THE MOMENT
"They'll be fine without me for a few minutes...," Super Supreme made the decision as he flew above a dense forest. It was a beautiful day and the forest looked appealing enough for him to shirk his duties for a moment. He was recognized as the world's strongest Super. The recognition came with enough respect and admiration to land him a leadership role; not that he wanted it. He never wanted to be a hero, to begin with; but he found it to be the easiest path to get anything he wanted.
He descended into the canopy while guesstimating how much time he could take for himself before he needed to be seen again. He was supposed to be leading the recovery efforts after a kaiju attack; but, he was just there for morale. He made sure to leave the rebuilding to the professionals. With his strength and speed he could cut the time to a new city in half; but, then, all those civilian construction workers would have nothing to do.
Super Supreme readied his umbrella as he landed on the forest floor. It was a magic umbrella recovered from the rubble of a villain attack, and it had the ability to repel attacks. He didn't necessarily expect to be attacked the moment he landed; but, he also didn't assume he wouldn't be. His life as a Super Hero was one of unease and paranoia.
The forest was as peaceful as he hoped and he managed to enjoy a good 10 minutes of nature before he started to think about getting back to watching others work. He stood up, umbrella in hand, and froze. A familiar black hole opened several yards ahead of him. He almost flew off at supersonic speed; but, he waited too long. A tall, muscular man in a pink polo shirt and jeans walked out of the portal and locked eyes with the hero. Super Supreme recognized him and opened the umbrella in the newcomer's direction to shield himself.
"I knew you'd be back," Super Supreme said. He took a step forward keeping the umbrella between them. The umbrella had proven to deter this particular villain in the past and the reluctant hero hoped it would do so again. "Who are you? What do you want with me?!" Super Supreme asked.
"Name's Roy," the stranger nodded politely at Super Supreme. "I'll tell you, it's kind of funny," Roy stepped forward and Super Supreme gave up the one he took. "The first time I came after you, it wasn't personal; my Mistress was hungry and she has a taste for Supers."
"This time, though...," Roy grinned at him and raised his hand at shoulder level to show off a transparent card. "...It's a little personal. I couldn't have you thinking I was afraid of an umbrella," he said. "I just didn't have time to play; this time I do." He glanced a side eye at the card to guide Super Supreme's attention, then spoke again. He used a deeper, louder, more commanding voice. "Alpha-Pink, 42! HIKE!"
Super Supreme was staring at the card intently. He didn't expect the bright flash of golden light and was left blinded for a few moments. He panicked and waved the umbrella around in front of himself wildly as he tried to blink his eyes into working order again. It didn't take long to recover and he was glad to see Roy was still several feet away. He looked different though.
His pink polo shirt had become a sports jersey with thick armored shoulders and the number '42' on the front in gold. His neat, dirty blonde hair and smooth, tan face were now covered by a football helmet.
"Ready for the game of your life?" Roy asked as he crouched down into a three-point stance. Super Supreme decided not to play Roy's game and flew up into the air, though he was careful to keep the umbrella pointed down between them.
"You can't fly, can you??" Super Supreme did his best to try and inject some snark into his comment; but, he was terrified of being proven wrong. He also knew he should counterattack first. He focused his gaze on Roy and unleashed his strongest eye blast. Roy took it on the chin and remained standing, looking up at Super Supreme. He reached behind himself and pulled out a football. But, as soon as he had it out, the ball shrunk and changed shape. It wasn't until Roy launched the ball up at him that Super Supreme realized it was a baseball now. He held the umbrella firm to block it; and, he wasn't prepared to see the ball curve around his defenses and smack him in the head.
S. S. had fought his share of supervillains and he'd taken more than one punch to the face. This was the first hit in his heroic career that left him dizzy. He blacked out for a moment and woke up too late to catch himself. He became aware again just as he hit the ground and he scrambled to get up to his feet again. He lost his grip on the umbrella when he landed and now he was defenseless with his back against a tree. He watched Roy catch the baseball, and it changed shape again. This time it became a basketball as Roy dribbled it on his way to S.S. The impacts on the grassy forest floor left small craters.
"I thought this would be more fun...," Roy sighed as he stopped at the umbrella. He held the ball and reached down to get the umbrella. "..but, it turns out you're nothing without this," Roy chuckled as he took another step and offered the white wooden handle to S. S. The hero did not hesitate to grab the umbrella and open it between them for a last ditch defense. He was glad he didn't leave when he had the chance. If he'd made it back to the city, he was certain Roy would have followed him. Then, everyone would have seen him get beaten.
"Relax pal," Roy chuckled. "Good game," He reached forward and patted S.S. on the shoulder and it took everything in Super Supreme not to yell. He was sure his shoulder was broken now; but, he honestly couldn't tell if it was intentional or not. Roy's helmet and jersey faded away as he stood there with a smug grin.
Super Supreme was the strongest man in the world, there was no question there. But, it'd become obvious that Roy was from a different world and he was ridiculously stronger. Questions about his place in the universe began to bother S. S.
"Honestly, you did me a favor last time," Roy chuckled as he threw a black card on the floor. It opened a portal and he stepped on it; then, he began to sink like an elevator. "My Mistress has a taste for Supers... but, you barely qualify," he chuckled. "It wouldn't have been a satisfying meal for her."