Chapter 22——The Next Lesson
——————————————————————————
//Akina//
——————————————————————————
Today is the day.
Today is the day where I, and other kids of Class C-2 will do our first training day, and New Glory and Chief Apex will be watching our every move as we try to win it. The pressure is real.
And it's felt around us.
Everyone I saw walking were either excited about it like Kadoku and Jordyn, or extremely anxious like me, Takeo, Su-Jin, and everyone else I know.
We all can feel it in the air today.
Something extraordinary.
Something powerful.
The feeling of how everything is gonna to change on this day. The clouds were thinner today than ever, and so gloomy that Tim Burton couldn't imagine his atmosphere.
I also kept on thinking how my bed broke. I keep replaying the night when it happened the next day.
Was it a person?
Was it the weather?
Or did I get in contact with the Lightning Thief or something like that?
I wanted laughed at myself then I remembered that this school loves to eat up the crazy and weak. The school can easily eat up dozens of people like me.
Twenty minutes. I thought as my iPhone had a timer to prep me for the Training today. Twenty minutes until the final countdown begins for Armageddon arrives.
I ate nothing but good food to get me going, and it's kicking in. Scrambled eggs and lean meat without grease while having some coffee, which I will never have again, and I slept good yesterday so I'm as ready as I ever be.
Marcus was with Ryoji and everybody else as I was walking with a bunch of strangers in a big crowd.
I was by myself.
The feeling of loneliness, where the mind just wants another person to cuddle or talk to; I didn't feel it right now. My mood currently was "determination", I'm refusing to back down.
This is my moment if I want it to be or not.
I'm gonna do my absolute best.
———Fifteen Minutes———
We were waiting for the guests of honor as we were either on our little screens or sleeping tight on our backups like Cade was.
A snorer he was, even gaining the attention of my mortal enemy Jordyn as she slowly grabbed her book and slam it on his desk, waking him in the process. "Oww!!! Did I do something?" He asked loudly, wiping his eyes and yawning. He must've made modifications to his Mecha last night, he said something about it before I left.
"Everyone is going to be all ready if their uniforms and me and Inugann haven't been prepared!"
His words still echoed in my head, I never had the patience with machines and mobile suits.
"Yeah," She looked at him in disgust before looking the reflection in her nails. "Your snoring was making me lose my focus on my nails." She wiggled her fingers up and down as she had new acrylic
nails.
I would normally be scared of what she had in store for me, but my seat was next to Kadoku Haritoka. He wasn't as bad as people made him out to be, just a bit cranky.
If I didn't have any legs; I would be cranky as well....
"Yo, Willoby. Don't speak," He said to my ear and told me not to speak as he could not understand my stutter. I didn't blame him. "but what do ya think what we're gonna do today?"
Well, you told me not to speak and asked a question, kinda ironic if I thought more about it. I didn't say to him but I shrugged. I had no clue what this training procedure is going to be——I wasn't too worried about that
He agreed with me even though I didn't speaker him. "Yea: Fo sho, I agree to what you're saying: I dunno what we're going to do but I know it ain't gonna be easy."
"Another question: You hate Jordyn's guts too?" I shrugged off again, this time slowly than last time, making him nod back.
"Heh. I hate Jordyn Himasaki too."
"DID I HEAR MY NAME COMING OUT OF YOUR MOUTH, BUSHFLY?!" Her yelling caught me on guard, then he stood up and yelled back as I saw green spit coming out of his mouth.
"YES YOU DID, YOU BRACEFACE, PLASTIC ASS BITCCHHHHHH!!!!!!!" Then those two scuffled with another.
"Oh, boy.....Here we go again." One girl said to herself as she also sat behind me next to Armando and I heard the two talk.
"Have you heard: We're doing bomb procedures."
"We aren't doing that." She had a slight Finnish accent whenever she spoke to people.
"How you know that?"
"I have a hunch." She said those four words, I hated being noisy in general, but whenever she spoke: I had to listen
Her voice was smooth as honey.....
You got all of that from a hunch? Man, I wished I could have a hunch like that.....And you could probably see my pulse just going up and down.....I can't really see her right now; I'm hoping her hero costume is better than mine.
I thought romantically as everyone stopped being so rowdy and disrespectful to each other. Our teachers walked into the room, they were feeling dandier than ever, with smiles on their face.
Well, Mr. Lewis's face. "Good Morning, class!" Mr. Lewis greeted our class happily while Mr. Minami casually said with a deep voice "Yo."
"Okay," Mr. Minami started to tell us the information. "I'm positive that you all know what is going to happen, but let me give you a reminder to be—-"
"Are you ready to shoot the rockets or what?!" New Glory interrupted your flying onto the room, just prancing in the air. Everyone except a few cheered for him.
"Uh—Good Morning Salamanders!" Chief Apex greeted us softly and waved his hand in a way that combated the more energetic tone with
I immediately rose up from my sit, for he was here.
Chief Apex is here! OMG!OMG!OMG!OMG! I was freaking out from the inside since my favorite hero—my idol, my HERO since I was five, was standing right in front of us.
In front of me, looking at me as every kid in the classroom whooped for him.
He's so tall!!!!! The Character Profile Card my.....brother got for me said he was six-two; uhhhhh—but I beginning to think that card had a misprint now.
"So they are teachers this year!" This one kid, Armando Ayala, yelled out his thoughts completely out, he sat behind me and he wasn't a bad-looking guy. If he did not doubt constantly——He could get some respect for even that one girl from the Griffons.
Then again: Who am I to talk? I could speak a word without me stuttering.
Armando made New Glory grin a bit.
I know he's supposed to be one of the good guys and he's known to be Chief Apex's best friend, but there's something off about him. Beneath that smile of his, he's definitely shady. Those blue eyes of his, they just have bit of a....shadiness.
"I'm pleased that your teachers are allowing us to monitor and analyze what the next generation of heroes can currently do under our supervision." Chief Apex said, he was standing taller than ever.
I guess it was where they worked together———speaking in a duo. "I'll let my old friend New Glory finish this off before we get into the good part."
"Alright, kids," New Glory took over once Chief Apex finished his part. "What we need you all to do is get changed and meet us at Entrance F.1, you have about twenty minutes!"
And we followed their orders so unhesitatingly.
———Later———
Entrance F.1: Otherwise known as the Forest Area.
An ordinary forest trapped in a dome-like fashion.
Everyone looks so amazing and I just have this
Qiqao on. It's so basic and unoriginal unlike the others.
Marcus has this really cool ninja garb while the pants were surrounded by purple cloudswith this wrist blade on his right. To make sure his identity wasn't shown——he wore a black mask.
That costume has been his dream since the day he fell in love with the idea of being a shinobi.
Reza wore this purple army vest with these metal shoulder pads and grey camp pants, he had hair gel in his hair, making it greasy and standing up straight. He also didn't have his glasses on. He looked neat even without glasses.
Jordyn was really into the Shinto ways, wearing what the priest wore in maintaining a Shinto Shrine.....Like a....Like a....
Shinshoku!
Yeah: She hated gender norms like since Miko were shrine maiden. Yeah: She's the first female shinshoku in her family. Jordyn Himasaki is a big deal.
Her costume also was stylish since she wore these extravagant shoes that she made herself, and the undersides of her robe were red.
My best friend, Funka Berunji, has got to have the best costume here out of us because how technical it was.
Hands down. It was so flashy, as the copper and black in her suit went so good together.
Her gauntlets were heavy-looking and were also in her legs, Cooper as well. She said she loved fighting in the air doing twirlers and barrel rolls, so the company also designed leg bracers to go with her gauntlets. They had these green oval in each center of them.
And copper knee pads.
She had copper-colored knee pads on. And copper-color shoulder pads that were advanced and could be used other than defending.
Sure, it was likely made by the same company who made her dad's costume. More than likely, but it's the most advanced outfits here.
She also concealed her face with a black domino mask that came with a device that hid her right ear, her burnt orange hair was still out for the sore eyes.
It reminded me of a Duracell battery——an extremely badass Duracell Battery that can blow up stuff like bedrock or concrete.
If you have connections: You can go anywhere in life so easily.
And there's Ryoji: Wow.
I just get the goosebumps every time I see his Bonded Form like that. Everything about it was so....So....Badass!!
The horns like a ram, the scarf made out of flames, blue tusks, and the spikes on the end of his tail.
I didn't known what alabaster was a stupid version of white.
I thought it was a cool version of red. I like red——it can be bold and striking.
"Cool uniform! You're the Heart-Bond I keep hearing about, right?" New Glory complimented Ryoji, standing beside and gave him a nice pad on the back, and look at him in anger or...something more than anger.
"....We are." He answered back by not looking at him, it was noticeable that a few people looked at them.
"I heard you got the perfect score and I feel it's an honor meeting a young man like you.
".....You heard right."
"When you get older and get a hero license——I would like to do an internship with Valiance. I think you would fit excellently in the team. What do you say?" He proposed to Ryoji, leaving his gloved hand for him to shake together.
Ryoji just looked at his hand, he didn't even shake his hand.
Shake his hand, dude!! I wanted to yell out. You just got offered a spot on the best hero team of America and you're leaving hanging? Man, Ryoji: You really are a trip.
"I don't work well with man-children and hypocrites like you."
And his eyes changed when Ryoji refused the offer, people that were watching began to get scared for the Heart-Bond.
That guy can throw a tank from here to Saturn in just twelve seconds——Does Ryoji know who he's disrespecting? I was getting worried about him.
"Sorry——I'm twelve years old." He apologized to New Glory, smiling at him as he continued. "I don't know what I'm saying at times, I have been starting on drinking Monster. I've been feeling a little jumpy."
Thank god Chief Apex is here.
He's the only one that could hold New Glory in case he went rogue.
It took a second before things have calmed down a bit. "You should keep away from Monster. It'll give you diabetes and rotten teeth."
And the union soldier hero brushed it off, and my best friend came into the frame.
"How does it all....." Funka was asking as she waved her heavy, copper-colored gauntlets while trying express herself.
"Work? I know it's in a forest but what exactly are we supposed to do here?"
"I'm glad you asked, Ms.Burenji, so the training procedure is known as the Cult Takeover Procedure." New Glory said charmingly, returning back to his friendly demeanor and Chief Apex took over. "The Cult Takeover And Seizure Procedure, the actual name for today's training. It goes like this——The heroes got a call about the whereabouts of a cult—in a forest, and it's quite simple." My idol explained, getting a small device out of his pocket and held it up for all of us to see. "There will be eight teams going up against each other in a village; One team has this device and another has this chalice," He showed off four golden chalices for the cult members.
"Capture all of the major cult members; or put this device on their chalice. That is the hero's objective. Defeat all of the heroes; or make sure that your forty minutes are up to defend it. The cultists have twenty androids that can be used to assist them during this, however: Activating one reduces one minute off."
"How that's fair to the other team?" Kadoku asked his superior, he wore a trench coat with these golden pogo stick-like legs, and wearing a neon-green visor for his eyes.
"Well——I said forty minutes for the cultists to defend the chalice. The hero team can take as up as time as they want." Clarified Chief Apex as many them nodded in agreement of it.
That makes a lot more sense now.
The monitor was turned and showed us the eight teams we're gonna be in:
.......................................
Team A——1. Regis Luxulric
Team B——Takeo Fukuazan, Ryoji Kazama, Su-Jin Nieswurz, Akina Willoby
Team C——Armando Ayala, Cecilia Harmaajärvi, Sanda Machipaku
Team D—— Kemp Kingsley, Masaru Nagata, Dakarai Theron
Team E——Sera Bishop, Marcus Duncannon, Jordyn Himasaki, Cade Kikaishin
Team F——Helene Beaumont, Funka Berunji, Kadoku Haritoka
Team G—— Hrishti Khatun, Beri Alliyma Sosa, Taig Thomas
Team H——Sasha Arkhangel, Tsurugi Tetsumaki, Shun Yamaguchi
.......................................
The monitor showed us what teams we were supposed to be on.
I'm on a team with Takeo, Ryoji and Su-Jin. I'm the redundant one on the this team.
Do they really need someone like me?
And why is Regis...Right. I remember now——He's overpowered.
"The first ones to go are....Team B vs Team F!!!!!" New Glory announced, shocking all of us as he held us the cards "B" and "F".
Oh no——I'm going against Funka?! And Haritoka too?! And that Beaumont girl?!
Oh boy.......I'm either gonna die by: A [explosion], B [Molecular Acid] and C, I can't remember what her power is.....
Either way——I need to stand my ground.
———Track 22 Ended———