not the most advanced, only heavy one with the flying module."

"Okay, it is as you say," He sighed. "But wasn't this armor only for usage against powerful Crimsons? Weren't you keeping it as your trump card? Or those were the words you told me last year."

"This suit is named Hercules." I pat the chest of my armor. "And yes, this one both can fly and withstand heavy blows. It is one of the strongest things I have in my arsenal, and of course, I see it as a trump card."

And even though this one is one of my favorites, UDC won't allow me to use it every day as they see it as too much of a threat. My ways of fighting can go a bit destructive without limitations.

Luckily, I convinced them by promising to give the combat logs of the suit and making a version suitable for batteries used by UDC.

"I know its name. You wrote that at its back with glowing paint." He grabbed me from my shoulders. "Look, I know you are excited, but the tools you see as toys are weapons, and you cannot joke with them."

I pulled his hand away. "I know you are worried about me, father, but please relax and enjoy your vacation. I got this."

"Promise over your blueprints."

I grabbed his hand and shook it. "I promise."

***** Somewhere, a group of criminals is trying to rob an ATM.

"Be fast, be fast. Police will be here any second." A Fat man in a red-colored costume began shaking a slim man wearing a green costume.

"We already robbed three ATMs today, and this is the last one. Please stop shaking me! I can't focus my acid while you shake me like that."

It is the gang of elements. Their crime skills mirror their ability to design proper costumes, like cheap socks. Because of that, locals call them veggy brothers.

"We got company." A regular-sized man wearing a blue costume showed up from the corner. "And it isn't the police. Phoenix is on patrol."

"I am trying my best, you ice head, but this barely working lighter won't stop shaking me."

"Don't call me lighter! You green freak."

"I won't call you lighter if you do your job and melt the steel locks on this machine."

"Last time I used my fire, you blamed me for burning the money."

"Because you burned it, you moron!"

While these two morons were fighting, Phoenix already landed next to them and knocked the ice pants out.

"Let me look at that." Phoenix moved towards the ATM.

"Here you go if you think you can do better than me." Green suited guy moved away from the ATM. "Now, do your tric- He just figured out Phoenix is right there.

"What happened, broccoli pants? Were you saying something?"

"Phoenix! When did you arrive? Ice shoot that bird. Ice? Ice!"

Phoenix threw the Ice, who is unconscious, in front of his two other brothers. "Here he is."

"Ice, no. Acid with me attack!" Both criminal brothers began charging toward the Phoenix, but he dodged them by dashing towards the air and knocked the remaining criminals by diving from above and slamming them to the ground.

"And LUZ is proud of their security even though you three dumbasses still find a way to escape from prison."

"I know, for a company that controls a country, it must be shameful, isn't it."

                                             ***

Leonard speaking, I found my guy. With his pair of wings made out of flames and tight flame-proof suit, I have a comic character in front of me.

"Then who you are, their new big brother, no, this suit is too good for them." He began inspecting me. "Your name is Hercules. Did LUZ develop an interest in mythology?"

"I don't want to be rude, but Marco, I am here with approval from UDC." I showed the UDC logo on the right arm of the armor. "Now, do not resist and...

Phoenix smiled, and his wings grew and began glowing even more. "UDC can kiss my flaming ass." He dashed towards the air. "See you later, metal boy!"

He will regret that. "Thrusters, fire." I began following the convict from behind. "Start heat scan. The guy is a literal flying fireball. It won't be hard to spot him."

My armor beeped only a second later. "Bingo! You can't hide with such heat trace."

After a low flight through several streets to hide my presence, I finally closed the distance between Phoenix and me.

"Hey, birdie, I suggest you stop, or I might need to apply more primitive ways of negotiating."

Phoenix stopped and landed on the roof of a long building. "First, LUZ, then UDC. Why don't you people just let me do my job in peace!" Flames on his wings covered his body. "But I am tired of this, I will beat your metal ass so bad neither UDC nor Luz corp will ever try to mess with me again!"

I don't know what kind of superhero fantasy this kid is living here, but if UDC wanted him out, he wouldn't even know when he died. "Amigo, I don't care what LUZ wants from you. I am here to offer a deal."

Phoenix opened his wings and suddenly charged towards me with high speed, I managed to stop him, but he shook my armor. "How rude."

"I don't want offers 'Amigo' I am not in a mood for listening to people. I have a city to protect, and you are risking the lives of the innocent and your metal ass by messing with me."

What is wrong with this kid? Yes, the current government in Portugal is a bit corrupted, but that doesn't mean this place is fricking hell.

"It appears to be I should apply on these primitive ways."

I activated my armors thrusters and charged toward the Phoenix. He tried to dodge my charge, but I managed to grab him from his left leg and slammed him to the roof.

I began pressing him down to stop him from escaping.

 

"Phoenix, I want you to listen to me. My offer can help your city." but my words didn't mean anything to him.

"I don't fucking care!" His flames grew more powerful, and with a mighty fire wave, he managed to push me away. "Look, Amigo! I didn't want to hurt you, but you forced me to do this."

Phoenix charged me once again, but this with strength even my armor could not handle. He knocked me away from the building, grabbed my suit in the air, and began diving toward the ground for a slam attack.

I activated thrusters of my armor and stopped our free diving. "Look, 'amigo' I am over with your childish games. You are not the hero, so stop acting like you are."

I punched Phoenix in the stomach and stunned him. "You will thank me for this in the future." I threw him to the ground and began diving after him.

Phoenix managed to slow himself last second but still hit the ground hard. After a second of rest, he saw me diving right toward him. He raised his arms to the air with the hope of stopping me.

I hit the ground and shattered the concrete on the floor. Flying pieces even made cuts on Phoenix's face.

Yet he began shouting again. Where does he even get that much energy? "I don't care if you ever kill me. I will not negotiate!"

"You need to listen to me." I tried my chance once again.

"Fuck you, fuck Luz! I will never negotiate WITH ANYONE!"

I snapped. "Okay, you fucking superhero wanna be. Let me talk in a language you would understand." I grabbed him from his neck and threw him towards a wall. "Now, listen to me, you piece of shit. I am here to give you an offer. You either stay here as a street thug with wings or come with me and train in the best schools UDC has to offer and come back as a legend. Your choice."

He finally stopped shouting and began thinking. "It is a strange offer for a kid like me. I have no family or anything. Why do you even want me."

I got out of my armor and gave the Phoenix a contract. "No, it is not. I saw the potential I could use. Now. Sign this and come to central Europe with me or stay here, your choice."

He looked at the contract and read a small portion of it. "But, why me? Why did UDC choose me? I am not even going to a high school."

"UDC didn't. I did. People like you, vigilantes, people who can hurt and kill, people who can work for the law while breaking it. I want people like that, and you are one of these people."

He signed the contract, and I exchanged numbers with him. 

"Stay low while I handle the paperwork. UDC will take you."

A man wearing a straw hat and sunglasses popular amongst tourists appeared. "Oh, here you are, and I thought you were fighting- What the hell happened here!" It is the father who just turned from the corner. He is a bit shocked because of the damage we caused.

He didn't even say anything after that. He just pulled the tip of his hat down and began acting as if he saw nothing.

"Sorry, I need to go." I entered into my battle armor once again. "Remember, stay low."