"Shit! He hit critical zero!" Sledge cried out as she looked at the wild boy.
"What is that?" Ren turned to her with a question.
"People who just got their powers are not considered full-fledged overhumans. They are on "level zero" where a surge of emotion can overpower the human mind and send you into a berserker rage." Sledge explained as he watched Ken squeeze Blitzes neck.
"Nice! Then he'll win!" Marco cheered his classmate on, who answered by growling at him, scaring the soul out of Marco.
"He might win you the round, but he is a mindless killer right now. He's not going to stop at killing us, he'll go after all of you too." Sledge was ready to go in and help her friend.
"That's not so different from his regular self!" Marco said jokingly. Ken looked at them with eyes that resembled a rabid animal more than a person.
"He really lost it! What are we going to do!?" Ren asked looking at Hook for an answer.
"Nothing. Blitz still got this!" Hook said confidently.
"Look at your friend's state! There is more blood outside of his body then inside!" Ren stood there confused by Hook's calmness.
"Perfect for his power!"
"What do you mean?"
"You saw how after the first hit from Ken, Blitz got way faster and kicked your friend around? That's his power! The more injured he is, the faster he gets! He calls this power Pump it!"
As Blitz hears that, he grins through the blood. "Yeah, it's time to activate it. My Pump it!" Blitz kicked Ken off of himself then disappeared. Ken landed and turned his attention to the next opponent he saw. Coincidentally that would be Ren. He lunged at him but before he could reach him, he was knocked back. Ken stood up and tried again, but he suffered the same fate again. Confused by the seemingly invisible foe he let out a roar, like a lion, then listened for signs of Blitz. Rustling in bushes, breaking branches anything that could point him to the enemy. The signal came in the form of a punch from his right. Then from his left, right again, and this repeated for dozens if not hundreds of times.
"Ken! Oh my god! How is he still standing?" Ginna moaned out of empathy.
"I think he already lost, right?" Terry said with tears in his eyes.
Luna's expression was of worry for his friend, but also of betrayal from her classmates because she felt like they lost fate in Ken. "Hey Ken!" Luna screamed at her friend. Ken's blank face turned to her for a second, listening to her words. "Who is the strongest?" Ken let out a devilish cackle at Luna's question. He took a deep breath and screamed. "MEEEEEEE!" Ken timed Blitzes next hit correctly and caught his opponent by the head and slammed him into the ground, shattering it under his skull. Blitz caught up blood as he bounced back from the cracked ground.
"He actually caught Blitz!"
"Unbelievable!"
Ken raised his arm. This time the same glow that surrounded his hair appeared around his fingers extending like a blade of flames. "That's new! We never seen him use it on his hand before." Luna was aghast at Ken's terrifying new technique.
Ken ready to strike down let out one final grin before attacking Blitz.
"Ken!" This time Ren shouted at him. Concern clouded his eyes as he looked at his friend's animalistic expression. "Spare him!" These words from Ren confused Ken. He stopped for a second, before fury took over his mind. Offended by Ren's words he stood up and started walking towards Ren. "WEAK!" Ken Growled at his classmate.
"Behind you Ken!" Luna shouted, but it was too late. Blitz stood up and with one heel kick to the back of Ken's head he knocked his opponent out.
Ken's face was firmly planted in the ground. Blitz took a step on Ken's head and walked nonchalantly to his friends. He spit out some blood then sat down next to Sledge.
"Call it." He said to Sledge, panting.
"The winner is Blitz!" Sledge rung the bell.
Luna ran to her friend's aid kneeling next to him. "What did you do Ren!?" She turned to her classmate.
"I saved a man's life! And to be honest Ken's too!" Ren explained as he was approaching them carefully. "If Ken managed to kill Blitz, what will stop the rest of them from killing him in revenge?"
Luna looked at Hook and the others.
"This was a test not of your powers but of your character. In a world of constant battles led by greed and poisoned by ambition, you are a true warrior only if you know mercy." Hook explained throwing some bandages to Luna.
She caught them and with the help of Ren they started bandaging Ken. But as the boy was carefully wrapping his head, he felt a coldness from Ken's skin that told him something was off. He felt at his neck... "Luna check his wrist" He ordered her. She touched her wrist nervously, but nothing. Ken's heart has stopped. Luna took a distressed glance at her friends before jumping on Ken and starting chest compressions.
"The critical zero combined with Blitzes attacks was too much for him!" Hook and Sledge looked at each other concerned.
"Come on Ken!" Luna screamed, but to no avail. The others surrounded them, with most of their classmates holding back tears. "Somebody do something!"
Ginna was suddenly struck by an idea. "This worked on my grandma once!" She knelt down to him and slapped him on the face. "Wake up Ken!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. Luna put her hand on her mouth with tears in her eyes.
"If you can't help just get away from my friend. All of you." Luna looked around maddened by rage and mourning.
Ginna placed a hand on Ken to stand up and walk away, but it was quickly pulled back by Luna.
"Keep it there Ginna! I think I saw his wounds close!" Luna held Ginna's hands there with her own which were shaking with intensity. Ginna's hands began glowing with a pink energy as she held it on Ken's chest. It didn't take long for Ken's face to get back some of its color and structure. His eyes opened and he sprung up next to his friends.
"What happened?" Ken looked around at his friends confused.
"You almost killed us and then you had the audacity to almost die on us! That's what happened!" Luna hugged him tightly.
"Okay. Okay! But I'm still here. Just let me rest a bit." Ken patted his friend on the back and laid back on the ground immediately falling asleep. They had no time to rest though as Ginna fainted next to them falling into Ren's arms. "What is it now?!"
"Ginna wake up!" Rosa screamed at her friend, shaking her body. The distress the kids suddenly felt was juxtaposed by Hooks confident smile.
"Don't worry! Give her this and she'll be fine!" Hook threw what looked like a chocolate bar at Ren.
Ginna's eyes opened slightly to the sweet smell coming from the hand-wrapped snack. She tore the packaging off and swallowed the food in one bite. And, like a flower in pouring rain after a long drought, she sprung up with life and vigor.
"What did I give her?" Ren looked at Hook, questioning the sudden improvement.
"Nothing special! It was one of my homemade calorie-bomb bars!"
"What's in it, cheetah blood?"
Hook held his belly, laughing. "No really, it's just a calorie bomb. You see healing is one of the most useful and common overhuman abilities. But there's usually a tradeoff when they heal, most of the time it's energy. And if they want to heal someone they need to recharge. A healer needs to eat much more than a regular person or overhuman."
"I see so just a protein bar and she's fine? Good!" Niel was relieved by her sudden recovery.
"That being said, the severity of Ken's wounds would suggest one of those would not help her for long. Which would mean…" As Hook was explaining the situation, Ginna was jumping around when suddenly she fell on her face going stiff like a brick. "…a crash." Hook took out ten more calorie-bomb bars and threw it in front of Ginna, who again gobbled down all of them in rapid succession.
"I LIVE!" Ginna screamed with nine of the ten packaging in her hands and one dangling out of her mouth, which Rosa quietly removed.
"I see, but did she heal him fully? Will Ken be okay?" Luna looked at her friend who looked more peaceful than ever.
"Watch, could you look take a look at him?" Hook asked his teammate.
Watch casually walked over to the boy's body, his eyes went blue for a second as he looked Ken up and down. "He still has some cracked ribs, but other that it's the exhaustion that keeping him down."
"All of his wounds are healed except some ribs! This healer girl is impressive!" Hook remarked as he squatted down next to Ken. "You know this is the first time I got a chance to look at his face properly. He seems familiar."
"You fought a hundred fools with the same temperament. He looks like half of them." Watch crossed his arms as he looked away from Hook.
"You might be right! Your eyes never fail!" Hook stood up and smacked him on that back, which almost knocked Watch on the ground.
"If you say he'll be fine than I'm not worried, but I still would like to know why you'd be so adamant on helping us." Luna pushed her question.
"Our master taught us that this world seems cruel, but the thing poisoning it is actually people's cruelty." Watch explained. Then Hook continued. "He taught us to nurture the next generation of overhumans into less cruel people or if they seem heartless, make sure they'll never use their power again."
"So are you guys ready to be trained by us?" Hook clapped his hands to get the attention of everyone. The children looked around, some more confident than other. The powerless of the group were the most uneasy about the situation, but someone as experienced as Rosa looked fearful too. She sought reassurance in Ren's eyes.
Ren seeing these looks took a rock by his feet and stared at it for a second. I know how afraid they must be. So am I. That's why we need these guys! I'm sorry guys. I'll be a bit selfish in a way. Ren squeezed the rock and smashed it into his palm. Blood began to pool in his palm as he winced from the sharp pain.
"Ren what are you doing?" Rosa cried out.
Ren stood up holding out his bleeding hand and walked up to Hook. "My name is Ren Sciron, and I put my life into your hands! Please teach us!"
Hook was shaken by Ren's actions, but in the corner of his mouth there was an impressed smile. He turned one of his fingers into a hook and poked his palm, to draw blood. After that he shook his hand carefully not to hurt the boy.
"And I'm..." Hook paused for a second as he realized he hadn't said his name yet. "Now that you mention it, we're yet to introduce ourselves properly."
"What do you mean?"
"You don't really think those are our names?" Hook chuckled.
"Well, you are the first people we met outside of the village so I guessed you guys were just bad at naming." Ren shrugged as he let go of Hooks' hand.
"My name is Ronald Lacy Clay. My power is to turn my body parts into Hooks." Ronald flexed his bicep into a row of hooks.
"My name is Roger; I can turn my limbs into medicine balls."
"I'm Otto Blumstein! The more injured I get the faster I get. As Hook said that's my Pump it power!"
"I'm Britta Cage. I'm a hammer human." She turned her hand into a sledgehammer before
"And I am Watch."
"Come on! Introduce yourself!" Hook nudged his friend.
Watch let out a deep sigh. "I am Miru Kyo. My vision is a complicated power, and I don't want to go into detail."
"And together we are the Five Champions! Now that we're on a first name basis, let's train!" Hook enthusiastically grabbed the shoulders of the passive Watch and the tired Blitz.
Luna walked up to Ren, who had his hand healed by Ginna, while she was munching on a jerky she found in Marco's backpack. "You might've convinced us to go along with them, but we still need to tell Sun about this."
"Oh, I remember you guys saying that your actual boss is in hospital. How bad are his injuries?" Hook proposed the question.
"My brother is not in as bad of a shape as Blitz, but he has a huge scar on his face."
"I see… we are sorry… but now that we are here, you'll be alright!" Hook pointed a thumbs up towards Luna who looked at him embarrassed.
"By the way, who was the one who attacked you?" Watch interviewed the kids.
"He called himself Bug Guy!" Ginna explained with mystique and fear in her voice.
"It was Mantis. We called him Bug Guy." Luna smacked her classmate in the head.
"Mantis huh?" Watch's eyes widened.
"What is it Watch? You know something about that bug fellow?" Hook leaned towards his friend.
"He's a member of the Ever Family. Bloodthirsty as they get. It's a miracle you guys all survived."
"Ever Family?" Ren repeated the name intrigued.
"Otherwise known as the hooded ones. A global terrorist organization responsible why even the toughest overhumans look behind their back at night. Stealing, killing, conquering is all that they are known for." Blitz squeezed his fists as he looked in the distance.
"And you say he was alone?" Watch continued to pry.
"Yes… but he was more than enough."
"And where were you when you got your powers?"
"At the old church ruins." Ren answered before correcting himself. "I had a weird encounter a couple of months before that. I entered-" Ren's answer was suddenly interrupted by Rosa.
"Ren! I think the church ruins was a solid answer!" She said with sweat building up on her forehead.
Watch looked at them suspiciously, but he pried no further. "It's still odd. Hooded ones travel in threes. I never seen one alone."
"One or three it doesn't matter anymore! We are here and the sooner you guys start your training the faster you'll close the distance between you and Mantis!" Hook encouraged everyone.
"All you can think of is training!" Sledge scolded the man like a little kid.
"Cleaners this! Ever Family that! Those guys are not here right now, but we are! Now everyone gives me all the push-ups you can do!"
"All of them? Even a thousand wouldn't be enough?" Terry asked in disbelief.
"Not if you can do a thousand and one! You stop when you pass out!"
"I'm already out." Faul murmured lying on the ground.
"Well then it's time for you to get up!" Hook kicked Faul in the butt, caught him mid-air and held him upt o eye level. "You will do all you can, or I'll promise, you won't have a good night's sleep again!"
Faul almost choked on his saliva as the piercing gaze of Hook pressed down on him. Hook let go of the boy who immediately started doing push-ups.
"That's better! Ahhahha! Now you all follow your friend!" Hook ordered everyone in line and as they all saw the look, he gave to Faul, they followed the command.
All of the kids with the exception of Rosa were surprised how light their body felt. Press after press they just felt the ease akin to a movement they did as frequently as walking.
"What do I see? Our first failure?" Hook walked up to Terry who was on the ground panting.
"I cannot do anymore! Ninety-nine is all I can do!" Terry cried out as his arms were limp next to him.
"Come on! There is definitely more in you!" Hook grabbed Terry by the back of his shirt and pulled him up until his hands could barely reach the ground. "Now do one more." He assisted the frail boy with one more rep.
"This is it for real! I have nothing in the tank!"
"Don't say that!" Hook lifted him up again.
"Please it hurts!"
"Just ten more!"
"TEN?!" Terry would've run away if he could but the man held him firm, by his shirt.
"The more you wait the more I'll ask for!"
Terry, realizing the trouble he was in he did what he thought he couldn't. He completed ten more pushups.
"Just so you know I didn't help with that last one. That was all you Terry!" Hook released the child proudly.
The others turned to Terry while they were still doing push-ups, as they feared what would happen if they stopped. "I did that?" Terry turned around on his back.
"Yeah! What was your record as a regular human?"
"Eleven."
"But on his knees." Marco added from the sidelines.
"Then I'd say, you've gotten more than ten times stronger! Congratulations!" Hook fist bumped Terry's limp arm. "And this is what I want from all of you! Your all! It's not an exact measure but It can tell us how much the powers enhanced your physical strength. Rise above your limits as humans! That is what being an overhuman means!"
Maria entered the Sciron household in the dead of night. Ren was fast asleep, unlike his brother who opened his bedroom door and leaned on the doorframe.
"You made it back quick! Now you can tell me what the hell is happening." Lendo stared down his mother with worried eyes.
"Nothing you should concern yourself with." Maria turned to look at her son. Her glance was cold and imposing.
"You know that's not true. Dad has been away for a while now; you cannot take all the burdens alone."
"Lendo. If you want to help me, just keep yourself to the promise you made." Lendo's face went blank at the order his mother gave to him. He turned around silently and closed the door.
Maria sighed deeply then walked into Ren's room quietly. The boy was snoring and wheezing in his sleep, clearly tired from the happenings of this long day. She took a knee next to her son, adjusting his hair a bit then placing her hand on his forehead. "Be good Ren, that's all I ask. I'll take care of everything else."
The training continued with the help of the Five Champions. This would become a regular activity the children would attend together. Out of the thirteen kids, four are yet to awaken their powers. Niel, Marco, Iiwa and Vhiz. The latter three would soon awaken their powers. As for Niel... Medicine should be thankful he didn't have his power when they were battling.