Young Writers Society

Victor Shang | Encounter: Scirocco

The plotting with Jorah had been okay. Really, Jorah wasn't as intimidating as some of the other members of Team A. (cough, cough, L) But Victor sensed tension in everything the team members did. They didn't work that well together; Walt and Kat had said as much already.

Nonetheless, by the time a huge, rocky bullet crashed into the sand volleyball courts, all of the team's preparations had been completed. Holes in the ground? Check. Basic fighting moves learned? Also check.

A kid, blonde with a funny cloak, fell from Scirocco's grasp, out cold. That must have been Evatt, from first hour. Weird kid, obsessed with magical chemistry, but Victor still felt a pang of sympathy for him. It would suck to get beaten up by such a crazy-looking swordsman. And... it would probably happen to Victor.

Scirocco was done waiting now that he'd dropped his baggage. He glanced around the small arc the team had automatically formed, a wide grin forming on his face.

"I guess I'll give you all the benefit of the first attack," he said, sounding far too calm for Victor's liking. He felt his knees going wobbly, and only his teammates' stern faces kept him from fleeing.

A glance at Kat showed that she was already orchestrating their first wave of attacks. Her eyes flicked towards Jorah and a few other team members, then back to Scirocco. All the while, Victor heard sarcastic comments about his team's lameness buzzing over the radio waves.

Suddenly, with autonomy that seemed very unlikely for the team, five people dived towards the council member. Jorah, of course, immediately called water from all the holes in the ground, sending it towards the sandy swordsman with all his might. Rain began pattering down, slow at first, but quickly escalating, courtesy of Isi. Everything was wet, and muddy, and fast-paced, and Victor felt beyond useless.

Though it seemed like several minutes, Victor knew only a few seconds had passed before Scirocco fought back. Air furled outwards, crashing into the immediate attackers, sending them flying backwards. Somehow, a few had gotten light cuts.

"You know," Ruby said, panting as she slid to a halt next to Victor, "we could have used your help."

There was no response to that. Kat had taught everyone some basic martial arts for a reason, but he hadn't gotten her signal to jump in, and even if he had... Victor shuddered. He would have been to cowardly to really fight hand-to-hand. Watching as the council member socked Jessica's jaw with a fist of wind, Victor wondered if there was anything he could do.

Then it hit him. This was like the stadium. There were bleachers, and a box on top... Victor looked up further and felt his lips curl into a smile. Speakers. Giant speakers. He only needed to turn them on.

Isi/volleyball courts

I throw back another few gulps of bourbon and climb up on my big rock when I hear a big thud. Jorah comes to stand next to me, and when the dust clears, I take in the form of Scirocco. Quickly, I summon a few good storm clouds to me and let lightning crackle I. The twilight air ominously. The rain picks up speed and lashes my face with power. I release my control and let the storm do what it wants to, except for keeping rain off of L. Kat urges everyone to attack, and I pull even more storm clouds to me. As the rain blurs my vision, I squirm with the effort of fighting the change to a mermaiden. Suddenly, the speakers crackle to life and a high pitched stream of white noise flows through them. nearly everyone falls to their knees, including Victor, who I supposed was creating this. I stay standing; after all, my screams were usually a lot higher pitched. Eventually, the noise dies away, and the fighting resumes. Scirocco takes out almost everybody. I watch as scirocco sends the winds out, searching for movement. Taking my scale, I flash light in his eyes, but he only closes them.

Feeling pathetic, I slump. Then, an idea strikes me. Why not go where scirocco cannot manipulate the wind? I pull a good lightning bolt from the sky and lead it to the ground. The sand crackles into Amber glass, but my distraction works. Everyone looks at the bolt, and in the mean time, I start stripping my boots. One by one, each piece of clothing on my bottom half works it's way off of me except my skirt. I slip off the rock and put my legs into one of the holes that still has water in it. The change is immediate, and I tug my skirt off over my tail. Keeping a good hold on my knife, I plunge into the freezing cold water. When I reach the bottom of my pit, I turn sideways and start digging. I come across a root and hack at it with my knife. Finally, I gain a foot of free land. I swim into my tunnel in progress and shiver as the closeness of the space overtakes me. Breathe. You are fine. You can get out. My claustrophobia recedes, and I continue on, faster than before. I angle towards scirocco, and when I hear the sound of battle above me, I stop digging, turn around as best as I can, and go back. Heaving myself onto the sand, I let myself stay in my changed state to prevent any nudity. I drag myself into the big rock and watch. All I needed was for scirocco to put one foot on my tunnel. I'd zap it with a bolt, it would collapse, and scirocco would be in four feet of water. Watching the battle, I sing to myself softly. I consistently flash light into sciroccos eyes, but he just closes them and keeps going. His brow furrows as he listens to me hum above the din of the fight. I put words to my tune, singing one of the oldest and simplest siren songs.

hey, you there, Sailor
Where ye going sailor
Yes, you there sailor,
Traveling long.

I turn up the charm in my voice, letting the song fall softly from my lips. I subtly angle my scale so a beam on light falls on me, illuminating me from the side. I had lost all of my power to manipulate with my song, but a pretty girl and a song go a long way.

Evoltrick - Team Bee - Freakin' super high platform, Aftermath.

"Yeah, I've had enough of your buffing."
"Darn it. Darn it. Darn it. DARN. IT!"
Evoltrick's teammates heard him the last time and turned back to discover an utterly frustrated Gimmick Hunter behind them.
This whole situation brought back a bad memory to the boy's mind: him, dressed as a clown, silently crying, attached to a pole and being laughed at by kids while stoically receiving rocks on the face and chest despite the tears of sheer rage running down his cheeks.
"No...No. Never again."
The worse part about this is that he couldn't even blame or hate Scirocco. He was only doing his job. Was acting like a complete jerk part of his job? Most certainly. He was supposed to push them to their limits after all. He couldn't even blame his teammates as well, because they all did a good job. No, he could only blame his own helplessness and overconfidence. He actually thought they had a chance, and forgot that Scirocco wasn't serious at all the whole time.
"You alright?" asked Ryou in front of him.
"Haha, yeah, I'm SO alright! answered Evoltrick bitterly. The stone's too close to my body, so can't risk teleporting. My hands and feet are frozen, so can't use any Gimmicks, and Panzaro is still down there, unconscious. Oh, and do I need to mention Scirocco and Evatt's disappearance and us trapped on this platform? Hah, Probably not, no!"
A sarcastic laugh followed by a dramatic sigh ended his answer. Then he noticed Bea's gaze and hardened his.
"Oh you stop looking at me like that right. Now! I am not a weakling, I am not a circus clown and none of this, None of this is your fault! We knew he was playing with us all along, but we forgot. He just brutally reminded us who he really was."
"What the heck is that all about? intervened Henrietta. Yelling at your own captain won't fix anything. Calm down and think! Nobody said you were a weakling or a circus clown! You're usually the one finding a crazy solution for us!"
Evoltrick stared at her in silence and took a deep breath.
"Not bad, for a hot-headed brawler," he admitted. "Okay. I... I'm sorry, it's just... Oh, never mind. I think I have a way to free myself from this situation. Stay away, guys."
"We can free you dude, don't worry about..."
"No!" he brutally interrupted. "No. I'm freeing myself. This is my trial. Let me handle it."
Evoltrick closed his eyes. while focusing, he could establish a mental communication with any of his G-Golems. This ability also worked with anyone equipped with one of his G-Orb, including Tahl, Astasia... And Panzaro.
"Yo, big boy! I seriously need your help right now. Think you can fly up to me?"
A weak but determined cry resonated in Evoltrick's mind, and he smiled.
"You guys should definitely fall back," he repeated to his teammates. They followed his instructions and, a few minutes later, a tired Panzaro appeared and directly flew to his master, to the latter's satisfaction.
"Nice one, Panzaro! Okay. Now take the Amethyst Armor and shoot a Yellow Shell at me.
"The yellow shell doesn't explode, right?" asked Astasia.
"Nope. Thanks for the concern, but I'll be fine," assured Evoltrick. Now, Panzaro... Do it!"
"The bird's armor became purple and he charged up a big golden shell-looking projectile. A few seconds later, the projectile was released and hit Evoltrick's stone prison so hard that the boy was expelled out of it, and out of the platform. Several of his teammates screamed in horror upon seeing him falling to his death, but a familiar ring of energy encircled him and he disappeared. He reappeared on the platform, slightly damaged.
"The stone took the hit for me," he explained." And frankly, I have lots of ways to avoid dying from such a fall."
"And do you have any idea to take us out of here?" asked Bea with hope.
"As a matter of fact, I do, but... I don't think we should follow Scirocco right now. He said - and proved - that he could basically block and repel everything we could do, and we need to plan our next move, giving up being out of the question. Plus, the other team's probably going to fight him, and if we really have to follow Wade's idea of teaming up with them, let's at least rest for a while."
"Alright, I'm definitely okay with that idea." approved Bea. "Nice to see you're back to your usual self, Trixter. But, um... Could you at least bring us down? Kinda cold in here.
"Aye, Captain."
A G-Orb materialized in his hands.
"Ah, I missed doing that already..."
"Gimmick Switch! Setup: "Hero of Winds!"
A white, odd-looking baton appeared in Evoltrick's hand, and he proceeded swiftly moving it in different directions, as if commanding an orchestra.
"What are you...?" started Astasia.
A sudden twister appeared on the platform and engulfed the whole team. Regardless of their screams, Evoltrick kept his focus and directed it to the ground below them. The twister softly reached its destination, with the team brutally crashing into the sand, save Evoltrick himself.
"Ballad of Gales, explained the boy as his teammates confused stares were locked on him. "By using the Wind Waker, this song allows me me to harness the power of a godly cyclone to transport me and anyone else to a place I've already visited. Including the Academy. The boy I was supposed to track down fled once or twice using this spell, so I replicated it, along with a few other of his abilities and equipment."
"Alrighty then," said Bea, coughing. "So now we know we can go to the Academy without any problem... Well, putting aside the...Weird bus we're gonna take to go back. So, um... Commence Operation: Nasty Plot!"
"Aye, Captain!" was the team's unified answer.

Raven Lebeau|Office and later Volleyball Courts|

I stared into my lap, avoiding the gaze of the boy sitting a few chairs away from me. He looked completely and utterly normal. Probably had complete control over his powers. Whereas I...well, I was the red and black eyed girl with a white streak in her hair wearing gloves in eighty degree weather. He couldn't have been another Nightcrawler who would understand my discomfort, could he?

Still, this was an academy for superheros. There will be other weird looking kids here too. I wrapped my fingers around the metal bo staff at my waist, currently collapsed so it's about a foot long. The feel of it was soothing-Ma and Pa gave it to me as a present when I left home. Pa'd been training me on his, but I never thought I'd be getting one of my own. I promised them I'd use it well.

Wonder Woman entered. "I'm sorry for the wait. Gareth Gray and Raven Lebeau? You two will have a lot of catching up to do in your classes."

Gray. I tried to think if I had heard that last name anywhere. Besides Jean Grey, who I was pretty sure was dead again at around the time this boy had to be born. No. Must be from another universe, like Wonder Woman.

"Here are your schedules and rooms. You'll have to get the work you missed later, too. We have the list of extracurriculars on the back, if you want to join any." She handed us each a couple slips of paper. "You should go get settled in."

I glanced over my papers as we left the office. Bowser Hall. Looks like the X-Men have them convinced I'm a bad girl. My frown deepened as I look over my schedule. Anti-villainy education? I suppose I did have trouble telling who the bad guys are, but at least I've never helped the same one twice. Studies in Energy I could understand, but with Professor Summers? He was the X-Man who pushed the most to get me sent here.

Ma and Pa did say I should try and make friends here, but I'm not sure how. Still, Gareth might be willing to talk, if I can make conversation. I didn't want to talk about powers though.

I mumbled, barely loud enough to hear, "Ah'm in Studies in Energy, Caring for Companions, Overcoming Loss, and...Anti-Villainy Education. An' you?" I blushed. My accent was showing again.

"Same, except I'm not in Caring for Companions."

I smiled a little. "Good. At least there'll be someone Ah know in most my classes." The hallways were virtually empty, I noticed when I looked up briefly. "Where is everyone?"

"Busy. What are you two doing out and about?" A woman all in white approached. She literally was floating over the floor.

Gareth crossed his arms over his chest. "We just got here. Who are you?"

"Dutchess. I'm on the student council. You're freshmen, then. You should probably go to the volleyball courts."

Something wasn't right. "Why?"

"Freshmen volleyball tournament for bonding. It's a required event."
************************************************
We didn't really believe Dutchess, but neither of us wanted to get in trouble on the first day. Of course, when we arrived at the volleyball courts a fight was going on between about twenty students and one guy who was definitely holding his own.

"Who's the enemy?" I asked Gareth, just before the guy fighting on his own shot a blast of wind at us without even looking. Didn't seem like a particularly strong blast, since he was concentrating mainly on the people actually attacking him. But it was still an attack.

"That seems to answer that question," he said.

I sighed. "Ah didn't really want ta fight today." Taking my bo staff off my waist and twirling it so it extended to it's full length, I said, "But Ah think we're more likely to get in trouble if we don't."

I slipped off my gloves and picked up a handful of pebbles. Might stagger him, at least. They started to glow with a dark purple fire.

I chucked them at our mystyrious opponent, then raced to join the fray with my bo staff before he could pinpoint the direction it came from or regain his footing. Maybe he wouldn't be able to tell it was me. The longer I could keep my powers a secret in this fight, the more of an advantage I'd have.

Astasia- Team Bee-

I sat on my knees, running my fingers along the ground.

I wondered what my parents were doing right now. Maybe they were on vacation, or they were just working, like always. Or maybe they-

"Comfortable?" A familiar male voice asked, breaking up my train of thought.

I looked up quickly, then back down, a smile tugging at my lips. "I am."

"You okay?" He questioned, slumping down on the ground next to me while doing so.

I nodded once, letting the remaining gravel in my hand slither through my fingers. "What about you, Ryou? Are you okay?"

I noticed him looking at me from the corner of my eye, so I looked over at him.

"I'm fine." He replied, his face expressionless.

It was weird...I'd never fallen for a guy. Let alone a guy like him...

It'd only been a few weeks, but over those weeks, he'd really grown on me. And now...well, now I guess we're in some relationship.

"Is something bothering you?" He asked, tilting his head a bit, still expressionless.

I stayed silent for a few more seconds, but then smiled. "Nope."

Ryou sighed, and took took my hand in his. "Good."

He smirked at me, then stood up, releasing my hand before doing so. "I'm gonna go talk to Evoltrick. I'll talk to you later, kay, Stasia?"

I nodded, still smiling.

He spun on his heel, and walked off towards the others.

I didn't understand him completely. I mean, I liked him...he just confused me, sometimes.

I wondered if we were even official yet. Or if we even were anything. He held my hand, and hugged me sometimes...but what did it even mean?

I was new to this, so I didn't know anything about...well, anything. Maybe later I could ask Kat for some advice.

A sudden gush of air blew all of my hair to one side, and I look up at the other team. Still fighting.

Moving my legs out from under me, I sat on my butt, and started playing with the sand again.

Jorah

Jorah's headache was not getting any better, and likely wouldn't anytime soon. He wasn't getting as much from Tahl after the chaos of her battle, but that had been replaced by plenty of other problems. Particularly his own battle.

For the most part he was hanging back and playing support like he was supposed to, trying to keep the sand Scirocco might use damp and attempting to force the mud to shift under his enemies feet. It seemed a bit futile though. Scirocco was using the wind itself as a weapon and Jorah had nothing special to counter that. Also, he was pretty sure he had tripped one of the girls fighting when wet sand had shifted in an unexpected direction.

"Smack the sucker!"

That was his sister....Apparently the other team had made it down. He might thank her later for remembering not to talk in his head while he was trying to control so much water without her, but the suggestion wasn't helpful. He was good at just hitting things, but the people who were supposed to be doing damage we're already trying, and they couldn't get close either.

Scanning the field, he saw Walter Rogers nearly being knocked off his feet and backing away from the main fight. He caught Jorah's eye as he bent to scoop up a fistful of mud before jogging over.

"Can you suck the water out of this? Make it really solid?"

Jorah nodded, not sure what the point would be. He obeyed though, draining the water so it formed a small puddle in his hand and left an increasingly dry bit of packed sand in Walter's. Before the mud has turned to sand again, the son of Captain America drew back his arm like a pitcher and whipped the dirt clod at Scirocco.

Scirocco hadn't expected an attack from their direction, certainly not one like that. The projectile hit him in the face with a satisfying splattering sound. It probably hadn't hurt that much, but it did leave Scirocco distracted for the few precious it took for one of their teammates to get in a good uppercut.

Walter let out a whoop of victory that he'd actually hit his target, making Jorah smile behind his mask. That had been a pretty good move...But it was still just a ball of mostly mud, and Scirocco had noticed them. Jorah really hoped they had a chance to do it again before the council member came over for payback.

Walter:


The sand hit him square in the face and I let out a whoop! All those years of baseball had actually paid off- dad wasn't just living vicariously through me.... Go figure.

Then I realized something... 1) I just landed a hit, but more importantly 2) He was now looking right at me, crouching like a cat ready to spring on a mouse- and I was the mouse.

“Oh crap baskets.” I muttered, Jorah was standing beside me- eying me, “Jorah- hey you can control water right?” He nodded- never taking his eyes off our opponent who was circling our team- goading us.

“It depends... why?” I tap his shoulder and start running towards our captain,

“Follow me!”

Scirocco Floated above our team on his cloud of sand, hard little pellets of the stuff began raining down on us, Jorah and I dodged between them best we can- I still felt a few hit me- they felt like really hard paint ball bullets.

“Katarina!” I shouted skidded to a stop beside her- holding my shield above the three of us, “ I've got an idea, it's a bit of a crap shoot but.... I'm good at those.” I wink- remembering what happened in Prague last year with her and some other of us “Shield” kids. She looked up raising on of her brows high,

“Oh really?” I nodded,

“I mean there's no way to take this guy down one at a time but I might have a way where we can at least score a point.”

“I'm listening....” I grab her shoulder with my right hand and nod Jorah closer,

“We're at a disadvantage with us here on the ground and he's up in the air- none of us can really fly like he can- or at least none of us damage dealing kids can-”

“So we need to get him on the ground I get it- how? He's going to see any attack coming a mile away.”

“Not if we hide it! What if the water manipulators use their powers to make a thick fog. Then we get Jessica- Remember she's like the hulk- to throw me up there at him I doubt he's made that sand thing for two if I can grab him or knock him off the cloud, we might have a chance. if we can get him to the ground then we all can attack.- Maybe Vogel, can use his light control to make some kind of flash the second Jessica throws me to blind him? Or Dyre can make an illusion to trick him?”

“This is surprisingly well thought out for you Walt.... but what if we manage to get him to the ground what then?”

“We attack with all we got- but make sure he stays on the ground. Those who can do distance attacks can make sure he doesn't get away while us close quarter fighters go at him.”

“What if throwing you doesn't work.” Jorah asked, his voice muffled through his mask. I chewed my lip.

“Well, then how about Victor uses his abilities to make a concussive blast and knock him down that way? You got to agree we need to get him down where we can fight him.” Katarina eyed me for a long time, I could see her mind chewing on my words- working it out.

“Okay we'll do it- Jorah, go talk to Isi, Dyre, Raven- she can draw power- if she can lay hands on the son of a bitch she might be able to weaken them- I think they're over there behind the bleachers. Walter go talk to Jessica, and Victor- Oh and Vogel- Make sure they know the plan to a T- I'll talk to the others.... Ruby can cast spells maybe she's got some kind of binding spell- an L uses fire, if all else fails we toast his ass- like in Prague right Walter?”

Laughing I nod,

“Okay- When We tell everyone we'll signal, I'll sign to Katarina then she will signal you. Jorah- then you an Isi make the thickest fog you can okay? Wait for the signal.”

“Sure.... um, good luck.”

“Thanks, you too- Oh and Katarina?”

“What?”

“Amandine can make stuff out of nothing- Maybe she can make rope or chains if the spells don't work.”

With that we broke away from one another- I ran low to the ground- sand pelting my shield as I went, I found Jessica, Victor and Vogel an relayed our plans.

“Can you throw me that high do you think?” I asked her, her craggy brow knitted,

“Maybe... I an certainly try.” I grinned at her,

“Perfect- Victor the second you see I'm not going to be able to knock him down you do that sound thing okay? Hit me too if you need to- just get Scirocco off his sand cloud.

“right.”

“And Vogel- after you do the light get back and make sure not to get hit- if we get hurt we'll need you- okay kid?”

“Sure.” I took a deep breath and looked over at Kat and nodded, steeling myself for what was to come- this was going to hurt I just knew it.

Evoltrick - Team Bee - Academy, Volleyball courts

Evoltrick let out a sigh. Most of the team had decided to discretely return to the Academy - so no flashy entrance, much to the boy's annoyance - and cheer for the other team.
Well, part of Team Bee was cheering anyway, as the others were mostly resting. Evoltrick had been sitting cross-legged on the ground for a couple of minutes, all by himself. He felt the need to remain alone for a while, and he didn't think his teammates appreciated his foolish behavior moments ago. And he was still upset about the team's easy defeat and his own weakness, Not to mention he had to take his anger out on them of all people.
"That was clearly the wrong way to go..." he muttered to himself.
Panzaro gently chirped. He then flew to his master's shoulder and proceeded to repeatedly poke the Gimmick Hunter with his beak, thus showing his affection and support to him.
"Nah, I'm fine, big boy. You should rest too, you know. You took quite some damage back then. I'll summon you later, alright?"
Evoltrick pulled out his crimson G-Orb and, after a final melodious twitter, Panzaro disappeared.
The Gimmick Hunter sighed again and tried to focus on what he believed was important.
Why had he lost? Why wasn't he able to do anything, especially by the end?
With the amount of powers he had, and the ways he mixed and used them, he should have been able to do more. To...
"...Wait a minute..."
Evoltrick rose up and began walking in circles. Yes. Powers. That was the problem. True, he had many of those. True, he knew how to use them at the right moment. But he had so many choices and setups that he couldn't stop himself from testing a few of those in the middle of a fight. Some of his choices were recurring, which implied that he'd become predictable over time.
He stopped walking and suddenly remembered one of Master Red"s early lesson speech.
"I could have all the Pokemon I want and use them all if I wanted too. Yet I only use my personal team, and I defeat most of the skilled trainer who try their luck against me, despite their modern and powerful strategies. Why? How? Because I limit myself to the fullest and take advantage of those limitations in order to turn them into weapons. I don't use only one team because I don't have a choice. I use only one team because I choose to master it so well that the rest doesn't matter. After all, my Pokemon didn't change, but my strategies and their abilities sure did. I have more experience than any modern strategy that exists."
Evoltrick pulled out a pocket book and a multifunction pen from shoulder bag. He wasn't sure if he understood this lesson well, but it gave him an idea.
A wicked smile appeared on his lips as he started writting.

Experiment n°411: Gimmick Limitations
Codename: G.E.S.M.A.P (Gimmick Experimental Setup for Maximal Advanced Potential).
Goal: Limit myself to only a minimal number of Skill Replicates and use them to their max. abilities, while also limitating the loss of energy due to G-Orb overuse.
Minimum number of G-Orbs: 2.
Maximum number of G-Orbs: 6.

Pros:
- in theory, combat experience earned at faster pace with the GESMAP (Note: must add word to Gimmick Vocabulary) equipped;
- Battle Patterns created more easily, as limited choices forces different way of thinking;
- LOADS OF FUN TO TRY OUT;
- much less energy loss;
-Allow creation of useful GOS (Gimmick Original Setup) inside GESMAPs, said GOSs later forming their own setups, leading in more GESMAPs, more strategies, new Gimmicks and MORE EXPERIMENTS.

Cons:
- tremendous lack of abilities, variety partially lost;
- GOS will...

"May I ask you something?"
With frustration, Evoltrick suspended the movement of his pen and turned back to face Ryou. Instantly remembering his foolish outburst from last time, the Gimmick Hunter's frustration instantly vanished and was replaced with guilt.
"Yes, you may", he answered with a sorry smile. "I mean, it's the least I can say after... What happened before. So, what is it?"

L | Team KittyKat | Volleyball Courts

It would figure that the moment L looks down, Scicorro shows up.

He'd been looking down at the sand map he, Jorah and Victor were working on, determining best when Scicorro would show up. Then the bastard had the audacity to drop from the sky, from some warped hole or what-have-you, and crashed into the ground.

People screamed. L was up in an instant, hands alit with flames as he stared at their enemy. It was clear Scicorro was unconscious, if only temporarily, and L could tell that he'd suffered some damage by the hands of Team B.

Katarina started to bark orders. His teammates started to run around, the water-powered members using their abilities to draw the water from their hiding spots and dousing Scicorro. It weakened him, but it also made him wake up and he flew into the air.

"Idiots," L grumbled, angered that their enemy was now flying around like a damn fruit fly. They had the upperhand and now were at a disadvantage. "You should've saved the water for when he was in the air and let me at him while he was unconscious!" L yelled across the way too Kat, who paused long enough to give him the most hateful glare.

Then L was running across the courts, his eyes following the upperclassmen as he flew across the sky. Hands raised, he started to shoot small, controlled blue lightening bolts at Scicorro. Despite the sand pellets that were flung from his body and hurled to the ground, L was able to get a few hits in before Scicorro turned and flung a massive whirlwind at him.

L didn't avoid it in time. He flew across the court and was thrown down, all the air knocked out of him. It seemed Scicorro had thrown a Typhoon Fist at him.

L coughed and laid there for a moment, dazed. His head was pounding, as was his heart, and pain was in his bones. But despite that, there was a small drug rushing through his body, quickly numbing the pain and bringing his focus back. Adrenaline.

L managed to stand after a few minutes, catching his breath and watching as his teammates barely dodged Typhoon Fists of their own. Water was being thrown at him but it was futile. L needed to damage Scicorro, damage him enough so he'd retreat and they had time to gather more water and come up with a better strategy plan.

Reaching into the air, L managed to call forth a massive blue lightening bolt, one long enough to use as a whip. He drew his hand back and cracked it across Scicorro's back, making the man screech in what L assumed was pain. The power behind that bolt left L drained but he knew it was enough to buy them time.

"Get out of here," L said through gritted teeth, throwing his voice so Scicorro could hear. "Or else I'll finish you."

The threat was weak but it worked. Scicorro departed and L collapses to his knees, hands on the ground, breathing heavily.

"Someone bring him some water!" he heard someone yell over the pounding of blood in his ears and L figured he had a 97% chance of throwing up.

Student Government Summit
a critical meeting

“Dutchess, the report you requested on the vital signs--it is prepared for display.”

“One moment, Seven.” Dutchess chuckled and drummed her fingers against her knee, legs crossed in a chair at the head of a very long and dramatic table. “Jazir is positively furious, which means we may actually have our victors.”

“Aw, now now, mon cheri--lookin’ at dese here readins, I’d say we got ourselves an échec et mat.” Jean sat back in his own chair and scanned the graphs in front of him, courtesy of Seven. “You gotta see dese finishin’ blows, Dame. One from d’Elric bo an’ one from le pompier, like a big ol’ bolt’a lightnin’--BAM!” Jean cackled and rested his head on his chin, looking across the table at Dutchess who, in all her fronted dignity, was stoic at best.

“Save me the ESPN play-by-play, Jean.” Dutchess twisted back her right hand, fingers splayed one after the other in a reverse come-hither towards the door. The steel doors swept apart as a furious gale of sand and stone burst onto the floor, a dripping-wet Scirocco Jazir on his knees, panting. Dutchess approached him with a towel and critical levels of contempt. “You make it look like the Freshmen actually have talent, Jazir.”

Scirocco grunted and grabbed the towel, running it through his dreadlocks furiously. “They hit harder than Dimitri when you turn off Animal Planet.” Jazir hanged the towel around his neck and, meandering, made his way to his seat at the table. “I dunno how your reading skills got so sharp, Dutchess, but those two teams are balanced as perfect as they come.”

Dutchess sat back in her seat and grinned behind her knuckle, pressed against her chin.

Rogue entered the room and, moving in partial phases of tangible and incorporeal, moved to their seat. “I find that it is necessary to remind you three that no matter what our data implies, or what my calculations dictate, ultimately Jazir must name the winning team. No doubt all of the students are currently convinced that a third round will be conducted due to Jazir’s rash disengagement.” Rogue placed their hands on the table, where sparks emitted from the contact between networks. “Thus, we must decide whether we will call the challenge now, or instigate a third inning.”

Jean kicked his boots up onto the table, hands packed behind his head in true-to-form relaxation mode. “I do love a good overtime match, but y’all gon’ admit one way or tha other, both teams won themselves a trophy.”

Seven regarded each of their colleagues. “I suggest we cast ballots. There are four of us represented here, and thus a tie may occur. With that in mind, my suggestion is to give Jazir two lots to cast.”

Each of the four elites nodded between one another as they prepared their decisions, and just as the votes had been written down on slips of gloss paper, the main entryway to the Summit Quarter burst open to a horde of Senior representatives. Seven analyzed the new faces quickly and took role in their head.

William McCoy, senior representative of Squad Leadership.
William West, senior representative of Track and Field.
Brianna Stark, senior representative of Science Club.
Addy Ellis, senior representative of School Spirit.
Atalanta, senior representative of Course Study.

Their pack leader, McCoy, crossed his arms with a grin on his face. “We all watched Seven’s broadcast from the senior lounge, and we demand votes.”

Atalanta poked their head around Will’s shoulder and added, “And also Twinkies and Other Assorted Junkfood.”

Will nodded. “Yeah. And junkfood.”

The four elites regarded one another before collectively shrugging. The five senior reps took their seats at the table and all looked to Dutchess at the head of the dramatic conference desk. A pile of snacks sat between the five lesser reps, and they all wrote their choice on a slip of paper provided, again, by Rogue Seven.

The nine votes were counted, and after a moment of intense silence, true to her nature, Dutchess grinned wickedly at her compatriots. “In the case of Freshman Class versus Scirocco Jazir, the winning Squad, by two votes, is--”

Jasper Flick | Headmistress’ Office

“We don’t normally accept latecomers into The Academy…”

Jasper slouched in his chair as the Headmistress shuffled through the papers on her desk, her expression unreadable. The office was quite impressive with its high ceiling, large windows and modern architecture. Its appearance only made Jasper feel more out-of-place in the strange new universe.

Jasper swiveled his leather desk chair from side to side, trying to look casual as Wonder Woman continued talking. “However, your reasons are an exception,” she said, looking down at him from across her desk with speculation. This was the first time the Headmistress had glanced at Jasper, causing him to straighten up in his seat.

“Look, Wanda – can I call you Wanda? I think there’s been a really big mistake. I don’t have any crazy superpowers or anything. I’m just your normal, boring kid,” Jasper said for about the fifth time in the last hour.

The wrinkles in the corners of Wonder Woman’s eyes creased as she smiled with amusement. Jasper still couldn’t wrap his head around this stupid dream he was having (because seriously, there was no other logical explanation involving all the heroes from the comic books and movies being real and alive). The dream sure seemed a whole lot more vivid than previous ones, but Jasper wasn’t yet prepared to question the possibility of him being awake.

Wonder Woman’s resemblance of her character was astounding, despite the older age. Her hair was now streaked with grey and the veins in her hands were more visible, yet her eyes still shone a bright blue. “It was not I who suggested you come here, but I believe that The Fifth Academy for Heroes in Training will provide the safety you need,” she said, choosing her words carefully.

It frustrated Jasper that no one would tell him anything in his dream. There were so many questions that needed answers: how did he get here? Why does he need protection? Who sent him to this place?

The Headmistress continued. “As for your powers, I doubt there is any accident in your arrival. Heroes do not simply choose the Academy, the Academy chooses the heroes.”

Jasper raised his eyebrows. “Firstly, how the hell is staying in an academy full of hormonal, amateur superheroes safer than the world I left behind? And secondly, I’m not a hero. When I wake up in the normal world you and the rest of this place will be gone.” He watched Wonder Woman flick through some more papers before finding the sheets she was looking for, acting as if she hadn’t heard him.

“These are your classes, along with your dorm room and a list of the extracurricular activities. The other freshmen would have only just received the results of their teams and are either partying victoriously or sulking in defeat. You should be able to find them in the dorm halls. Do you have any questions, concerns?” She asked kindly. Her calmness evoked a strong aggravation out of Jasper.

“Yeah, I do actually. Why won’t anyone tell me what’s going on? I’ve been left in the dark for the past eight hours, literally. I’ve basically been kidnaped, and this doesn’t seem to be a problem to anyone!” he said, raising his voice a little. “I mean I know this is a dream an’ all, so it’s not supposed to make any sense, but I’m starting to get a little annoyed.” Jasper stared up at Wonder Woman, who wore a look of astonishment.

His dream had started out like this: one moment he was walking home alone in the shadows of familiar New York skyscrapers, the next he’d blacked out and awoke in another universe. Forget your old life, don’t ask questions, and learn to be a hero. From then on it had been a series of unfamiliar rooms and serious voices, all asking him endless queries and fishing for information he didn’t have. It was like the FBI. He’d never had such a serious dream.

The Headmistress gave him a look of understanding and sympathy. “This is no dream, Jasper Flick. Superheroes are real. The sooner you can accept this the better. And I’m sorry, Jasper. It’s safer that you never know why you are here.”

Pissed off and tired from being on his guard, Jasper stood up and took his timetable and other papers. He didn’t believe what the Headmistress was saying. How could he? Without an explanation Jasper couldn’t help but be skeptic. “Whatever, Wanda,” he muttered bitterly. He hated the secrets, the confusion, the injustice. “I’ll find out eventually, with or without you.”

“My real name is Diana,” she said, the creased by her eyes returning, “but I’ve been called worse before.” Wonder Woman gave Jasper a sincere look. “You’ll do fine here, Jasper,” she assured, smiling slightly. “You’ll be fine.”

Jasper left the office without another word.

The serious voices had ordered him of three things before now: forget your old life, don’t ask questions, and learn to be a hero. And that’s exactly what he wouldn’t do.

Isi/The Headmistress's Office

I ignore Amandine, who prattles on about the battle, and dive under my mattress to find my key. Stuffing it in my pocket, I skirt around the students rejoicing in the hallways and make my way to the headmistress's office. Just as I near it, though, I hear a boy's voice inside the room. I back away from the door, but can't help hearing his sentence.

“I mean I know this is a dream and all, so it’s not supposed to make any sense, but I’m starting to get a little annoyed!” His voice has a hint of betrayal and fear in it, and I smile at the student's anguish.

I hear footsteps coming to the door, so to cover up my eavesdropping, I quickly raise a fist so that it looks like I was about to knock. The guy rushes past me and doesn't appear to notice, so I just look at the room. Headmistress Diana looks at me through the open door and waves me in.

"Ah, Miss Thorsdottir, how can I help you?"

I put on my best innocent expression and bite my lip in what I hoped looked like nervousness. "I just had a question..."

"Yes?"

I steel myself for her answer and ask quickly. "I was just wondering if I'm allowed to- to sing?"

At this, the headmistress lowers her glasses and looks at me through the top of them in surprise. "I thought it was clear that students are not allowed to influence other students' minds, Miss Thorsdottir." She looks at me with severe disapproval.

"Oh, yeah, but I mean... just singing. No influencing, manipulating, or changing minds."

"I am afraid, Narcissus, that I have a message from your father that states quite clearly that you are not allowed to be singing in any way. Unless you are able to obtain a message from him that says that you may be allowed to sing, I am afraid that I cannot permit it." After a pause, she studies me, and her eyes soften. "If you would like me to, I can send him a message for you."

That was the last thing I needed, for my father to remember me. A surge of anger wells up in me, and my reply is a bit more cold than it should be. "That's all right. I should really be going now. Have a good night!" I escape through the door to avoid further questioning and stomp outside to at least enjoy the air. A few clouds still remain from my storm, and I send them away with a gust of wind. Forging my way through a hedge, I sit down in the tall grass and let myself sulk in peace. I hate this place.

Evoltrick - Volleyball Courts - Academy

"Now where was I..."

Cons:
- tremendous lack of abilities, variety partially lost;
- GOS will take time to create (worth it though);
- constant need to test GOSs and GESMAPs beforehand.

Conclusion: Despite the obvious time loss, I believe this experiment worth the shot, because it would indeed be a good way to test and surpass my limits, while at the same time making me craftier. I'll most certainly have fun experimenting with self-created Gimmicks, and if the experiment ends up being a complete failure, I can still learn from it in order to build up a more solid experiment next time.

...What is my goal...?

"There you go!" He concluded in a joyful tone. One of the things he enjoyed doing when trying a new experiment was to ask himself a question and try to answer it later, weather the experience was a failure or not. Was it even useful or his training? He didn't know, but he sure had fun doing this.

"Well someone is cheerful", said a bitter Henrietta behind the boy. Evoltrick turned around, only to discover several hostile, disappointed or sad looks gazing at him.
"Um... I suppose... I'm, uh... Not supposed to be?" he hesitated.
"Didn't you hear? They just announced Team A's victory! Which means we can all kiss the power-augmenting suits good bye!"
"Oh. That... Is quite unfortunate, not gonna lie. Especially after all we've all been through. Oh well... Bye, awesome suit!"
And with that, the Gimmick Hunter put away his pen and notepad and casually walked away.
"Wait, you don't care now? After your freak out from last time? What's with you, all of the sudden? Actually, what's with you in general?!
Evoltrick stopped and stared at his teammates.
"Yup, hostility wins again", he thought. "But at least I know what to do now."
Another flashback struck Evoltrick's memory. Him, desperately trying to prove his innocence in front of a suspicious crowd, adults and children alike. Despite the truth of his words and evidence, he simply couldn't.
So, with that in mind, Evoltrick equipped his Alchemy Replicate Skill and slammed his hand on the ground. A rock rose up and he sat on it, gently smiling.
"Alright then," he started. "Go on. Release your frustration, anger, hate, or anything related to it on me. I'm way too familiar with that kind of stuff to care anymore. Heck, you can even throw stuff at me, like rocks or mud, I'm familiar with their taste as well. I'll just sit there and look at you."
A complete silence followed the Gimmick Hunter's declaration. He could easily detect that none of them expected him to react in such a bizarre manner.
"Why... Why do you say that?" murmured Bea, apparently very concerned.
"Mostly because our armored hot head here taught me that screaming at people wouldn't fix much things, and also because yes, I'm a lunatic, but there are several reasons behind it. Said reasons imply lots of rocks, and lots of mud. So! Here is for you a rare opportunity to destroy me while I'm not using my sharp tongue - and sharp everything else really - against you. You better take that chance before it's too late."
Henrietta stepped back, slowly shaking her head.
"What the heck happened to you...?" she whispered.
Evoltrick's smile enlarged and a light of sheer madness started dancing in his eye.
"Oh? Is that it? No hatred? No anger? No frustration? No insults? No generic messages to give me, like "you're bound to remain alone, freak!" or something like that? AND NO ROCKS?! Ohohoh, my! You guys are truly the best."
The boy looked at an imaginary watch on his wrist before focusing his deranged gaze on his mates again.
"Why am I enjoying this so much?" he couldn't help but ask himself.
"I could stay with y'all all day, but unfortunately I have a schedule to keep."
A G-Orb materialized in his hands and an energy circle appeared around him.
"What's your deal with rocks anyway?" asked Wade, frowning.
Evoltrick cancelled his warp and looked at the teenager."
"Oh yeah, that reminds me... I'm supposed to call you West, not Wade. Apparently that's what you prefer. My bad. As for my deal with rocks, let's just say they taste like butter, dust and salt water at the same time. They're really hard to swallow, but mud is worse! It's like the same taste, but I dunno... Slimier. Really doesn't feel that great. Now! Personal experiences aside, I will leave you with the crazy words I just uttered and shall depart right away!
"I'm enjoying this because I feel like it's a revenge", he realized. "But they absolutely don't deserve it. I'm messing up all over again."
"I don't hate any of you", he suddenly said, retrieving his gentle expression. "In fact, this adventure was easily one of the funniest one I ever had with such a large group, and I hope next time we meet, you don't need to witness how messed up I grew up to become again. Thanks and sorry. Gimmick Hunter... Out!"
As the last word of Evoltrick's final sentence was uttered, the boy warped out of the Volleyball Courts and appeared inside the Academy. But something was wrong.
He realized he couldn't recognize where he was, and a scream next to his ears confirmed him that he had warped in the wrong place at the wrong moment.
Bummer.
"Ah well," he sighed. "Looks like I really can never make a good flashy exit without messing up. But at least my teammates don't have to witness my failure this time! Am I right, random comrade?"
The young boy next to Evoltrick had quickly fallen back. Evoltrick couldn't help but laugh at how panicked he looked.
"Oh my god, your face is so priceless right now! Darn, the creators of Panic Face would be proud."
"Who the hell are you?! What the hell do you want from me?!"
Amused, Evoltrick decided to take care of this situation his old-fashioned way.
"Language, dear! Some hellish demons could hear you. Evoltrick's the name, craftily plotting is my game! And the only thing I'd like you to do is avoid screaming like a girl next time."
"There won't be any next time! And what's wrong with screaming when a freak suddenly appears out of nowhere?!"
"What's wrong with screaming you say?! DUDE! How old are you?"
"I...I'm 18."
"See?" insisted Evoltrick. "That means you're a man! And as a man, you only have two options before you. Option one: be a man, AKA be swift as a coursing river, with all the strength of a great typhoon, the force of a raging fire - mysterious as the dark side of the moon, on top of that.
"Or, you can go home and be a family man. You're a winner in both cases, so don't choose with your instinct! Think well!"
The newcomer blankly stared at Evoltrick and slowly walked away, hoping to escape his wacky interlocutor.
One warp later, said wacky interlocutor kept talking as if nothing had happened.
"Stop doing that!" shouted the newcomer.
"Aw, come on! I just referenced two of the manliest things you can find on the internet since the Falcon Punch! You should be thankful!"
Evoltrick suddenly stopped and stared at the ground.
"Oh wow...I should definitely add a Falcon Punch move to one of my Gesmaps. Fire users won't know what hit them. BESIDES!" added Evoltrick, pointing a dramatic finger to the newcomer's chest, "I revealed my identity to you. So you ought to reveal your identity to me!"
The teenager sighed and reluctantly obliged.
"I'm Jasper. Jasper Flick. There, happy? Can I go now?"
"Jasper, huh... No, not quite happy yet. Yes, you may go, but I'll follow you anyway as long as I'm not satisfied. Do you have any powers?"
"Why do everyone keep asking me that?", he angrily replied. "No, I don't have any powers! I'm not a weird freak like you!"
"Stop."
The suddenly calm tone and cold expression took Jasper by surprised.
"First off, yes, I'm weird, but no, I'm not a freak. I'm crazy. That's very different. Second, you're here, which implies that whoever send you to this place know that you have special abilities, be them supernatural or not. And you're here to find how to use them. If, however, you really don't have any special skill, then know that you can develop those. There are several superpowerless pupils in this school, and trust me, they could kick super human butts all day."
"But I..."
"So!" said Evoltrick, retrieving his joyful tone and expression, surprising Jasper again. "If you have anymore question, I'm in Bowser's Hall for Recovering Villains, room 203. If you need training however, I need to experiment with stuff too, so drop by and I'll bring my gear so we can train together. But for now, I seriously need to get the heck out, I have a date with destiny. Smell ya later, Jasp!"
Before the young an had the time to say anything else, a large multi-colored hoop circled around Evoltrick and he warped away, only to appear in his room.
"Now now..."
As he expected, a dark blue letter was waiting for him on his bed. He opened it and greedily read the note inside.

Yo, Tricky Boy!

Don't even ask me how this message found his way on your bed. Stealth masters for the win.
In any case, you know who's talkin' here, so I'll try to make this quick.
More demons have come to try and trash my place, and as usual, they were taken care of. Problem is, they also try to attack anyone they come in contact with, and a few towns are under attack as I speak. I felt overwhelmed by their number, so I went back to the Jingjyao (or Demonic World, in case you forgot) to investigate.
So, um... You remember how the Huns pushed some barbaric tribes in order to invade the Roman Empire? Well that's pretty much it. There's a self-proclaimed Overlord bratty demon who took over the Jingjyao, and since he left a way to go to our world, the others are being pushed away and desperately try to attack everyone. He probably wants to conquer us anyway, so they're his vanguards. But, unlike in the past, this time, the Roman Empire has to win. Since we know what to expect, my idea is to wipe out the source of the problem by taking down this Overlord brat. According to my Shadowkhans, he's actually pretty dangerous, but if we take him out, no more pusher, no more invader, and no more problem.

Like the plan? You better, because I'm really out of options right now, so I might need one or two of your tricks to get out of this pinch. Just the two of us as usual, the others are busy with the Vanguards I'll find interesting stuff to capture, and you to replicate. Don't be late.


Khana.

PS: By the way, my Shadowkhans retrieved and kept your Damokles MkI weapon (was it the name?) ready. If you could create more of your Bayonet weapons, it would be nice for all of us.

A devilish grin appeared on Evoltrick's face. A self-proclaimed bratty Overlord. Only one of them, putting aside Mia's father, could fit the description.
"Overlord Laharl..."
He had heard so much about his signature moves... He couldn't wait to put his hands on them. Not to mention if Laharl was indeed the one, it meant that he came to the to Jingjyao via a Netherworld dimensional gate, meaning that Evoltrick himself could take it. Combining powerful spells from the Disgaea Nevetherworlds with his Project Bayonet weapons would make the most powerful equipment he had ever made.
"And also the most difficult to use, considering the energy loss..."
He really needed to step up his game if he wanted to correctly use his tools.
"But for now, time to join Khana's party!"
One G-Orb absorption later, the Gimmick Hunter crossed his wrists and focused. A bright vortex appeared in front of him, slowly draining away his energy. The travel had to be quick.
"Hold the phone..."
Evoltrick took pen and paper and wrote a little note that he let fly on his bed. He laughed and disappeared with his vortex.

From Evoltrick:

For anyone dumb, curious, crazy or caring enough to read this, I'll be away for a few days, using the days off we have after the Academy trials. Not that I don't like socializing with y'all, don't worry, I'll just be partying with some friends in a place that most of you can't even imagine.
And yes. I actually HAVE friends. Shut up, that joke's not funny anymore.
Anyway, to put this very bluntly...

SAYONARA BITCHES!!!!!!

Raven-Volleyball Court-Hallways-Dorms-Pool

I slip back from the fighting as one of the other students-L, I think I heard someone call him-ends the battle. I hang my bo staff across my back. Nobody seems to have really noticed Gareth and I, and I allow myself to hope that maybe they didn't even see me use Dad's power. Gareth saw, but the fight was crazy, so maybe no one else did. I'm not planning on using Mom's power unless I absolutely have to. Maybe for a while at least, they'll just think I'm just really good with my bo staff.

Slipping on my gloves, I wander on back over to where Gareth is standing. Duchess, the lady who suggested we go to the volleyball courts approaches and announces something about Team A having won.

"Wait, there are teams?" I mutter under my breath. I flip through the sheets of paper I have in my pocket. "Oh. Ah'm on Team A...yay? What team are you on?"

Gareth checks his papers. "Team B."

I try to hide my disappointment, but have a feeling it's not all that successful. "Ah'm probably not going to the party or whatever anyway. It'd be a bit strange, since Ah didn't really do much and Ah don't know these people. Ah should really go unpack, but..." I glance over another sheet. A map. Convenient. "They have a really nice pool. Would you like to meet me there in an hour?"

He smiles and agrees to it, so I head off, looking for my room. I duck around a few kids who tried to approach me. I know I should probably try and make friends, but I really need to unpack soon if I want to get to the pool in time. Thinking about this, I break into a run.

I turn a corner to the area that led to both dorm halls and almost smack into a guy. I put my hands out and shove him to the side as we both fall to the floor. Much better that he hit the floor and my gloved hands than that he touch the bare skin on my face.

I push myself to my feet and offer him a hand up. "Ah'm Raven. My apologies. Ah was in a bit of a rush."

He accepts my hand and stands. "Jasper." We wait awkwardly for about a minute, each trying to figure out what to say, until he says, "Aren't you going to ask my about my powers or parents or something?" He sounded fairly surprised.

I shake my head. "Nope. Ah'd think that would be rude of me if Ah were to do that. If you want me to know, you'll volunteer the information. If you don't, you don't. Are you new here too?"

"Arrived less than an hour ago."

"Gareth, the other new boy, and Ah only arrived maybe two hours ago at most, so we musta just missed each other. Maybe we'll be lucky an' be in the same classes so we can work on the pile of make up work we have together." I glance at my watch. "But Ah gotta go unpack, and Ah bet you do too."

I have time to start unpacking my belongings, and I carefully arrange them on my side of the room. No one's here right now, but judging by the items on the other side of the room, I definitely have a roommate. I shrug it off. No use worrying about it until I meet her.

I get dressed in a full wetsuit with attached gloves and something like socks with toes. Not as fun as a bikini, but in my case, much safer.
************************************************

At the pool, I dive into the water and start swimming, enjoying the feeling of my muscles working. There aren't many sports I can do until I get full control of my powers-either I blow up the equipment or I run the risk of touching someone or both. Part of why swimming is wonderful.

"Avoiding the party?" someone calls from the side. Someone who is most definitely not Gareth.

Maybe if I'm paralyzed, I can get a ride home.

Evatt was beginning to hate the Academy. He missed home, missed his mother and father and uncle and aunt. He missed the smell of the countryside during a rainstorm when he'd rust-proof his arm so he could play in the rain with his cousins. Evatt missed his world, and resented this Academy universe for picking him out of all heroic progeny to leave his life behind.

Everything was dark. Everything hurt.

Evatt slowly opened his eyes and saw the dampening sky above him; he watched the clouds and tried to remember why he was waking up sore and alone. With a bit of strain, he lifted his mechanical arm in the air and clutched his fingers into a fist, as if grabbing a cloud above. He thought about the times he'd been in pain worse than this--which was plenty--and wondered if he'd made another mistake.

He was eight, Evatt remembered, when he gave away his arm. The pouring blood, the nerves firing that weren't even there anymore. Only a few minutes of that, and the memory cut away, like Evatt had been robbed of the moment.

"Finally," came a groan from Evatt's left side. He lazily turned his head and saw Dyre's brotherself sitting on a rock, yawning. "You know, shorty, it wouldn't be so hard to find you after every fight if you weren't so damn--" he stuttered, "--well, tiny." He waited a moment. "You're short, is what I'm getting at."

Evatt relaxed into the dirt and grass and let his arm fall beside him. "Don't call me short," he murmured.

Dy laughed curtly and stood up. "After seeing your uncle's anime, I was expecting a little more piss-fire attitude." He extended a hand, his other in his pockets. "Well? Surely you're not just gonna lie there like a broken He-Man doll."

Evatt made the face of a man first hearing of Scotch Whiskey. Then he gave Dy his hand and pulled up. There was a metal clatter as his physique settled into place on his feet. After getting his bearings, he looked at Dy, who was courteously grinning, sidekick-style. Evatt tried to reciprocate. "Where is your sister?"

"She figured you had wandered off on your own, so she went to visit your favorite spot."

Evatt made another face--this time one of a man tasting Scotch Whiskey for the first time. "It's not Starbeach night yet." A beat. "...is it?"

Dy shook his head. "Nope. But she was worried, and hell if she'd ever listen to me. Yes, I can hear you; stop nagging--yes, he's here, you know that--will you give me a chance to??"

Dy groaned. "We're going to the lake. You'll just have two Starbeach nights this week."

Evatt rubbed his fleshy shoulder and sighed. "I think I would rather sit in one of the lounges and know what the hell happened to me out here." He shook his head. "I can't remember anything."

Dy turned his eyes upward in thought. "She concedes. First, let's get you into a shower...or really powerful hose. Your skin is basically sand and glass."

They walked the moderate distance between the courts and dorms without saying much, and when they got to Evatt's room where Dy sat, playing an old Gameboy game while Evatt searched for a decent shirt, Evatt asked the question Dy had dreaded.

"Did anyone else look for me?"

Both boys were dead-silent. Dy swallowed a knot in his throat and slowly, defeated, shook his head. "One guy asked if you were safe. His name was Walden or Opie or something dumb like that."

Evatt buttoned his collar and nodded. "Wade. He's my partner in Science Club." They were silent once more. "I'm surprised even he asked about me."

Dy stood and put an arm around Evatt's shoulders, looking down at the top of his gold-covered head. "Oh, you may want to bring a jacket." Dy rolled his eyes up. "She's plotting something cold."

Evatt returned to his closet and pulled out a dark, tan duster with a large buckle collar. The coattails stopped at his calves, like a cape.

Dy made a quizzically approving face. "You dress so much differently than everyone else here."

Evatt put on a scarf and shrugged. "Your sister always seems to approve."

Dy made the face of a man tasting Scotch Whiskey for the last time. "Yeah. She does."