The Strongest Man Alive

The aftermath was a commotion, with everyone asking what had happened but no one having an answer because Michael was the only one that had managed to see the one responsible for this carnage clearly.

Edward helped and supported his wobbly legs, guiding him to a nearby bench to relax as the damage was not negligible.

"What happened? Are you alright!?" Edward inquired, checking Michael for injuries as he couldn't see any, but this didn't rule out internal injuries.

But the funny thing was, despite the explosion and state of things, no ambulance or security came to the location, and Michael was reminded of where they were on the food chain.

"That face… I have seen him somewhere before…." Michael muttered, but this was gibberish to Edward due to the tone in which he uttered it.

"What did you say?" Edward asked. This was too close to home, and a few hundred meters or so, their homes would have been caught in the explosion or even the fight.

"It was a superhero that did this…." Michael said, looking Edward right in the eyes, but there was doubt in Edward's eyes.

"I think that might be the concussion talking; we must get you checked… This was an explosion." Edward reiterated as the news was carrying it, it was being reported as an explosion caused by one of the homes that failed to turn off their gas correctly.

There was no reporter on the ground to dispute this news, so this was the truth to the rest of the world, so what Michael was saying sounded like a made-up story.

He couldn't talk much as he lost consciousness shortly after, only to wake up in a hospital with Edward sitting by his right.

"Eh?" Michael muttered; there was no way Edward could afford to take him to a hospital.

"Yay! You're awake!" This familiar voice, it was the voice of Elizabeth.

"Fuck me…" Michael whispered to himself in irritation, but Elizabeth was close enough to hear him.

"You're a pervert! I'm not fucking you." Elizabeth retorted, trying to tease Michael, but Michael wasn't finding anything she was saying funny. He looked at Edward, expecting an explanation.

"Your phone rang, and I told her about what happened to you. Long story short, we're here because of her." Edward said, and Elizabeth looked at him and nodded in contentment.

"What happened to you, Michael?" Elizabeth asked, her voice full of concern.

"I-I can't recall…." Michael said, scratching his head in confusion as Edward looked at him worriedly.

Edward kept what he was told earlier to himself but didn't rule out that possibility because Michael could not say what he didn't see.

He knew his friend might be wrong, but he didn't rule out the possibility; they needed to focus on his recovery.

-

In New York, the busy streets bustling with activities, but where one of the most expensive towers stood, there was the headquarters of the most powerful superhero group in the country; they were called "The Chosen 5".

A group of 5 heroes excelled in every aspect of their abilities, and this was the group led by the strongest man alive. The man was known as "Apex Protector,"

The Apex Protector was a pale-skinned man with a handsome face and masculine frame at 6'4. Glistering blonde hair styled in a ponytail.

Seated firmly around a round table with four other chairs, 3 of those chairs were empty.

He had on his costume that consisted of designs primarily in black tactical fabric, with the American flag sitting proudly on his chest. He had a motif of diamond snakes as epaulets on his shoulders, a belt buckle, and a pair of red boots.

"They're saying it was an explosion. I fear the superhero groups are going a bit out of control," A busty lady, dressed in a body-hugging latex one piece, her breasts barely fitting in them as her nipples outline was visible from within.

She got no response from the man she was talking to as he was lost in his little world.

"Where is your costume, Chloe?" The strongest man alive questioned, but all he got from her was a smirk; the brunette lady had something

"I thought you liked seeing me exposed, Ethan," Chloe responded; she called him by his real name. Something he wasn't a fan of, and she could tell by the way his energy shifted that he was in no mood for the games she was about to play.

"I-I mean Apex Protector, I will put on my costume now…." Chloe said hesitantly like she was walking on eggshells. Chloe excused herself as he walked out of the room with Ethan left to ponder his thoughts.

"Superheroes cannot exist without supervillains, we need each other to stay relevant, or the government would have no reason to keep us around. They allow us these privileges because they know it is better to fight fire with fire…." Ethan muttered to himself; he didn't like what was unfolding and knew he had to address it.

He didn't care much for the lives of supervillains, but executing them in public like they were the judge, jury, and executioner was something he had to nip in the bud before it spiraled out of control.

Chloe ran out, but she ran into another member of The Chosen 5; he wore a mask that looked much like a lion with clothes complementing these colors.

"You don't want to see him now; he's in a bad mood…." Chloe stopped herself from saying the name of the man before her.

"You tried to act like a slut again, didn't you?" The man asked rhetorically with an exhausted sigh.

"S-Shut up…" Chloe said. She was flustered and insulted that this was what she was getting known for.

"If you crave dick that much, I wouldn't mind lending you mine, but you can't sleep your way to the top over here even if you're a nymphomaniac…." The man advised. It was clear that the girl just joined them and didn't quite understand how things worked.

"Especially not with him…."