Young Writers Society

Katarina | Rave Room

Kat sighed, allowing herself to be pulled along onto the dance floor. Jessa was clearly a girl made to be a socialite; within minutes of being the first one to hit the dance floor nearly the entire room was pulsing to the beat.

Even Kat got into the rhythm, allowing Walt to hold her hand and twirl her around Stasia. The younger girl laughed, though Kat knew her well enough to sense the pout behind her smile that said she really really wanted a cute boy to dance with her.

Kat only shook her head and dragged Walt into a dramatic tango. "I've never known you to be so rhythmic," he teased, dipping her so low her head nearly touched the floor. Kat could feel the eyes of the entire female half of the freshman class - and some of the boys - staring at her in deep envy.

It had always amused her, the attention she got beside Walt. They had spent more and more time together over the years, though rarely outside of the Avenger's Christmas parties and summer cook-outs. He was the last person Kat would ever be interested in - not that she was interested in anyone very often - but she was just evil enough to take great pleasure in the narrow eyes and catty whispers that followed them around.

"Are you kidding?" Kat countered, stopping to throw Walt down into a dip almost as low as hers had been. "I won every Avenger's talent show and you know it."

Walt laughed. "Are you forgetting the year Uncle Clint brought the room to tears with his rendition of "Wind Beneath My Wings"?"

Kat only rolled her eyes as he spun her away from him and they each took dramatic bows for no ones benefit but their own. Smiling one of the rare few genuine smiles she had, Kat hoped again the Academy would strengthen their friendship even more. She could use a friend like him.

Astasia- Afterparty

"Oh, Afterparties are always the best!" I said, talking to myself. Looking across the room, I stared at the other bed, wondering about my roommate. I hadn't met her yet..which was kinda disappointing.

As I dug through my clothes, my eyes landed on my sparkly neon yellow off-the-shoulder dress, that stopped mid-thigh.

Squealing, I tore off my clothes excitedly, and slipped on the dress. It was PERFECT!

******************

After doing my hair, I studied myself in the mirror. Putting on a pair of white sandals, I checked myself one more time, then skipped out of my door, and down to the basement.

"The Rave Room." Was what they called it, supposedly. Walking into the large room, I looked at all the students whom were already down there. Lights, music, beverages, food. I couldn't stop staring at all of it. After searching the crowd, my eyes caught sight of a familiar face. Kat! Oh, she looked so pretty!

"Kat!" I called to her, quickly making my way through the crowd.

Katarina looked annoyed, as I made it by her side. "Everybody, this is my little sister, Astasia."

Frowning a bit, I spoke again. "I'm not little!" I paused, looking at each of them. "..just younger."

"You seem little to me," A girl said, causing all the others, excluding me, to laugh. I didn't really like being teased, but it's whatever..ya know?

The girl who'd made the comment suddenly took us out to the dancefloor, er, where the others were dancing, and started dancing. I was surprised at first, but then fell into it.

After a bit, I stepped off, away from the others. My throat was dry, and I was sweating so much.

Approaching a table that contained a bowl of punch, and cups, I poured myself some, and quietly sipped on it.

"Hey," An unfamiliar voice greeted from behind me.

I spun around, coming face to face with a pale boy, recognizing him as the one I'd talked to at the Arena. Well, I didn't, like, have a conversation with him, but I'd asked him a question..to which he only replied with a shrug.

"You're the girl that healed her leg in the Arena, correct?" He asked, his hands in his pockets.

I nodded once, taking another drink from my cup. There was a bit of a different..tang to the drink. Like...I don't know.

"So you can heal yourself..can you heal others?" He questioned, staring at me intently.

Shrugging slightly, I looked around the room, wondering if Kat was having fun still. "I don't know yet."

He was silent for a few minutes, but then spoke up again. "I'm Ryou."

"..Astasia." I said, finishing off my drink.

Well, at least he wasn't ugly. He was actually quite..attractive. He kinda just had that bad guy vibe..which was mostly what attracted me to him.

I realized I'd been staring at him, then turned away quickly, trying to make the pink from my cheeks disappear.

Ryou chuckled, not really loudly, but loud enough for me to hear. I turned my head back to him, grinning. "Wanna dance?"

He looked slightly taken aback, but then smirked. "Sure."

L | Transitioning from one day to the next

His gaze followed her as she left the room, lazily watching as the female firebender took her leave. He wasn't sure if she was a firebender, per se, but her power over fire nonetheless intrigued him.

His eyes jumped to his roommate's as he heard the man exhale. "You're such a baby," L cooed with a smirk dancing across his lips.

Victor ignored him, turning back to unpacking his luggage. With a sigh, L lazily shoved the bags off his bed and flopped down onto it. He propped up what few pillows he had and relaxed, shooting small flames out of his fingertips. Every once in a while, he'd flicker them across the room, smoking the edges of Victor's clothing and making the freshman squeal.

Once Victor was done unpacking, he turned and gave L a confused look. "You haven't unpacked a single bag."

"Yup."

"But our classes are tomorrow."

"Yup."

"Don't you care?"

"Nope."

His roommate hefted a sigh and left the room, presumably off to enjoy the rest of his afternoon and to explore the campus. With the same sigh, L got off his butt and picked up the first bag, unzipping it. Inside was a bunch of jeans, mostly blue and black. He'd unpacked majority of them before he saw that his mother shoved in a pair of slacks. Confused as to why he'd need them, the firebender shrugged and merely put them in with the rest of the pants.

Once everything of his was where it should be, L regarded the room with a skeptic eye. Now this room was personalized and had his touch to it, as if he'd be staying here for a long time. With his luck, he'd eventually set some classroom on fire and get expelled within the week.

And that's exactly what happened the next day.

His first class was with Professor Link, a young man who couldn't have been older than 30. His long blonde hair was tied back into a low ponytail and covered by a green hat. His facial features were sharp, his blue eyes bright and alert and stern as he surveyed the class of freshmen before him. "Pair up," he said in a deep voice, despite his height.

To his pleasure, everyone avoided L. His scornful gaze examined the pairs, waiting to see who was left until they fell upon the female from earlier. Seeing as they were the only two left, Link shooed them together.

"Fight fairly," she said with a smirk.

L gave her a cold look. "I'll set your clothes on fire."

"I can easily extinguish them."

His voice rises and he mocks her in a girly tone. "But isn't that shirt, like, Prada?"

Her eyes narrow and she shows her disdain by setting his shoes on fire.

"I didn't say you could start. Put it out," Link snapped at the pair of them from across the room.

Ignoring him, L's palm burst into flames and they squared off, eyes narrowed. While Link continued to shout at them and the freshmen screamed, he threw a fireball at her and watched as she deflected it, setting an obstacle course on fire. Another fireball was shot, this time from her, and he easily closed his palm around it. It turned bright blue and he took her by surprise, throwing it towards that pretty little smirk-

and everyone in the room, minus the firebenders, screamed louder as the sprinklers drenched them. Link shoved his way towards them, his eyes blazing, but before he could begin his lecture, the room was filled with a blue glow.

"What're you doing?" The girl yelled at him.

"I'm not doing anything!" L screamed back over the rush of wind as they were warped? somewhere. At least, he figured they were being warped.

Suddenly, there was sunlight searing his gaze and L groaned. He was a fan of fire but the sun was too much at times, especially after a sleepless night and burning eyeballs. When he was done blinking the white lights out of his eyes, he took in the arena he was in and the loud crowd of sophomores, juniors and seniors, all screaming for his blood as a massive Golem towered over the group.

Wonder Woman was talking but he ignored her. Instead, he dove to the side as a giant rock fist slammed down on the ground where he was previously standing, leaving a massive dent.

"Fucking bitch," he said, cursing the insane Headmistress and her loony ideas. Then he cursed his parents and let his hands heat up. Taking aim, he shot a massive fireball at the Golem and growled as it deflected.

"Gotta use more than your fire powers, hothead!" Someone yelled from the audience.

Ignoring them, he shot another fireball at the Golem. When it again failed, he started to run, weaving in and out of the crowd of freshmen fighting for their life. When he was behind the Golem, he stopped and took a knee, panting.

"Get up," someone hissed. He turned to see a blonde woman leaning over the edge, motioning for him to hide. "Always take cover before you rest, idiot," she snapped.

Before he could respond, a burst of cheers made his head turn and he watched as cracks formed in the exterior of the monster. They were close to defeating it.

Something in his stomach clenched and his eyes narrowed. No way was he gonna sit back and let these losers take the victory from him. His mind went into overdrive, trying to think of a way to defeat this thing. Clearly fire didn't leave a dent, but maybe... his eyes rose to the sky and spotted a few rain clouds drifting about. Aunt Azula's smirk rose in his mind and he rose to his feet, a hand rising to point at the sky.

He allowed his body to connect with the energy in the rain cloud, to draw it in and channel it through his body. He called to it, using what he learned with firebending to draw it out of the sky and suddenly a blue current shot down, connecting man and cloud.

He drew his hand back and cracked the strike across the back of the Golem, but not before he screamed at everyone to back up. He supposed a person or two was stinged but the casualties were low.

The lightning attack, unfortunately, didn't kill the creature. But from what he saw through a blurry vision, it did deal a bit of damage to it, enough for the freshmen to close ranks and move in for the kill. The attack had used too much of his energy and he collapsed on the arena, pathetically unconscious and will no doubt be mortified when he wakes up in the affirmary some hours from now.

Isaac | At the Afterparty - in a dark corner:

Isaac leaned against a wall, staring down into the drink he was nursing with his other arm hanging useless in a sling. Apparently, he'd broken the collarbone. Or so the Academy's nurse had said. Plus, his ribs were kinda tender. Oh, how he disliked what the Headmistress had done. Honestly, one hit and he was unconscious? Isaac scowled at his drink. Around him, music thumped away and people danced, laughing and yelling. Celebrating.

He wasn't celebrating. He might have passed, but the defeat stung. Not that he'd been much good at defeating people before, but still. At least he'd had half a chance at winning. But that Golem? That was ridiculous. And that was, apparently, just a test? He shook his head, remembering the way he'd woken up in the infirmary only an hour ago.

"Hello?" someone asked. A girl. Isaac glanced up without moving otherwise. "Want to dance?"

"Go away," Isaac snapped, dropping his gaze back to his drink. He'd also never had a broken bone before. Fractures, sure. But a break? He sighed, annoyed. The girl wasn't moving. He raised his gaze again, fixing a narrow-eyed stare on her. "What do you want?"

She rolled her eyes. "I asked you if you wanted to dance, but clearly you don't. You'd prefer to sulk in this corner, wouldn't you?"

Isaac glanced past her, at the group of kids dancing and then back at the girl. She smiled at him. He dropped his gaze back to his cup without answering. The girl exhaled loudly and planted her hands on her hips.

"You are such a party pooper."

"I said," he ground out. "Go. Away. What part of that do you not understand?"

She snorted. "Really, not. It was a just a small defeat."

Isaac pushed off the wall, downing his drink in one go. "Just a small defeat? That thing tossed us around like ragdolls." He snorted and shoved past her, careful to use his right shoulder instead of his injured left. She stumbled but stayed upright. Isaac paused, glacning back. The girl was still staring at him. "You want to dance? Fine. Let's dance."

The girl grinned and skipped over to him. "Aw, you're not so bad after all, are you?"

"One dance," he told her, "and then I'm going back to my corner, alright?"

Rave Room

"Sho then I shaid to Neinheart," Bea said with some difficulty as she crammed more Oreos into her mouth, "I shaid, you should ashk shomeone to help you get that pole out of your - oooh, what'sh thish?"
"The after-party, duh," said the long-suffering Zeke, taking Bea's empty biscuit packet and handing her a new unopened one. From the moment she'd left the arena, Bea hadn't left Zeke's side, and as one of the representatives of the Academy as chosen by Diana Prince he had felt a certain obligation to accommodate her. That obligation was now wearing thin as Bea had asked him about his grandfather and all of the old 'hog's adventures upwards of seventy times, and Zeke's swag levels were dangerously low from exhaustion. He was sorely relieved when Bea ran inside shouting a hasty "BYESEEYOULATER" and made a beeline towards the buffet table; Zeke took the opportunity to race off, and became a turquoise blur headed for his soft, warm bed.

Bea bit into a barbecue chicken wing, regretting a little that she'd eaten so many cookies, and watched the assortment of students on the dance floor. It was nuts how much they varied from one another, in size, in stature, in what she could tell of their personality. A group was chatting in the centre of the room - she recognised Walter from the restaurant - but her attention was instantly drawn to the very large figure next to him - not that most everyone wasn't moderately giant-sized by Bea's standards, but this girl looked like she would dwarf even the Headmistress. She happened to glance in Bea's direction, and noticed her staring. Bea waved, and the girl, seeming surprised, smiled back and began to approach. Despite being enormous and having what looked like a very strange skin condition (surely nothing a good lotion couldn't fix?) Bea thought the girl was quite pretty.

"I, uh, I saw your fight against the golem," the big girl said as she sat, with some difficulty, on a small stool next to Bea. "I loved it! You're really agile."
From close up, the girl was even bigger than Bea had realised, and she had to take a moment to stare up at her in awe. The girl coughed a little nervously. "I'm Jessa... Jessa Grimm." Bea remained silent.
"You might've heard of my dad?" Jessa ventured awkwardly. "He's -"
"Wait! I know!" Bea cried, clapping her hands. "Is he Rocky?"
Jessa snorted, and almost sounded relieved. "Not quite. My father's Ben Grimm. The..." She sighed. "Thing, y'know? Fantastic Four and all that?" After a pause, she added, "I... don't think Rocky Balboa was actually very rock-like, himself."
Bea scratched her head. "Huh. Those movies make a lot more sense now." She sat in silence for a few seconds, apparently in deep thought.
"Oh!" she said suddenly, eyes wide open. She bounced off her own chair onto Jessa's large shoulder and beamed at her. "I'm Bea. You can call me Bee if you want!"

The two sat there chatting for a bit, during which time Bea learned that, according to the dorm listings, she'd be sharing her dorm room with Astasia, the younger of the two redheads Jessa was pointing out in the crowd. The older of the two was Katarina, or Kat, Jessa explained ("Her name's Cat? But that sounds like an animal!"), and the boy was Walter ("I know him! He ate. So. Much. Pizza!"). Meanwhile, Jessa was amazed to learn that Bea was, in fact, nineteen years old.
"Wow. You really don't look a day older than fourteen."
"Oh, stop it, you," Bea giggled, turning away to hide her red cheeks.

"And that's - oh. I haven't met the girl with the penguin yet," Jessa said, squinting. Bea froze and swivelled her head in the same direction her companion was facing. Sure enough, she spotted the winged penguin, apparently arguing with its winged owner. The next thing Jessa knew, Bea had left her shoulder and was airborne, calling out "I'LLTALKTOYOULATERBYE". She weaved her way through the crowd and came to a halt in front of the duo, panting. She looked up at the demon girl and pointed at the bird.
"I like... your penguin."
The demon girl saw Bea for the first time, and began giggling. "He's not a penguin, silly! He's a prinny, named Bubbles..." Here her voice turned sharp. "And he's going to be a prinny that is in deep doo-doo if he doesn't cough up that entire dish of mini pies!"
"I didn't have any breakfast," the prinny muttered. "Gimme a break, dood." The girl rolled her eyes.
"Oh, and... I'm Mia," she said, turning back to Bea. "I'm a delinquent!"
"Oooh! I'm Bea! But feel free to call me Bee."
Mia took a moment to process this, failed, and soldiered on. "I'll take that into consideration! And you're welcome to call me Mia, if you want?"
Bea gasped. "I do want to call you that!"

Evatt Elric | Jagged Octave Lake

Dear DaddyDad,

I know that you said I would find friends here, and that like-minded individuals make a person's head healthy, even when you're dealing with lots of messes inside, but I'm starting to feel sick for home. I haven't made any friends, and in one day my arm has been wrecked and I've become the laughing stock of the school for having such a weird disability--and all of it hurts worse because none of this is making me miss mom less, and I don't know, dad. I just want to come home and study Alchemy with you and Uncle Ed and talk about how great mom was because no one here even knows who she is...and much less can appreciate her--

"A letter home on the first day," came a rather defeated voice. "Even stranger, it's being written beneath an unfamiliar sky."

Evatt could remember the voice from the Golem fight. "Dyre, the woman who can become two people and manipulate the minds of others. Daughter of Lo--"

"Maybe people would like your company more if you didn't bring up their pasts, eh?"

Evatt hushed, hands softly crumpling his letter. "I don't want to be here," he said, voice hardly a voice, but more like a secret incarnate. "There aren't even any stars in the sky."

Dyre shoved her hands in her pockets and shoved her attention to the sky above their flat little planet. Sure enough, there were no stars in the sky. Dyre took a big liberty and sat down beside Evatt, tossing a coin from her pocket into the lake, making it skip a dozen times across the viscous surface until it sank in the dark nothing near their horizon line. "It seems like we both want to be under familiar skies tonight," she murmured. "I'll do you a favor if you do one for me."

Evatt turned his head and blinked, gold eyes almost confused. "What do you want me to do?"

Dyre reached to her side and pulled one of his hands from the paper, lacing their fingers together. This made Evatt blush in the dark. "Close your eyes with me," she cut, "imagine the sky above Amestris. Show me what you love."

Evatt closed his eyes and even relaxed a bit, letting out a stressed breath. He thought of the billions of stars in the sky, of the comets streaking across the black dome, of the way the moon was always full no matter what day it was. In his mind, he could see his real flesh hand reaching for the sky above, his fingers clutching at stars as if they were fireflies.

"Open your eyes, Evatt."

Evatt looked out around him and saw the beautiful starscape of Amestris--everything that had been in his mind. His stomach lurched inside, and his eyes suddenly welled with tears. "Everything I see...it's just an illusion, isn't it...?"

Dyre nodded, watching the comets streaking across the vast expanse around them. After a moment, she stood up, hands stuffed in her pockets. "The spell will wear off when you fall asleep tonight." She turned towards the fields near the edge of the Academy instead of towards the dormitories.

"Where are you going?"

"I'd rather not run into any of the folks who think I almost killed them today. I think tonight'll be a night beneath the stars." She smiled in the corner of her mouth. "After all, the sky from Amestris is worth spending a night with, isn't it?"

Evatt stood up, allowing his letter to fly off into the lakeward breeze. "It is." He paused for a moment. "I'll stay with you. Because this place isn't easy for me, either." His eyes were beginning to well again. "And if we don't have friends to be brave with us, we don't stand a chance."

Dyre turned to watch him, his fists clenched in front of him. A long moment of silence passed before Dyre nodded once again. "Then let's go. There's plenty of planet to explore before dawn. Who knows? We may even get lost along the way."

Isi/Rave Room

I walk into the room in black leather that I had taken to wearing these days. The music pounds oh-so-loudly, and I roll my eyes at the bad dancing. Heading over to the drinks table, I look longingly at the punch, which gives off an odor of liquor. I promise myself a drink later, and scan the room for Zac. Elena would let me skip a party just this once, wouldn't she? After all, I was skipping to save her life.
Finding Zac on the dance floor with a girl, I huddle into a corner, hoping to escape any attention. My head still spins from fighting the golem, and I rub my eyes, trying to fight off the inevitable headache. I wish that I didn't pass, that my life isn't a mess, that my family is going to die, but it's hopeless. I shake myself back into reality and my eyes well with tears, surprising me. I blink the water away and focus on planning my night. Getting the water girl to forget me would have to wait for now. What had her brother called her? Tahl? What an odd name. I'd need to go to the school's library for a few hours to find anything out, and then I'd go to my sirens to give them the information I had. And then, if I was lucky, I'd stop by... Tahl's room and make her forget.

I look around, and finding Zac still on the dance floor, I push off the wall and make my way to the floor. Losing myself in the music, I pretend that I'm normal- for a few minutes. I sneak another glance at Zac, and when I see him still dancing, I huff impatiently and weave my way through the crowd to him. I step between him and the girl he's dancing with and tap my foot impatiently. The girl seems taken aback, but I cease to pay attention to her and turn to Zac.
"I need your help."
"Well, hey, it's the naked chick! What do you want?"
"For you to come with me. And I told you, its not that odd being naked, where I come from."
He snorts, and an annoyed expression passes over his face. "Now?"
I grab his arm. "Yes, now! Come on, then." I drag him out behind me, letting go of him once we are in the hall.
"It couldn't have waited?"
"No, now come on!" I lead him to the Academy's massive library. We encounter nobody- apparently, everyone is at the after party.
"What am I doing here?!" Zac starts to sound kind of mad, so I take a minute to explain.
"Look, I really need your help right now. I need some sort of protection to give to the sirens, and I figured a library is where to get information. Zac, please?"
He sighs. "If its that urgent, I suppose I'll help. Where do we start?"
I scan the shelves, walking down each row before I find anything of use. "Here. I think this is the section on sirens. See if you can find anything." Zac nods, and we both choose a book and sit down on the ground.

Four hours later, Zac rubs his eyes, and I flip the pages randomly, not really reading anymore. A spell for a shield catches my eye, and I pause. "Zac. I think I found something."
He mutters something that sounds like 'Finally.', and scoots closer to look over my shoulder. I read the directions quickly and sigh in relief when I see that it is for a siren to cast. I skim the rest of the spell and my heart threatens to stop beating in my chest. Zac looks at me sharply. "Alright?"
I bite my lip in frustration before turning to explain. "The spell calls for a siren to willingly give her necklace to her queen. Her entire clan will be protected from any harm as long as they stay in the water, but she has to stay out of it. The water, I mean. For three days. And then every full or half moon.After that, she'll be in pain again, but she can still swim in salt water."
He frowns. "But... that's good, right?"
I roll my eyes. "As soon as I take off the necklace, I go into a state of feeling excruciating pain, dummy. I won't function for three days. Salt water baths help, but the spell will break and I will die if I get into water any of those three days."
He winces. "Oh."
I shrug. "Alcohol will help. Thank god I brought some along with me."
Zac meets my eyes. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
I look straight at him. "I will do anything to keep my people alive."
He nods slowly. "I don't doubt that."
I heave a breath. "Can you... stay with me those three nights? I might end up killing myself out of the pain. It feels like every one of your organs is being sliced open and cauterized. Add in an inability to breathe and the feeling of your brain melting, and you get the most efficient form of torture possible."
Zac scrunches up his eyebrows. "We're going... now?"
I nod, finding my siren glass as I reply. "Yeah. You're going to have to take me to my room. My siren glass will give me one portal there and back when I break it. Come on, take my hand."
I smash the crystal on the ground and wait as the shimmering portal appears. Zac and I step through and I run to the ocean. I sing softly to call Elena, and when her form emerges beneath the water, I stop. Zac raises an eyebrow muttering, 'What is with all these naked girls?!'
"Back so soon, Narcissus?" Elena embraces me warmly.
"Yes, your majesty. I have a way to save us all. You needn't run."
Elena sighs in relief. "And what is that?"
I quickly tell her about the spell and she pales, but I take her hand and look into her eyes. "Elena. Thor won't attack me. Any other siren on land will die. It has to be me."
Elena grits her teeth. "You're right. I suppose we get on with it, then. You don't have time."
I gesture Zac forward, and he stands beside me. I unhook my necklace and slowly offer it to Elena. The moment it leaves my hand, the pain hits, and I sink to the ground with a moan. Elena looks torn between going back and staying, so I try to speak. "Go.... majesty." She nods and leaves, and Isaac half-carries, half-drags me through the portal.
We appear at the doors of the Rave room, and Zac carries me to my room, wincing from an injury. I hand him the key, and he fumbles to unlock it. We step inside, and Zac sets me down onto the bed. The real pain hits before the door closes and I hunch into a ball, shivering. I hiss at the pain and gesture to my trunk. Zac nods and scrounges through it to successfully produce a bottle of whiskey. He bring s it to me, but I find that I'm unable to lift my arms. It's worse that before, and I sob softly, trying to muffle my screams. I grip the bottle with my teeth and down half of it in one gulp.
"Don't let... drink....more." Zac nods and puts the bottle away. I curl up, rocking back and forth. The animal within me breaks through, and the salt water in my bathroom makes me lunge for it, but Isaac catches me in his arms. He growls when I elbow his shoulder, but doesn't let me go. With newfound strength, I try to claw my way across him, but he eventually restrains me. I get one last scratch in across his cheek bone. He winces from the cuts and I slump, defeated.
"Stop.... pain. Please." My voice is hoarse, and I am thoroughly exhausted. A drop of blood leaks from my ears, and Zac's eyes grow wide. I manage to shake my head, telling him that I'm fine. Or as fine as I can be.
He shakes his head. "I can't, Narcissa. He takes me back to my be and sits on a chair across from me, keeping guard and watching me. We stay like that until morning, him watching me scream, and I watching him cringe.

Evoltrick - Headmistress Office

“So, Ivon..”
“Please, Ma'am. Call me Evoltrick. I never enjoyed formalities.”
The Headmistress raised an eyebrow.
“I'd prefer using your actual name, if you don't mind.”
“I do mind, ma'am, pardon me for being so picky. And correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't all the students and teachers here calling you Wonder Woman?”
A little smile appeared on the Headmistress' lips.
“You're a wild one, I see. Good point, Evoltrick. Now, I see that you wrote Hero on your Admission papers, but scratched it to write recovering villain Instead. Care to explain why?”
“Oh, that...” Evoltrick didn't remember scratching anything, but he had to elaborate nonetheless.
“Well, considering I was working mostly for my own personal gain, I don't really feel like a hero at all. Plus I was... Kinda creepy back then. I'd rather say I was a mercenary.”
Wonder Woman's look became sharp.
“Which meant you would accept a job from anyone, including villains.”
Evoltrick shrugged.
“It highly depended on the type of mission I had to do. I never killed anyone during a job, and I wasn't working for money.”
“But you weren't saving anyone either. That aside, what were you working for?”
“Powers.” he let out straight away. “I was working to collect powers. Money was just a cover. Usually people asked me to collect or steal stuff, but I'd never accept a job involving murdering someone. Not my type of thing, really.”
“That explains your title then. Gimmick Hunter Evoltrick.”
“That...”Evoltrick chuckled. “That may be because I play way too much video games. Long story. In any case, I don't really consider myself as a hero, as I said, because... I didn't act like one. And my goal here is to... become one, so to speak. Or at least be mentally aware of my actions. I don't want people to suffer because of me.”
Wonder Woman locked her gaze into Evoltrick's, and the teenager realized that she certainly had problems far beyond his grasp.
“I understand.”
He was convinced by those words. But alas, he never liked seriousness, which is why he felt he had to break the uneasy atmosphere.
“Well...Innocent people, at least.” he added with a gloomy smile.” I really don't mind hurting villains or naughty clients.”
Wonder Woman's smile became fierce.
“That, I can also understand. Alright, I guess you can be referred as a reformed villain. Your schedule has already be given to you, as well as the room you'll be confined into. You can already join extracurricular activities tonight, but I suggest you get ready as soon as you can.”
“Yes ma'am! Thanks for the advice. I'll be on my way then.”


Bowser's Hall, Room 203
Ten minutes later, the young boy was standing in front of his room – number 203, Bowser's Halll For Recovering Villains.
“2 and 3 makes 5... Darn it, and there I thought I'd be in a room with my lucky number."
Ever since he could remember Evoltrick had always been obsessed with the number six. He had no idea why, but he liked this number.
He took the keys from his shoulder bag and opened the door.
The first thing that struck the boy was that there were two beds, which unfortunately implied that he wouldn't be alone. He didn't mind company, but he preferred being the lone wolf that he'd always been. Both beds were metallic, but seemed comfortable enough for him to sleep into.
There was a wardrobe on the side of each bed. It was certainly a multi-purpose wardrobe, not just for clothes, which was perfect for Evoltrick's taste. He decided to sit on the bed that wasn't by the window – he still thought that someone could be out there anytime to watch what he was doing. He opened his shoulder bag and pulled out his laptop. It was a very special laptop, mostly because it was fused with one of Evoltrick's G-Orb, which allowed him to manage every single Skill Replicate he had made. And he had made a lot of them, considering how much he'd been travelling around different universes those past years. He could virtually experiment his power mixes, create various effects, test them, etc. He knew he'd look like a complete anti-social geek like that, but he didn't really care about his image yet. As for the clubs... Oh, he'd looked into those later. First step was experimenting. Then he'd explore the areas and look for potential powers to collect at the arena he'd heard about. He let out a cackle. What a pleasant schedule.
“EXPERIMENT TIME!” he shouted.
He materialized one of his G-Orb and connected it to his laptop, and started his tests.

Aurora Ayers - Aftermath

I was dripping with sweat after our ordeal. Healing a wide area of people can do that to you mixing yellow and green aura together to generate an area healing effect. I needed a shower, so I made my way back to Bowser's Hall, I head to my room first to grab a few towels only to see Mia was throwing clothes everywhere.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Looking for something to wear there's this party going on and I want to go!" Mia said.

"So you're throwing clothes all over the room and I'll guess I have to clean up?" I said.

"No! I'll clean this all up don't worry!" she said.

"Right, I'll just be in the shower then," I said.

I walk over to my trunk and pick out a long sleeve blue shirt and baggy gray sweats and throw them onto my bed.

"Why don't you come with everyone is going to be there!" Mia asked.

"I don't know if it involves any form of Alcohol or drugs then I'm out," I said.

"Why?" she said looking at me curiously.

"Drugs and alcohol mess with my senses plus it makes it hard to read other peoples aura it's bane rather than a boon," I said.

"Awww," she groaned.

"Sorry," I said.

I grab two towels and then walk out the door and head for the showers I needed a nice hot one and a way to blow some time until Mia leaves. After that nice hot shower I quickly made my way back to my dorm room with a towel wrapped in my hair and around me. To my surprise Mia cleaned up her mess and was gone, I dried myself off and threw on my clothes and the towels on the floor.

It was peaceful now most people were busy partying by this point. I sat down on my bed and crossed me legs then I brought the tips of my fingers together and breathed deeply. I breathed in and out as my body slowly relaxed itself then finally I tapped into my indigo aura.

"What does indigo signify?" the second voice returned.

"It signify great devotion, wisdom and justice along with fairness and impartiality."

Slowly I projected myself onto the astral plane. I floated into the air like a ghost and saw my own body, I was still breathing and now I managed to use astral projection I floated and moved to the door and though it now I was a ghost in some sense. But I wasn't dead, now it was time to go check out this party Mia had mentioned.

Ryou Shiki - The Arena | Room 201 | The Rave Room
As I backed away from the stone thingy and let the others take over again, I was approached by a girl.. The waterbender, no less. For the first time in.. Well, I couldn't remember how long it had been, I didn't need to force myself to put on a somewhat nice expression. It was the first time I ever met any other waterbender than my mother.

She glanced at my wrists, where I had solidified my blood to stop the bleeding."I can close that up for you if you'd like." I couldn't help but look surprised. I hadn't exactly expected the more than friendly approach. I had been warned that bloodbenders weren't usually looked at with kind eyes. "I can heal with my bending. But you know that, don't you? You're descended from a water bender - I saw that little...trick you did out there. I can heal your wrists for you."

I nodded, holing up my wrists to her. "That would be much appreciated, thank you." I studied her technique with curiosity as she used the water to make my wounds close up. If I had any fresh blood left in my system I could've done it myself, but that wasn't the case now, and my body weren't even trying to heal itself. "My mother taught me a lot of waterbending techniques.. Though she wasn't this good at healing."

"Oh, so you know how to waterbend?" She let the water flow back into the container.

"Not really.. I know the techniques, but I can't actually use anything else than bloodbending." I knew it was stupid, but I couldn't help but hope that maybe, just maybe, she knew some waterbending technique that I could use. Some technique that I hadn't even heard of.

"Oh, maybe you could show me some th--" Our conversation was cut short by the stone thingy's arm, that suddenly slammed down a bit to close, and immediately afterwards I realized the people on the bleachers were acting strangely, so I didn't get a chance to find her again. I'll do it later. I have plenty of time.

***

When the fight was finally over I hurried back to my room. I needed blood tablets. Actually, I need proper blood, soon. I took three this time, dissolving them all into a glass of water. The slight smell of burnt plastic became stronger the more you took at once, but the effect became greater as well. I needed to find that demigod again, quickly. I was already feeling dizzy and tired.

As I was about to head out and look I heard someone talk about a party in the rave room. Chances were that I'd find him - or her - there, so I changed my shirt and put on a vest over it before following the other dressed up students. My mouth was watering, a sign that I didn't find all that good. I shouldn't have used so much blood. It was stupid and pointless. All I needed was to pass the test, after all, and some of the other students had done far less than I and still passed it.

***

To my great disappointment I couldn't find the demigod in the rave room. If there hadn't been so many student in there I might've been able to use my sense of smell to find them, but with my senses as dull as they were it was difficult to distinguish one scent from another.

The warm air, the many scents and my light head made it difficult to breathe, which in turn made me even more dizzy. The too loud music and colorful lights that sometimes shone straight into my eyes weren't helping much either.

As I more or less staggered towards the buffet table I spotted a familiar face. The other healer! If I could just make her like me, and talk her into donating some of her blood now and then, I'd be set. But I need that blood now, not in a few days.

"Hey," I said with a forced smile. It seemed almost like I had startled her, judging from how she suddenly spun around to face me. "You're the girl that healed her leg in the Arena, correct?"

She nodded, taking a sip from her cup. Alcohol? I couldn't quite decide if I wanted to take advantage of that by staying sober, or indulge in a glass myself. Knowing I shouldn't and not wanting to weren't quite the same though. Maybe just one.

"So you can heal yourself.. Can you heal others?" I needed some kind of answer.. I couldn't really get her to like me if she wasn't even answering my questions properly.

She shrugged, which almost made me frown, but somehow I managed to contain it, instead smiling again. "I don't know yet."

I wanted a drink, and just one glass wasn't too bad, right? I took the opportunity to pour myself some of the spiked punch, drinking about half of it before introducing myself with another smile. "I'm Ryou."

"..Astasia," she said before emptying her cup.

She watched me in silence for a while, ogling at me and not even seeming aware that she was doing so. I couldn't help but chuckle when she finally did realize, and turned away with a slight blush. That's cute.. Hurry up and fall for me and give me your blood.

She suddenly looked up at me again, grinning. "Wanna dance?"

Oh? Was she really going to make it so easy for me? ..Though this isn't really my kind of dance. "Sure." I put my glass down, taking her hand instead and pulling her out on the dance floor with me. Music like this mostly sounded just like random noises to me, but it wasn't to hard to mimic the others, finding some kind of rhythm and dancing close to her.. A bit too close, and yet not close enough for her to want to pull away. "I'm sorry if I seemed rude earlier when we were out on the field.. I was just a bit distracted, as you might understand. I wasn't expecting a test this early on." All the dancing and people moving around so close to me was making my head spin, for a moment forcing me to lean on her.

She frowned, looking something in-between concerned and annoyed. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah.. Yes. I'm fine. I'm just a bit dizzy." I shouldn't bring up the blood this early, even though I wanted to. I needed to make her think that it was her idea to donate, and not mine. "Maybe we could sit down and talk for a bit? I could get you another drink, if you want too?" She nodded, and I smiled, heading towards the drinks again.


Amandine Mercator - Room 103 | Outside

When I walked into my room I wasn't expecting someone to be there already, as I hadn't seen any traces of anyone the last time I was there, but this time there was another girl there, whom I assumed was my roommate, and also a guy that I hardly recognized. I didn't even have time to say hello before I realized something was horribly wrong with her. She looked ill, even dying, and I could hear her whine and grunt as she held back screams.

At first I just stood there in the doorway, the blood rushing from my face making me feel cold. What is going on? I didn't dare to move, not wanting them to see me, but when the guy suddenly turned to glare at me I realized that it was too late for that.

"Wh-what are you doing? What's wrong with her?"

I didn't get a proper answer, as she suddenly flung herself towards the bathroom, and he held her still. This can't be happening. Not now. I heard him mutter something about how I should stay away for the next three days, and I didn't know what else to do than obey. In a situation like that I was probably supposed to call for a teacher, or at least an older student, but neither of them had asked me to, so I assumed it would be bad if I did so.

I felt the air around my hands changing, becoming more dense and then immediately thinner. Not now! I turned around and more or less ran through the hall, wanting to get away from them as soon as possible, before I did something that could hurt them. It wasn't supposed to turn out like this.

***

I don't know how I got there, but somehow I managed to find my way outside, out into the fresh air. I can't sleep in that room. I just can't. Was she going to be in that much pain all the time? Just the thought of it terrified me, and I knew for sure that I wouldn't be able to control my powers in an environment like that. It wasn't fair! Why did I have to share a room with one of the recovering villains? Didn't I need a calm and nice roommate more than most of the others?

I sighed, leaning my forehead against a tree and taking a deep breath, trying to calm down. I couldn't let myself lose control now. So far I had been doing well. Not excellently, but well enough for me to not have anything to be ashamed of. I'm being selfish. I should feel bad for that girl. She's in pain, and I should help. I could feel my stomach knotting up, thinking about having to restrain someone like that boy had restrained her. I can't do it. I just can't. A couch.. I could probably sleep on a couch. There had to be a lounge or something where I could find one. It'll be fine. Everything will be fine.

Someone tapped my shoulder, startling me and making me spin around. "Are you crying?" It was just a guy, and he even looked kind of nice.

I shook my head a little, automatically wiping my eyes even though I hadn't actually been crying. My eyes just teared up a little. "N-no.. I'm alright, thank you." I didn't manage to keep my voice quite as steady as I wished it to be. I looked around, but it seemed like we were alone. "What are you doing here? I thought everyone was at the party.." He looks kind of pale. "Are you alright?" I don't think I sounded as concerned as I felt, mostly because I was still upset and afraid I might hurt him somehow.

"Yeah." He didn't seem particularly in the mood for talking, although his voice stayed calm and relatively friendly. "Going to the party would be pretty stupid.. Seeing as most people there might want to fight me." I thought back on the fight with the golem, and remembered the siblings or twins.. No, wait, I think they were actually just one person there for a while.. Anyway, they had used illusions on the audience. Pretty scary illusions, at that. He smirked. "What's your excuse?"

I wasn't sure I had an excuse. Not a proper one, at least. "My roommate.. She wasn't well, and I didn't want to disturb her, so I couldn't change my clothes." I bit my lip, looking away instinctively. I wanted to look him in the eye, I really did, but as always I couldn't keep eye contact for more than a moment or two. "Are people angry at you for using your powers like that?" Maybe I'm being insensitive. "I'm not," I hurried to add. "You did what you could, and I don't understand how they can demand anything more than that." Normally I wasn't this talkative, but I hadn't really talked to anyone since I had arrived, and I was to tired and upset to care that I didn't know him. "I'm just glad I got my powers to work at all."

He leaned his head a bit to the side. "I've learned people dislike it when someone puts pictures in their brains." He shrugged. "I'm not sorry, but I won't do it again anytime soon either.. You have troubles controlling your powers?"

I nodded slightly, not sure if it was something I should talk about. "Yeah.. I've never really been able to control them, and they keep getting stronger. That was why my father sent me here. He though I could learn." I forced myself to glance up from my hands for a moment, meeting his eyes before looking down again. Deep breaths. "Ehm.. My name is Amandine, by the way. What's yours?" My hair was twitching again, moving on it's own like I didn't look weird enough as it was, standing out here with tears in my eyes.

"Dyre," he said, "but I'm usually called Dy, as to not be confused with my other half." He grinned shortly, observing my hair as he turned serious again. "My father sent me here too.. Your hair is moving."

TWO WEEKS have passed since the Welcoming Ceremony, and classes at the Academy For Heroes In Training are far underway. Our story begins as all Freshmen are called into the arena for a class-wide challenge! Before you all stand four senior-level S-Class Heroes: The Student Council. Students of The Fifth Academy! Meet your superiors!

Like his father, Gambit, Jean is a master of kinetic energy. He has the power to transfer power into any object he touches. His makeshift bomb of choice is a solid steel baseball bat. Jean is the President of Academy Sports Clubs.

Dutchess is a hazard-class telepath with master-level Telekinesis. Her eyes were sacrificed when she was a child in order to heighten her psychic ability. Dutchess is the President of Academy Culture Clubs.

A highly advanced android of mostly unknown origin, Rogue 7 is plugged into every server on the campus, allowing her to monitor and analyze the entire student body. Her AI is currently adapting to make her more human, but it is not a fast process. Rouge is the President of Academy Technoscience.

Scirocco hones the powers of wind and earth to complement his masterful swordsmanship. He has the power to conjure sandstorms at will. Scirocco is the Mission Director and Tactician.

Jean addresses the heroes-in-training first. “Two weeks ago, you were presented with a challenge to determine your level of skill as an individual! Due to your performance in that challenge, you were assigned a Team Role and Niche...and I’m sure lots of y’all are sore about what you got stuck with.”

Rogue 7 intervenes. “Today, however, we present you with a new challenge! You are to be sorted into two teams, and together, you will work towards a common goal!”

Dutchess floats to the center of the stage and throws out her arms, dividing the freshman class into two groups. “The men and women you stand with now are your teammates! Love or hate them, you have no say in the matter. This is a trial in your adaptability both tactically and socially--as dictated by our Headmistress.”


The final member of the Student Council steps forward, sword drawn above his head in an acrobatic stretch. “Your target in this challenge, Freshmen, is me. Find me on the Academy Planets and defeat me in combat. The team who is first to take me down will receive a set of power-augmenting uniforms designed by Dutchess herself.” Scirocco grins and holds his arms wide. “You have twenty-four hours to accomplish your task...beginning now!”

SCIROCCO JAZIR
1800/1800
400/400

L | Two weeks later

Two weeks had passed since he woke up in an infirmary. According to the nurse, he'd only been knocked out for three hours. He would've been treated sooner but he was locked in the arena as his teammates (he loathed calling them that) brought down the Golem.

He wasn't surprised when the nurse told him no one came to visit him, that everyone was at a "rave". Whatever that was.

"You should go back to your dorm room and get some rest. Your results should be coming in two weeks," she said kindly, handing him an iced water that melted the moment he wrapped his arm around it. She frowned and took his temperature again, then exclaimed, "Or not! You're running a 110°F and I could be wrong but I'm sure that's not healthy. even for a firebender."

"It's not. The normal temp is 105°F," L sighed, relaxing against the cot.

She bit her lip and gave him a concerned look. He noticed how young she was, younger than his mother, and how pretty she was when she was worried. "Drink the water," she ordered, grabbing a rag and dipping it in a bowl of water, then laying it across his forehead. "You should be healthy after a good night's sleep."

Having to stay in the infirmary was embarrassing, but he nonetheless curled up and closed his eyes, strangely soothed by her humming as she washed his neck and adjusted his sheets. And then he slept straight for ten hours, waking thirty minutes before his first class.

~

Two weeks later, he understood what she meant by results. All the freshmen had been summoned by four upperclassmen to participate in a class-wide fight, where they were split into two teams. He was on team one and was labeled a "Damage", which they had based off of the fight with the Golem.

Ever since his pathetic faint during the fight, he'd been working hard on honing his skills so it never happened again. Almost every day, he would skip his nightly run to practice his lightening generation abilities, testing his limits and seeing how much he could do before he used up all of his strength.

Now his skills were a tad bit better. They weren't as advanced as Aunt Azula's, but at least he could use it a few times and not pass out.

With his dark eyes appraising the senior before him, L decided to save it until he really needed it. He had to show his team that he was not a weakling. He was tired of the looks and whispers he'd been receiving for the past two weeks.

When Dutchess gave the go-ahead, Scirocco disappeared and the two teams huddled separately, everyone turning to look at their captains. All eyes fell on Kat Romanoff and she swallowed nervously, then gathered her team around.

L felt a twinge of annoyance that she was chosen to be captain. What was so special about her? he grumbled, then spoke aloud, regarding her with dark eyes. "What're the orders, captain oh my captain?"

Tahl

The first couple of weeks had gone surprisingly well, once she and her brother had bounced back from the effort of making those pipes burst. It had been pretty easy to stick to the sidelines of Walters little group forming and not be too bothered. And hanging out together until evening meant there hadn't been any roommate drama.

She didn't know what to expect when all the students were called together, but she wasn't worried. She felt a bit more prepared for another test like the first one. Then Duchess moved everyone one into groups and Tahl found herself being pulled away from her brother. She grabbed for him, but much too quickly found herself on the opposite side the field.

“The men and women you stand with now are your teammates! Love or hate them, you have no say in the matter. This is a trial in your adaptability both tactically and socially--as dictated by our Headmistress.”

She stood stunned for a minute. They couldn't be on different teams. That meant that they were working against eachother and that...That just wasn't possible.

"Tahl, move it. We have to go get him."

She glanced over had Jorah once more, but he was already being drawn into the other teams huddle.

Evoltrick - Two weeks later

Two weeks after joining the Academy, Evoltrick could definitely say that he was enjoying his time. He had been surprised to discover that his physical training teacher was Link, one of the incarnation of a seven years old pirate warrior - the Hero of Winds, if he remembered correctly - he had already fought back when he was still officially a Gimmick Hunter. He also had trouble convincing everyone around him to call him by his nickname - especially Dyre, who still teased him about it -, but overall everything was fine.
Evoltrick had been interested in joining the Drama club and Art & Fashion club, where he was having a good time as well. apparently his over the top dramatic performances were "spot on.". And although he didn't participate in the first test against the golem he'd heard about, he still had the time to prove to his classmates that he was a worthy fighter.
His room was still empty, much to his surprise. He didn't have the time to copy any power from other students yet, and he felt he needed to collect more data about them beforehand. Especially Mia, the girl who rarely stopped annoying him since the day she discovered he used to be a mercenary. Or "badass chaotic neutral dude", as she used to say.
Today four upperclassmen had summoned all the students to tell them about an upcoming challenge. Evoltrick took his shoulder bag with everything he needed inside of it, his multi-purpose belt and his G-staff, and went out of his room to discover what was going on.
"Two weeks ago, you were presented with a challenge to determine your level of skill as an individual!" started Jean, one of the upperclassmen. "Due to your performance in that challenge, you were assigned a Team Role and Niche...and I’m sure lots of y’all are sore about what you got stuck with."
Evoltrick couldn't help but shrug. He had missed the first challenged - and was still frustrated about it -, which meant he had probably been judged by his results in Physical Training class, not to mention the numerous time he saw teachers taking notes when he was training in the Testing Arena.
The upperclassmen kept on with their comments, until Dutchess finally explained that the challenge required teamwork.
“The men and women you stand with now are your teammates! Love or hate them, you have no say in the matter. This is a trial in your adaptability both tactically and socially--as dictated by our Headmistress.”
"Oh, awesome..." Evoltrick murmured to himself. He had never ever worked with anyone else but himself and his Golems, and Master Red had done a good job reminding him several times that his logic couldn't be the same with mindless creatures and teammates. The young boy didn't mind being a support member of the team however, for he knew his powers were indeed useful in that aspect.
"Hey Gimmy!"
Evoltrick sighed and turned around, not surprised to find a very excited Mia behind him.
"Saw that?" she continued. "We're on the same team! And I'm a Damage member! isn't that awesome?"
On top of always talking with the boy when she had the occasion, she gave him the nickname Gimmy instead of his usual one, which was simply not what he desired.
"We're gonna kick some butts, dood!" added the Prinny always next to her.
"I hope so," he replied politely.
“Your target in this challenge, Freshmen, is me." said Scirocco. "Find me on the Academy Planets and defeat me in combat. The team who is first to take me down will receive a set of power-augmenting uniforms designed by Dutchess herself.” Scirocco grins and holds his arms wide. “You have twenty-four hours to accomplish your task...beginning now!”
All the upperclassmen disappeared at once, leaving two confused teams alone.
"Power-augmenting uniforms, huh..." A gloomy grin appeared on Evoltrick's face. Now that was more like it! On top of getting the chance to replicate Scirocco's power, Evoltrick could get his hands on powerful suits to experiment with.
"Excited too, huh?" said Mia.
Evoltrick realized he didn't really know what the girl's powers were. But if she was a damage type, keeping her as a close ally was a priority. He decided to ignore her annoying side for now.
"You bet!" he answered with a frank smile on the face.
"So, what do we do, Bee?" added Mia, now approaching the harassed captain, almost jumping in place.
"She's like a tornado", Evoltrick thought. He sighed and joined the group formed around the captain.
"Hey, guys?"
Eleven heads rapidly turned to his direction.
yikes.
"The other team is already plotting. So...Anyone got a suggestion?"

Evatt Elric

"We would be at such a huge advantage if we had a map! This school has a dearth of maps, and I think it's down-right ridiculous that they can't supply us with one!" Bea had taken to Wade's shoulders, presumably towering over the remaining teammates.

"He did say Planets, plural...so we have to go rock hopping?" Tahl was distracted. Like, obviously distracted...to the point of hardly knowing what she'd said.

"Planet hopping!" Bea announced. "Who here can fly? And if so, can you make other people fly?"

Evatt furrowed his brow and stared at the ground beneath his teammates before slamming hands onto the earth, creating a 3D map of what he'd seen of the Academy grounds. Only one or two of the other planets showed up, though.

"The night of the welcoming ceremony," Evatt admitted, "Dyre and I explored the entirety of the main planet. With the profile for Scirocco they gave us, he'd be more inclined to hide in a sandy, windy place, right? Water and trees just wouldn't be his thing."

"Unless," cut Wade, "he's using reverse psychology. If it takes a full team of freshmen to take him down, I imagine he can fight in any environment."

Everyone gave a solemn sigh of agreement.

Evoltrick suddenly snapped with an idea. "Elric, you do alchemy like your dad and uncle--could you make land bridges and elevators and cool things like that?"

Evatt thought on it. "They'd reach a point of diminishing returns on the amount of foundation I'd have to take to go between the planets--"

"Then we'll go fast fast fast like police justice fast," Wade shot.

Evatt wasn't comfortable with the plan. "If I screw up, we could all fall into a void...or find ourselves in another universe."

Many of his teammates shrugged. Astasia smiled. "You may fall into another dimension. Others of us have actual physical agility."

"Screw agility, I can fly." Courtesy of Henrietta Stark.

"So we'll try it until we find Scirocco!" announced Bea. "Even if Elric can't make a decent bridge like that one guy from that show who couldn't build bridges, we'll still make it across!" Bea grinned. "Because we are awesome!"

Kya, the waterbender, put a finger to her lips and pointed to an island planet with no water. "From Evatt's diagram, it looks like this planet is mountainous. We can start there, since it's the closest?"

Everyone nodded (save for Tahl).

"I'm way excited to say this, team, but on the count of three...we scream TEAM B!"

Everyone looked on quizzically.

"No, see, it's a pun...because my name, it's Bea."

Silence.

"And There's Team A and Team...oh, nevermind. Just say whatever pumps you up on the count of three."

"One!"

"Two!"

"Three!"

__________________________________________

Vogel Schwarz

"So the other team is off already," sneered Kat. "Anyone got any hunches? Any psychic inklings? Any hidden powers of observation throughout the cosmic void--yes, you, with the angry face."

Everyone looked between one another until all eyes were on L.

"Scirocco is a man of swordplay and heat and sand. Obviously, we just track down the hottest place, and we'll have him pegged. Elementary Firebender stuff."

"Unless that's what he wants us to believe," cut Jorah.

Jessica groaned and slapped her face with her large hands. "He had to be a sand guy. Why add insult to injury?! My moisturizer's already wearing thin, and this is just going to ruin all my hard work. I swear, one blast of sand to the face and I'm done."

Vogel seemed interested in the stone-ish girl, as her composure reminded him of his being made of leaves and twigs. "No worries, Jessa. I'll be certain to restore balance to your body whenever Scirocco attacks."

Everyone collectively groaned.

"Who let the optimist on our team?"

Ruby ignored the stray comment and smiled at Vogel. "I find your optimism refreshing."

"I find it thinly-veiled doomsday talk," noted Dyre, who had notably split into her two selves.

"Give the guy a break! He probably can't think negatively, being made of all leaves n shit."

There was a collective mumble of agreement among teammates.

Isi finally spoke up. "It would be stupid of him to stay in one place, to wait for us, right?"

Kat was the first to nod. "Right. A good game of cat and mouse involves the mouse moving."

"Then we find a place he's sure to stop by and try to lure him in."

L interjected that Scirocco was not, to his knowledge, a fish.

Isi acknowledged it. "I figure that, after long enough without a fight, he'll be interested enough to come attack us from the shadows. We can alert him to our presence with my singing and L's fiery aura whatevers."

Kat scratched her nose. "There's no guarantee the first team won't get to him first, though." She turned to Dyre. "Have Dyreman go scouting, and if he finds signs of Scirocco, he'll report to us, and we'll send a scouting party that'll bring him back to us. By that time, we'll have a trap devised that will keep him in one place."

Everyone seemed content enough with the plan. Vogel turned to Dy and placed a small seed in his hand. "If your injuries grow dire--" there was a collective pun-laugh from several teammates--"eat this seed, and it will restore your livelihood over time."