Villainous Origins

"I was a brilliant entomologist," Moth Queen said sourly, "but the only position that hired me was slowly going under due to lack of funding. Fortunately, I had remembered another passion of mine that I thought I could fall back on: I always dreamt of being a fashion designer using the insects I loved as my muse and inspiration. I spent all night designing and creating my outfits, not getting an ounce of sleep as I made phone call after phone call to Calamity City's only big name fashion company. Finally, I had gotten an appointment with them the following morning. So I got ready, grabbed all my designs, stepped into their office... And they laughed me right out of the building! To make matters worse, I had to get back to my other job that day, but I was so dead tired from sewing and designing the night before that I fell asleep and allowed the termites I was working with at the time to escape and devour what they could of the lab. And to make a long story short, I was fired for costing the lab even more money and 'forcing' them to shut down. When I created my amulet that controls insect life, I immediately called up my old bosses, but they hung up and blacklisted me the second they heard my voice. I tried again to sell my designs with the threat of eviction from my landlady, this time to clothing stores and supermarkets. And each time, I was rejected for them being so 'ugly'. But when I saw one of my designs based off of a sun beetle being sold in one of Calamity City's most elegant stores under the name of the first fashion company I showed it to and without my name on it? I was already at my boiling point, but that was straw that broke the camels back! So I summoned a swarm of moths, barged into that clothing store, and... Well, that was the day we first fought, Kumiko, you should remember how that played out."

Kumiko did remember, but had she known anything about what happened before hand...

"Gwy Gwpecies Gwad Gwa Gwortal Gwnemy Gwrom Gwa Gwlanet Gwixty-Gweven Gwightyears Gwway Gwrom Gwurs. Gwa Gwace Gwf Gwetallic Gwonsters Gwnown Gws Gwhe Gwyberons." Gwuck explained next, "Gwe Gwere Gwonquerors, Gwut Gwhey Gwere Gwurderers. Gwen, Gwomen, Gwhildren; Gwo Gwne Gwas Gwpared Gwy Gwheir Gwloodlust. Gwt Gwas Gwn Gwll Gwut Gwar! Gwi Gwas Gwhosen Gwy Gwy Gwlanet's Gwresident Gwo Gwead Gwa Gwlatoon Gwgainst Gwheir Gwome Gwlanet, Gwut Gwhe Gwnemy Gwaw Gws Gwoming. Gwn Gwhe Gwnd, Gwf Gwhe Gwhree Gwundred Gwillion Gwf Gws Gwho Gwounter Gwnvaded Gwhose Gwrutal, Gwmmortal Gweings, Gwi Gwas Gwhe Gwnly Gwurvivor. Gwnd Gwven Gwhen Gwi Gwestroyed Gwhe Gwhreat Gworever Gwy Gwlowing Gwp Gwheir Gwother Gwhip Gwnd Gwhutting Gwown Gwheir Gwoldiers, Gwaving Gwy Gwlanet Gwnd Gwll Gwther Gwlanets Gws Gwell, Gwy Gweople Gwtill Gwlamed Gwe Gwor Gwll Gwhe Gweaths Gwf Gwur Gwroops! Gwnd Gwince Gwy Gwecond Gwn Gwommand Gwas Gwhe Gwresident's Gwldest Gwon, Gwot Gwnly Gwas Gwi Gwishonorably Gwischarged, Gwut Gwi Gwas Gwxiled Gwo Gwhis Gwlanet Gwor Gwife, Gwanned Gwrom Gwver Gwtepping Gwoot Gwn Gwy Gwlanet Gwgain. Gwi..." the alien sighed sadly as he looked down, "Gwi Gwan Gwever Gwo Gwome Gwgain."

"My wife came down with a terminal illness on the day I got my powers." Curb Stomper said, sadly looking away. "My Yukiko was the love of my life. We didn't have much, but we were going to have it all one day. One month into our marriage, however, she started giving off some serious signs. She was throwing up quite a bit, so we thought it was morning sickness at first. I went out to grab something for us to celebrate, getting my powers from those freak radioactive shockwaves in the process, but she had told me that she found blood in the bile on my way back. Needless to say, I drove her to the hospital immediately. The doctors said they would be able to save her, but the expenses were through the roof. I pawned everything I could to save her. My car, my stereo, my watch; everything but our apartment and our engagement rings. But it still wasn't enough. In desperation, I did the only thing I could think to do: I donned a ski mask and used my powers to rob a bank, stealing just enough for that one time heist to save my beloved. However, when I got back to the hospital two days later..." Curb Stomper wiped a tear from his eye, "It was too late. The doctors had told me that Yukiko had developed the later symptoms of the illness much more rapidly then others who had it, passing away in her sleep on night before I returned. I was hit with a wave of distraught and rage that I used my powers to blow away the hospital room, injuring twenty. The police had already put two and two together and figured out I was the one who robbed the bank, and with a criminal record on my head... Well, there was nothing else I really could do."

"I know you think I'm just a big, fat, annoying loser who just wanted to be your villain for attention, Kumiko." Ryu said to the heroine, "But the reality is, I was always told by my mother that I would never amount to anything. That I'd just be a big, fat, disappointing failure of a son. Even when I put as much effort as I could into everything I did, nothing was ever good enough for her! And after I graduated top of my class in college and became a successful software engineer and computer programer that made the company he worked for millions, you'd think she'd finally say that she was impressed, right? She thought I was mocking her and disowned me. I had thought that, maybe if I had become the greatest enemy to Calamity City's biggest hero, I'd finally get something out of her. That's why I became The Lord of Lobsters!"

"Back when stripe und I originally looked normal," Tabitha began, "I was engaged to our head researcher. It was gonna be a beautiful wedding with all da bells und whistles. My family was gonna fly in from new orleans, we were gonna have a massive fais do-do und Cajun-Japanese buffet; everything was perfect. Und den dat darn explosion made us into freaks! Satoshi took one lookit me und screamed in horror, throwing off his engagement ring und running out of da lab. I never cried harder in my life. Everywhere we went, people ran und screamed. Annette had said dat if da world was going to treat us like da monsters they saw us at, den we should give dem monsters dat they need to fear. But I didn't want to be seen at a monster, und we temporarily went our separate ways. I tried to be a hero, but people still ran whenever they saw me. Und it didn't help dat when I attempted to foil a bank robbery, it turned out to be a scene from a movie dat was being filmed. I went to Satoshi's apartment dat night, hoping dat he could lissen to me, but when i saw him naked in bed with another woman on his..." The former alligator woman choked back a sob as Mufette and Ryu hugged her, "I demanded to know what was going on, und he told me dat I wasn't da woman he fell in love with anymore. I was da same Tabitha LeBlanc on da inside, but because I was different on da outside, he didn't love me anymore. At dat point, I met back up with Annette und we became what we are today: Monsters dat turned their backs on a world dat turned it's back on dem."

Kumiko and the others remained silent for a good minute, taking in everything that was just revealed.

"I..." Kumiko said after several seconds, "I'm sorry. I had no -"

"Oh, I bet." Moth Queen said, still frowning. "You can say anything you want about us, Kumiko, and there's about a fifty percent chance that you're right. But don't you dare stand there and tell us that we haven't had our breaking points that drove us to what we are now! Don't you dare tell us that we became what we are for spits and giggles! Yes, some villains are like that, but none of us in this room are!"

"Don't yell at her!" Kitty snapped, "None of us knew anything about your past! Any of your pasts!"

"Point is," Curb Stomper said, trying to keep another argument from happening, "she shouldn't have judged us before lumping us with those petty criminals."

"Look, I'm sorry to break up the pity party," Stryker interrupted, "but if we want to get our powers back and save Calamity City, then we have to put a stop to that backstabbing bitch!"

"Stop referring to my daughter in that way!" Mrs. Kishi snapped at the future mutated Kitty, whacking him in the head with Kumiko's wand. As the kangaroo hissed in pain, Kumiko's mother turned to the others and said, "But he's right. We need to stop that Goddess of Shadow before it's too late!"

"It may already be too late!" Stryker muttered before turning to Tabitha, "And I highly doubt a boat is gonna here and take us to Calamity City in time!"

"I hate to say it, but he's right." Kumiko sighed, "It's gonna take a miracle to get us there in time!"

"Did someone ask for a miracle?" A new, female voice called out, causing the entire group to turn around to see a figure standing in the doorway...