THE MOMENT
"How old are you under that mask?" Jack Flash arrived at the park with only a single costumed villain in sight. It was what he was expecting, but the overall form looked thin and short like a child. He was only mildly surprised; Super powers were common enough, and there were plenty of kids contributing to professional teams. And, he knew a few personally who got their start through the Fiendr app. But, he was currently the top-ranked hero on Earth, and his opponent paid a premium for the unscheduled challenge. That detail alone sparked several questions in his mind, but his opponent's size was the most pressing concern when he arrived.
"I'll tell you after," the villain replied with a young, female voice. "Ready?" she asked as she overtly took an offensive stance. Jack Flash had years of combat experience, and Super Speed. Along with his natural Superpower, he'd also been experimented on successfully. He spent as much time recovering physically as he did training, and he'd developed a keen eye. Even with the unknown powerset of a ‘Surprise’ challenge, he gleaned a few insights just by her stance. She was obviously too inexperienced to disguise her intentions; he deduced Super strength and likely a flying ability, or at least a super jump, by the way she braced her weight. The costumed child positioned herself for hard-hitting mobility as she bent her knees slightly and kept her arms up while focused on him. That was all the info Jack Flash needed; he couldn't take her lightly. Regardless of appearances, she was adept, if sloppy.
"Very well," he nodded and took an appropriately misleading defensive stance. He was famous enough that she likely knew about his Super speed, but he purposely dialed back his powers anytime he was using them publicly, even in villain battles. Even if she thought she knew how fast he was, he knew he was faster. He could change tactics in less than a split second, and his actual starting position didn't matter, but she likely didn’t consider that. His opponents almost never did. He deliberately dragged out the moment as if trying to psyche himself up, but it was all a show for her. If she was going to start out on the villain's side at such a young age, he would be the one to show her how much stronger heroes can be. And he would start by defeating her before she even had time to process that they'd started. "Ready," he nodded his agreement, and that signaled the start for both of them. Then, the strangest thing happened; the girl in the dark costume with a crescent moon covering her face walked forward, almost idly, as soon as Jack Flash agreed.
He was so surprised by her casualness that it took him a second to realize there was something more worrying; he couldn't move. He should’ve been behind her as soon as he agreed. She completed the dozen steps to him in a casual stroll, then raised her palm in front of his face. It was glowing with brilliant blue-white energy and intensely hot, even from several inches away. It was bright as the sun and he couldn’t even close his eyes.
"I don't gotta kill you to get the win," she said.
"I SURRENDER!" he'd been trying to yell it out as soon as he felt the heat, but couldn't move his mouth until she asked. As soon as he spoke the words, he was able to close his eyes. The brightness behind his lids died down shortly after. He hesitantly opened his eyes, and he was relieved he could seenormally. It was then that he also noticed the sudden breeze that had also been blowing when he first arrived. Whatever kept him from moving also kept his eyes from being seared, and the breeze from blowing. "Did you stop time?" he asked as the villain dropped a black card at her feet. It created a black portal, and she began descending through it like an elevator.
"Good match," she waved without answering the question.
"Wait! Where are you going? Who are you? How old are you?" he asked. It was important to know how badly his pride should be wounded, and that depended on the age of the Villain who defeated him.
"Don’t worry, you’ll never see me again," she shook her head as she continued to sink. "I’m moving on to another Earth, I already got the top spot here," she said. "I'll be three months old in like a week, bye!"