Villain Retirement

Warden Yakovich's form remained floating in the air. And despite the wind that was violently wafting from the opening that Riley just created, his form that seemed to be made of vapor was completely still– almost like some sort of hologram.

It was previously being erased by the gust earlier, making it seem like smoke. But now that it was still, it would seem that wasn't the case. So was it really some sort of illusion? Riley thought as he glanced at Yakovich for a few seconds.

And Yakovich was doing the same; his eyes focused on Riley and at the vast and slightly dark space in front of him– the area where the top 3 prisoners were residing. Yakovich was confident that he would be able to defeat each of them in a one-on-one fight– but three of them at the same time?

He might as well commit suicide. Even if the entirety of the Hope Guild was here, he was sure that they would be having a hard time subduing the three without killing them. But here was Alice's son, provoking the big three as soon as he was in front of their doorstep.

He really should have retired when he had the chance. The three prisoners have been calm for many years now, not even showing any signs of violence or wanting to leave– but if Riley somehow manages to piss them and they decide to leave the prison, then the backlash against the Super Max would be tantamount.

But since Riley has already decided to join the Hope Guild, then Yakovich might as well call them as a backup; it would also ensure that Riley really does leave the prison.

And so, with all of those thoughts circling in his mind, Yakovich finally allowed himself to fade away with the wind that was still violently being wafted from the area of the top 3.

"..." Riley once again took a small glance at Yakovich as he slowly faded away. He was waiting to see if he was going to do something, but much to his disappointment, Yakovich just left. The only thing that Riley could really do now was let out a sigh as he took a step inside the residence of the top 3 prisoners.

But before he could even take 3 steps, a small but very sharp whistle whispered into his ear. Riley slightly tilted his head to the side, but before he could even make out any of the scenery inside the Top 3's residence, the view in front of him became nothing but silver.

The gate that he crumpled and threw earlier, now coming back to him with even greater force. But like a tomato falling onto an extremely sharp knife, the gigantic metal ball was split in half with almost zero resistance.

The entire hallway then shook; and judging by how strong the quake was, then the prisoners and other people on the ground level could feel the tremble as well. Riley took a small glance behind him, only to see each half of the ball absolutely decimating the hallway– blocking any path to the outside.

And soon, a quiet but abysmal burst of laughter whispered into Riley's ears.

"Like mother, like son, I suppose."

"..." Riley quickly turned his attention to the front, only to see a man approaching him; his face, sunken to the point that one could already make out the shape of his cheeks and eye sockets. The man was also bald, wearing some sort of monk outfit that almost looked like a blanket from how skinny he was.

"And I see the guards did not lie about the way you look."-- and with those words, the man fully revealed himself from the darkness and Riley could finally see the most noticeable feature of the stranger– both his eyelids were sutured shut.

"As expected," the prisoner then let out a small scoff as he placed his palms together, "Alice could only produce a freak, it is in her nature."

"You knew Alice Lane?" And without even him asking or needing to open the topic, Riley was already getting what he came here to do– ask for information about the women in his life.

"Knew her?" the bald prisoner smiled, causing the forming wrinkles on his face to slightly hit the sutures in his eyelids, "I more than knew her– we had a relationship."

"..." Riley remained quiet as he looked at the bald man from head to toe, "What sort of relationship, bald prisoner?"

"A bad one," and with those words, the dim hall they were in was finally bombarded with light– the residence of the top 3, finally fully revealed to Riley. Riley was expecting something grand since the top 50 had their own neighborhood. But this…

…it was just a vast and gigantic hall probably made of steel and metal, with gigantic doors on each of the three corners in front of him. 4, if he included the entrance he just destroyed. One of these gigantic metal doors, the one on the left, with the number 3 plastered on it, was slightly slid open– probably where the bald prisoner in front of him came from.

"Your mother made my life a living hell while she was still here," the bald prisoner then continued his words as his feet slowly left the floor, "And since you just destroyed our door, then I believe you wish to continue where your mother left…

…I won't let you."

"Not really, bald prisoner," Riley only shook his head; not even minding the tremble that once again filled the entire hall he was in, "I am just here to as you and the other two prisoners some questions regarding one Diana Ross, Alice Lane, and Megawoman. I will leave whether or not I am satisfied with the answers."

"The only answer you're getting here is my wrath!" And with those words, the bald prisoner stretched his arms to the side, causing the rumble in the air to explode as the two pieces of the cleaved metal ball flew straight toward Riley.

"Die, devilspawn!" The bald prisoner once again clapped his hands together, causing the two halves of the gigantic ball to violently close together… with Riley right in the center.

"Do you know how much I have suffered because of that woman!?" The bald prisoner then rubbed his palms against each other; and almost as if the two hemispheres were following the movements of his hands, they too, started grinding against each other– letting out a loud screeching noise that was enough to cause the air to tremble.

"I have the same powers as her!" The bald prisoner continued to rant; his voice, almost as loud as the sparks that were coming from the hemispheres, "Do you know what that means!? That means that I received most of the brunt of her temper! She was always teasing and taunting me, asking me if I can do better! Telling me I don't have any worth in this world because she was already here!"

The bald prisoner then clapped his hands several times, causing thunders to echo several times in the air,

"I am supposed to be the strongest telekinetic in the world! But your mother–"

"What about Diana Ross, do you know anything about her?"

"!!!"

The bald prisoner's hands then abruptly stopped moving as he heard a small whisper coming from the center of the two hemispheres he was drumming together.

"You… you're still alive?"

"I am, bald prisoner."

"Y–" The bald prisoner was about to once again move the two hemispheres, but before he could do so, he felt his hands suddenly unable to move.

"But you won't be if you don't at least try to answer my questions, bald prisoner."

The two hemispheres then slowly separated; and almost like the yolk of an egg, Riley was completely intact without even so much as a scratch on him. The flat sides of the hemispheres, however, were completely tattered and shattered; almost as if Riley's body served as some sort of shredder.

Riley then slightly tilted his head to the side, immediately causing the two hemispheres to fly towards the floating bald prisoner– and like with what he did to Riley, he was in between the two gigantic debris.

"Do you know anything about Diana Ross, bald prisoner?" Riley then asked as the two hemispheres got closer and closer to squashing the bald prisoner.

"You–" The bald prisoner tried moving his hands, but found himself completely unable to do so.

"You can't move objects without actively using your hands?" A small, but very faint chuckle then escaped from Riley's mouth as he looked at the bald prisoner struggling to even move his arms,

"Then it is no wonder you were below my biological mother," Riley then let out a small sigh as he shook his head, "I believe she could stand toe to toe with Megawoman just by the sheer raw power of her telekinetic abilities…

…you wouldn't even be able to kill my First Subordinate with this much, bald prisoner."

"What are you–"

"But enough with describing you," Riley then let out another sigh; and as he did so, the two hemispheres suddenly shut close,

"Tell me, do you know anything about Diana Ross?" Riley repeated his question, "The prisoners in the Top 50 have mentioned that she used to work here as a medic, maybe you know her?"

"..."

"..."

"..."

Riley waited for a few seconds for the bald prisoner to answer his question; but alas, even after almost a quarter of a minute, he still refused to say anything.

"Very well," Riley then once again let out a sigh as the two hemispheres started to separate, "What about Megawoman? This is where she was–"

And finally, Riley received an answer– the bald prisoner's blood and guts dropping to the ground.

"...Oops."