The heroes rushed over to Londyn.

“Director!”

“Londyn!”

She groaned and hung her head.

“Londyn, can you hear me?”

Londyn just took a deep breath.

“...Dr. Fraser, do you read me?”

“Loud and clear, Director.”

Tears dripped onto the ground below her.

“...shut it down.”

“With pleasure.”

The Mental Unifier began to slow down and shut off.

And Londyn burst into tears.

“...w-what…have I done…”

Captain Hot Devil nodded at Icy Falcon, who dropped the ice encasing the Director. Captain Hot Devil caught her, holding her up from the side as she sobbed.

And then a voice came in on the intercom.

“It wasn’t your fault Londyn. You were being manipulated by a psychic villain. And it was because I hurt you that he found an opening.”

“T-That doesn’t excuse anything! It was me who thought of these things! Me who wanted to take control of you! Of the world! Of everything! I’ve always wanted to! I haven’t done a good deed in my life!”

Pink Star stepped forward and cried out, hands curled into fists in front of her.

“That’s wrong, Director Green! You formed the League! You saved the world so many times!”

Londyn shook her head as the tears continued to fall.

“The League…wasn’t me. Someone else thought of it, gave me the idea of the League. He put me in contact with the right people, gave me the funds to set it up. The League was never mine. I’ve just been a puppet in his hands…I never stopped working for villains until I became one myself…”

Captain Hot Devil stared at Londyn for a second before snapping his fingers, creating a jet of flame in front of her face. Londyn’s eyes shot up from the sudden light and heat. Captain Hot Devil was glaring at her.

“With respect, Director, you’re wrong. I don’t know how the League got started. I don’t know how you set it up. I don’t know who you worked with or what they had planned. But I know one thing. YOU set up the League, you alone.”

Londyn looked him in the eyes as he spoke.

“Someone else thought of it? Who cares. Everyone was talking back then, but YOU’RE the one who actually did it. Someone else paid for it? There were plenty of people and organizations with the money but not one of them managed to do what you did. Someone had some sort of motive with the League? Who cares, do you know just how many times you’ve saved the world?”

Tears continued forming in her eyes. The Captain pressed on.

“When I was broken and alone, when I had destroyed everything I cared about, you know who it was who came to me? Who got me off my butt and put me back together? Who gave me a second chance? Who taught me what it really means to be a hero?”

He pointed his finger right at her.

“It was you. Not the League. Not its sponsors. Not its secret founder or whatever. You. And you’re the one I follow, not the League. Anyone can think of the League, can fund it, can make schemes around it. But only YOU could build it. So if the League belongs to someone else, then forget it. Go and build a new League, and I’ll follow after you. And I bet I’m not alone.”

Both Captain Hot Devil and Londyn turned to the others. Icy Falcon just smiled wryly.

“It was you who stopped me when I went too far. It’s because of you I’m not lying in a ditch somewhere. And I only returned to the League now because you forced me to. So I’m obviously going wherever you tell me to, Director.”

Icy Rose stepped forward.

“That’s right! Director, when everyone went wrong, when I messed up everything I cared about, you helped pick me up! You made me a part of the team, and taught me how to be a hero again! If it weren’t for you, I’d…”

Wonder Knight nodded.

“That goes for all of us. When my powers developed, when I was lost and confused and had no idea who or what I was, you were the one who found me. You helped me figure out who I am and who I want to be. I’m only trying to be a hero because you taught me how to be.”

Pink Star clasped her fists as she yelled.

“Everything went wrong when all this started happening! You’re the one who made it something good! So don’t take that away from us, Director!”

Chronolock nodded too.

“Honestly, I probably would have died if you hadn’t helped me learn to use my powers. So don’t tell us it wasn’t you!”

Voidspeaker looked to the ground.

“...I’d probably have become a villain if you weren’t there. I was hurting, and lashing out. I was going to do something terrible. But then you found me. You showed me I could rise above my circumstances. And there powers I was going to use for bad…you showed me that I could use them for good instead. And…”

He glanced over at Chronolock, smiling at her.

“...you taught me to care about people again.”

Captain Hot Devil nodded and tapped Londyn’s shoulder. She looked back up to him, her eyes trembling at this point.

“See, Londyn? This is your achievement. This is the good that you’ve done. The part of the League that matters is yours. It’s always been yours. You’re the heart of the League and no one else. The League only exists…because of you.”

Tears began to fill Londyn’s eyes and she began to sob once more. Captain Hot Devil wrapped her in a hug. Aurora Legion glanced at each other, then rushed over and piled onto her. Icy Falcon sheepishly stepped over, joining in as well.

Bob smiled and turned to leave. He still wanted to apologize to Londyn for his part in this, but that could wait.

Because he wasn’t needed here any longer.

Londyn didn’t need a faceless minion.

She needed a hero.

And the heroes needed her.

He turned to PSI Omega, who was still sitting in the chair, staring at the floor. He heaved a sigh.

He walked over and pat her shoulder. She jumped and looked up at him.

“Kid, it wasn’t your fault.”

“...it kind of was.”

Bob shrugged.

“You were forced to grow up too quickly because you could hear things that aren’t supposed to be heard, experienced how ugly people can be long before you should have. So you think of yourself as an adult, more adult than the adults, right? But at the end of the day, you’re still young. The foe you faced just had more experience than you, that’s all. You know a lot of things, Roxanne, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have any room to grow. What’s important is that you learn from this.”

She was silent, clutching at her knees.

“For example, you focused on giving Londyn what she wanted, right? But sometimes what we want…isn’t what we need. To determine that takes more than knowing someone’s thoughts. It means knowing who they are, as a person.”

“...what’s the difference? How do I learn that if not from their thoughts?”

Bob shrugged and turned to leave.

“That’s something you have to experience, not be told. But if you want a suggestion, I recommend starting with your friends at the Academy. And try to do it without your powers. Get to know them as they know you, on even footing.”

The girl frowned, scrunching up her brow. And Bob turned and left the room.

Dealing with overconfident teenagers is so annoying.

And this isn’t even his teenager!

He heaved a sigh.

Well, he supposed he owed Londyn at least that much.

Elise stood still, watching her friends struggle against the seals. Her mind raced with calculations…

But she couldn’t think of anything to do…

Suddenly her thoughts began racing.

Much faster than before.

The intrusion had stopped. Her processing resources suddenly became free.

She started to wake up her organic components.

The yellow lights also died down around the heads of Nemesis.

Saydaa groaned.

“What…happened?”

Arvid held his head while Kiyosuke shook his. Nana was just breathing heavily.

Elise’s helmet opened up as her human eye began to open. Saydaa glanced up and noticed her.

“Elise? What’s going on? Whoa!”

Elise activated a gravity pull to pull all the team together, holding them in her arms.

“Ecstatic Greeting: My friends…welcome back. Thank goodness…you’re alright.”

“Huh? E-Elise?! W-What’s going on, w-what are you doing? T-Too close!”

“...I’m so sorry…Elise-san…Bob-sama…”

Kiyosuke frowned and grunted…but didn’t resist.

Arvid made a wry smile.

“It seems…a lot has happened.”

Chiyeko quietly released the seals on Nemesis, smiling as she slipped out of the room.