With growing excitement, tension, and unease due to the fact that whatever he was going to find out was probably going to throw a big wrench in his plans, Al followed Helena as she led him through the park, to the exit, and onwards, to the teleportation podium that she commandeered to take them where she decided, instead of the destination that it was usually connected to.
He was already used to taking such things in stride, knowing that her background was terrifying. She was the disciple of a demigod, after all, so it was also to be expected that she might be the first to find out information like this, too, along with being able to do things that people like him could only dream of.
'What could it be? Is there a bounty on me? Is the Dragon petty enough to label me as a cheater? Or am I going to have my money confiscated? Oh, God, I hope it isn't that! I don't wanna be poor again! It feels too good to be rich! Wait, crap, I wasted my $200! Oh, well, at least I used most of it...'
He was tempted to ask her so that he could be put out of the frenzied state that he was whipping himself into, but he stopped himself, knowing that she might just tell him to wait. With her eyes, she even gave the same message, turning around now and then to look at him, bite her lip, then smile encouragingly, as if leading on a nervous animal that might bolt if she didn't keep reassuring it that everything was alright.
She was also excited. There was no denying this, as it was obvious in the way her steps had a spring to them, and the way in which she kept flipping her head, always managing to look at him from the corner of her eye each time she did this, as if to see whether he was looking. His eyes were on her, but all of these gestures were strange.
As time passed, he looked for things to distract himself. His eyes wandered down, and froze on two round mounds emphasized by tight, green pants. With a burning face, he hastily looked away before she spotted what he had been seeing.
'What the hell is wrong with you! Keep those damn eyes to yourself! Those pants do look uncomfortably tight, though… wait! Don't think about that!'
His cheeks burning even more, he tried looking left and right, but his eyes always wandered back to her figure. All of her clothes the tight; the shirt she wore emphasized the heavenly curve of her waist, above her hips, and further downwards, her slim, but strong thighs and calves were clearly carved out. Whenever she turned around, those other two mounds that he had touched inadvertently on that first day he had met her always seemed to pop in his eyes, perfectly enticing him so much that he even drooled, almost convinced that that cream-colored cloth was her skin.
He caught himself as soon as this thought appeared, and scolded himself so thoroughly that he felt as ashamed as a child caught googling things he shouldn't know of. Of course, he knew that such feelings had to be blamed on his teenage hormones, but that was no excuse.
He heaved a huge sigh of relief and even forgot the entire reason behind their journey when they reached the familiar building, and the familiar conference room that was now empty. The projector was still there, though, and on the wall in front of it, it was showing a list with a heading on top.
As soon as he read those words, his breath caught, and everything he had been thinking about until now flew out of his mind.
"Newly announced worldwide amateur ranking: ranking of heroes and villains to watch out for. Only those still undergoing their initiate odysseys can be ranked in this list. No numbered ranking is present: all those on the list possess the same rank."
'A new government ranking! I can't believe it! Am I dreaming?'
His mind kicked into high gear a moment later, and he was blown away by the ramifications of what he was seeing. True, a few individuals like the Dragon were extremely powerful, but even they were nothing when compared to the united front of the human body that was in charge of the Earth, helmed by the demigods against whom no one could put up even the slightest hint of opposition.
The Dragon might have contacts that could affect the decisions of the government, but at the end of the day, the Council that ruled the Earth always worked for the welfare of the human race. Even in the odyssey that he had just been a part of, the Dragon had only been able to buy away the channel, but not do anything to the broadcast. If he had had the means, a much cheaper way to stop the world from seeing his disciples defeated would have been to interfere with the odyssey directly, but this was a thing that only the government to do, and obviously, he hadn't been capable of invoking this sort of power that only lay in the hands of the top members of the Council.
Each and every ranking that the government officially announced was supremely important. Their ranking of heroes and villains was sought after by all the inhabitants of the Earth. Even someone who managed to achieve a spot at the very bottom for the smallest period of time would have their lives set, forever.
This ranking had even permeated into human society so much that many people were even called by the highest rank that they had ever achieved. Very, very few individuals like the Dragon were famous enough to ensure that they would be known by their names, but as for the rest, it was an honor to be referenced by their greatest achievement.
Hearing a chuckle beside him, he turned to Helena, wiping his mouth that had fallen open unbeknownst to him. With a radiant smile, she said, "They made the announcement this morning. It was so sudden… they didn't even put out a press release! They just gave the official ranking…and look who's on the fifth spot!"
Almost dreading that the bubble this dream might be would be punctured when he did it, Al looked through the names on the list, committing them to memory even though he knew that they could be accessed anytime he wanted. When he reached the fifth name…he took a step back, chuckled, checked again, then felt his mind go blank.
It said: "Skull-mask wearer(Villain). Gave a prominent performance in a recently televised odyssey. Please contact the government to provide instructions regarding your name, and whether you choose for your real name to be open to the public."
It was him. There was no doubt about it. For a moment, he wondered whether a cruel coincidence could exist, leading to a different person who might have been using the same mask and might have gotten famous on TV a few days ago…but even in such a vast world, the odds of such thing happening were too low. Besides, Helena had even confirmed it…so drawing in a deep breath and then taking in a few more after realizing that he had even stopped breathing, he accepted the truth, and felt a larger smile than had ever come on his face stretch his lips almost painfully.
He was about to jump up in the same manner as he had done after finding out that he was rich, but this thought suddenly left him when a change came over the list. The name below his own shimmered, then disappeared, before being replaced by a new one.
With confusion, he looked to Helena, and finally, the reason behind all those people coming up to him was made completely clear.
"It means that they were defeated in one of their odysseys. Along with the announcement, a message was also given, stating that anyone who managed to triumph over these individuals would take their place in the ranking. It does not mean that the one who initially occupied that place is discarded forever…but until the government performs a thorough review, they stay off it unless they defeat someone on the list, to. One last thing… a hint was given that in a few months, some sort of prize might be waiting for those who manage to stay in the ranking. No one knows what it is… but everyone has already begun scrambling for a position and the media is going wild with speculation. Even my—"
Her words faded away as Al stopped paying attention. All of a sudden, he was reminded of a gift that he had been given along with his buddy who was staying silent, for now, near his feet.
He knew what the prize was going to be. And he knew that no matter what…he had to obtain it.
He tightened his fists until they shook, and as a thought came to his head, his eyes seemed to burn with the intensely of the sun, itself.
'All those who are in the ranking will be selected by the government to be groomed. They will be given the best of everything… so I have to be on that list. I have to! No matter who I'm going to go up against, next…be prepared. I'm going to go all out!'