[ Righteous Lad / Silver League HQ ]
Finally back home and ready to return to the swing of things after being away for six days, Righteous Lad waits at the public Samaritan Facility for his team. Though, he decides to help himself to some breakfast at the cafeteria while passing the time. Just as he's finishing building a tray with a couple of pancakes, scrambled eggs, a cup of yogurt, a toast of bread, and three sausage links - someone approaches him with news to share.
“Hey, Righteous Lad! Did you hear the A.D.A is coming here later today?” A cheery heroine asks with a tray of her own in hand.
“Hey, Glitter Pop. And no, I haven't. Been dealing with… family stuff. What's the occasion?” He asks the blonde while turning to head toward the nearest vacant seat, knowing she'd follow alongside him to continue the conversation. She does so without fail.
“I hear it's to promote and establish a sub-team for the new generation of samaritans! Like, working directly with them as interns or something like that.” She answers to the best of her knowledge. It's a response that makes Tyson arch a brow in confusion.
“What? Isn't that what the Silver League is supposed to be? And what about the guys above us and just below them? We're going to be cutting the line to be the new faces representing America?” Tyson asks before taking a bite out of his toast.
“Hmmm… That's a good question. But! Some of the guys in the Gem and Ruby ranks are kind of old. And they also already handle more intense stuff than we do here.” The blonde reasons before opening her 1 liter bottle of orange juice.
“Yeah, I guess they don't necessarily have to strive for anything more. But what's going to be the criteria, I wonder…? Popularity? Powers? Skill sets? Jobs done? Teams? Will it also make the people here even more divided and resentful toward one another?”
“You think they'll pick only the strongest samaritans?” Glitter pop asks.
“I don't know. I'd imagine they'd want replacements that are at least nearly as strong as their best. Acrobatics can only get a normal person so far, but who knows? I have no idea how they'll decide to make their choices.” Tyson answers.
“Guess we'll find out soon enough.”
______________
[ Galivinth / Mount Heaven Splitter ]
With the weekend finally here again, Galivinth and Naeth arrive early to attend the morning training session with the entire body of the school's students. Afterwards, the two part ways with the others to continue training a little while long.
“Think we should increase the weights a bit more?” Galivinth questions, finding it peculiar the 800 pound dumbbells aren't challenging his muscles at all as he performs a set of curls.
“I HAVE been. Since the day we decided to keep our soul essence activated during training. It seems to be time for another increase for us both.” Naeth informs.
“Oh, how much did you increase it by?”
“300 pounds in total for you and 500 for me.” The full-blooded cryonean answers. It's then that a third person enters the weightroom and interjects their presence.
“Gal-li-vinth, right?” The sound of someone's voice uttering the syllables of the teens name draws the attention of both boys.
“Huh? Aren't you that guy from my social studies class?” The half cryonean questions.
“Yes-yes! I'm Asura (Ah-ser-rah) Kae-Ogi. I'm a relative of Jolelimoon Sr. and Josaki Jolelimoon.” The youth introduces himself with a warm grin. He stands at 5’8 & ½ feet tall, has fair skin, a seemingly slender physique under the blue and white track jacket he's wearing, thin framed glasses, and short black that's been neatly trimmed. He's also wearing the pants of the school's teal gi uniform, along with a pair of black converse sneakers. What's more, his features give the impression that he's pure of Japanese descent, though not only is his English naturally fluent with no strain behind his speech, but his eyes are an unusual heavy shade of sapphire blue.
“A relative of the old man? Color me interested. But do go on. I won't delay your talk with my cousin.” Naeth comments.
“Was there something you needed?” Galivinth questions softly.
“Not necessarily. I was simply curious! When my uncle mentioned he found disciples to carry on two of the most crucial branches of Adaptive Fists, I wanted to see what they were like. And…” Asura trails off while looking the two over for a moment, particularly taking note of their monochrome eyes that have distinctions of their own.
“You two definitely aren't normal. I can feel it… It's merely a fragment of a shadow, but I can sense you're both a step above the average student.”
“You can sense that from us?” Galivinth questions while arching a brow.
“Yes. Can't you? Once you tap into Soul Essence, you enter a whole new ball field, sort to speak. It's practically like noticing someone's cologne. You can observe it just by studying my presence.” Asura asks, striking both of the cryoneans interest. Both Galivinth and Naeth take a moment to study the male, and easily, they too can sense a faint idea of the scale of his soul essence. A ghost-like aura vaguely takes shape around Asura's body from their perspective.
“Oh! Yes, I can see it now. I had no idea what that feeling was, truth be told. I could feel an air of presence from others, but I just thought some people's personalities stood out more than others.” Galivinth informs.
“Fascinating, indeed.” Naeth adds.
“It's pretty handy, no?” Asura grins a toothy grin.
“But I'm curious… You said Jolelimoon Sr. is your uncle? Why didn't you become a disciple if you're attending the dojo?” Galivinth pries.
“Ah, I learned what I could of the easiest route of Adaptive Fists, but had no interest in dedicating myself to it. I personally prefer mastering the art of swordsmanship! I guess that's why I at least bothered learning The Fist That Cleaves from my uncle's teaching. Haha!”
“Is that a branch of the style, too?”
“Yes, it is! I've learned how to turn soul essence into a tool. I can pretty much turn any thrusting or swiping motion into a finely sharp attack. Elbows, hands, individual fingers, and even my kicks. However, it's not as… shall we say, multi purpose as what you two are learning.” Asura explains.
“Oh, that's pretty cool. I take it you're a student under Sae Lee, then?” Galivinth questions.
“That's right! However, under the ongoing legacy of the Adaptive Fist martial arts, we're practically brothers in spirit! It's actually said that those who practice some form of it are bound to form a connection with others, even if they're pursuing other branches of the martial art. It's been that way for hundreds of years, I've been told.” Asura answers and gives an additional thought.
“Hm…” A not-so-convinced sound comes from Naeth as he stares with a stoic look on his face.
“How true do you think that is?” Galivinth asks.
“Fairly so. Given that we're talking now, I have no reason to doubt it completely. Plus, I would like to see your potential for myself. You don't mind a third wheel joining your after class training, do you?” Asura questions.
“No, not really. But, ya know… We keep at it for several hours.”
“And we can't afford to slow down for you. You're going have to work twice as hard if you want to interject your presence into our training. If you can adapt as needed, then I won't mind, either.” Naeth adds after Galivinth's answer.
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“Ah-ha!” Asura's lips spread into a toothy grin as he reaches to adjust his glasses.
“Sounds fair to me. I'm looking forward to it, even!”
“We'll see if you can maintain that enthusiasm for long, human. Prepare yourself, because we were just about to continue our training.” Neath informs, lifting his arms to fold them across his torso as the fire-like red aura of his soul essence suddenly takes form around his entire being.
[ Righteous Lad / 4 Hours Later Back At The Silver League HQ ]
“Greetings and salutations, samaritans fresh and seasoned!” The booming, fairly deep masculine voice that's as smooth as sweet cherry wine and belonging to none other than the greatest icon in America - Captain Righteous - carries across the massive gathering hall. It's a pretentious auditorium with walls of stainless white and both seats & carpet flooring of crimson red, and barely gets any use outside of special occasions that don't come often at all. It's built to hold a capacity of 40,000 people, but so many have shown up that the entrance doors have to be kept open so that those outside can see or at least hear what's being said. The isles are packed with heroes who are either sitting or leaning against something, while some of those who can fly spectate between 20 and 40 feet above inside of the 60 feet tall room. The balcony above is just as packed. All of whom have come to listen to the strongest and most selfless official Samaritan in the 'business’. A man with a herculean physique underneath a snug and brilliant white suit with minor america-based colors and a vaguely familiar decal at the center of his chest. His beard thick, yet kempt. His brown hair is kept short and simple. Lastly, his skin is fair.
“I know this is quite sudden and that you're all probably wondering what the American Deeds Association could possibly want to announce. Well, my friends and I are very aware they've been at this job for two decades, going on three now.” Captain Righteous begins, turning to gesture toward the other big name heroes behind him. Madam Ankh, a 5’10 tall woman with a toned physique adorn by light garbs and jewelry made up of a mixture of bits from her Egyptian & Central Africa heritage. Her skin holds a dark-ish tanned complexion, her eyes are pupiless and purely white with black eyeliner around her sockets, her wavy hair is a shade of midnight blue while also being long enough to reach her hamstrings. Her attire consists of black cloth & leather while any metal or jewelry share a brilliant shade of cyan.
Major - a veteran of the Winter War who has no powers whatsoever, but is a master in the arts of covert tactics, hand-to-hand judo, infiltration, and has access to military grade and beyond equipment. He stands at 6’2 feet tall, fair skin, and an attire that hides most of his distinct features. A military bowl helmet, a thin jacket with black and gray camouflage patterns all over it, a black turtleneck sweater underneath his open jacket, combat gloves on his hands, a utility belt with various pouches on it, black cargo pants that tuck neatly into a pair of shin-high black combat boots. Of course, there's also the goggles he wears on his face.
And then there's finally Lieutenant Outpace, or simply Outpace for short. Another veteran of the Winter War, though he hails from Scotland. His skin is the fairest on the stage. Thanks to the visor of his pilot helmet being up, it's possible to see that his eyes are of a radiant gold color. His mustache-less beard is ginger red, and his physique is lean yet built athletically while standing at a height of 6’0 feet tall. His attire is red and white, as well as made up of form fitting leather and very light armor plating.
“And we know it's only a matter of time until some of us will need to or want to step down. Not just us, but contenders who also had the potential to fill our boots. And it would be a shame not to handpick successors to fill in the void and be the new reliable faces of this great nation!” Captain Righteous continues. His words stir up a bit of low incoherent chatter throughout the room.
“Of course… I do not believe that any who we decide to endorse will be the definitive people to take our spots. Even so, I cannot deny the strong pull our choices will have on the public at large. It's practically a guarantee with our backing. So, with that said, I'd like to inform you all that we'll be spectating the lot of you at random. Us and trusted associates within the government. We'll be sorting through members of the Silver League only, and narrowing down new potential contenders until we're ready to make our choices. It could be four members, could be less, could be more. It may begin tomorrow, tonight, next week, or next month. But what I can definitely assure you of is that we will be fair and not be biased toward reputation or amount of work done in the past.”
T H O O O M ! ! ! He concludes his explanation with immaculate timing! Nearly immediately when his last word passes, a ground shaking crackle of thunder strikes the city street nearby with enough force to knock countless of the Samaritans inside the building off their feet.
“What.. Was THAT?” Alexecute asks while clutching onto the armrests of her seat.
“Sounded like… Thunder? Is it raining?” Righteous Lad questions with an arching brow. Just right after, an abnormally strong wind begins blowing by and disturbing the peace even further. It's then and there that both Captain Righteous and Righteous Lad simultaneously decide to investigate the commotion.
“I’m going to go see what's up…” / “I'll go see what's going on out there.” The two take off at the same time, though Tyson holds the lead. The pair of patriotic heroes rush within reasonable speed to navigate through the halls and rush out of the front door. They ascend upward 50 feet to get a good position to spot the trouble out and about, but not only does their search not take long at all but they discover it's not villains disrupting the quiet afternoon, but Deities. Divine beings who seem to be gathering from the sky and toward a bus stop as the focus point. Some on large spheres of winds, some on pegasus horses galloping on thin air, a few on fiery platforms made of nothing but burning flames, and lastly–
“What is going on…?” Tyson questions as he looks up in disbelief. Overhead he sees a ginormous tsunami wave that could easily wash away the city like a speck in the wind, creeping closer. Somehow, it stops short of invading the town's shores while casting a giant shadow. It holds in place while those atop of it begin descending upon large serpent-like bodies of water they ride like surfboards all the way down to solid ground, where the watery platforms disperse. They too join the crowd as the tsunami retreats back toward the ocean.
“They're Olympians…” Captain Righteous comments.
“Huh?” Tyson arches a brow and then looks toward the large group of deities. He notices their familiar garbs from back when he was at Mount Olympus just a day or so ago.
“Oh, yeah. I think you're right.”
“But what are they doing here?” The elder of two inquires more so to himself than his younger associate. He flies forward and lowers to investigate the unusual gathering. Tyson of course follows right behind him.
“Pardon me, may I ask what brings you all here?” The mature hero asks shortly after touching down. His question draws the attention of everyone present.
“Ah, the Agent of Olympus. Perfect timing! We could use a guide to help in exploring the world of mortals.” A blonde woman states with a smile. Her way of addressing the biggest Samaritan in America brings forth a soft and curious frown upon Tyson's face.
“Agent of Olympus?” The young man repeats while looking toward the taller male.
“Another time, Righteous Lad.” The hero in white murmurs toward the other in response. Then his attention shifts toward the Olympian tourists.
“I wouldn't mind, but this is quite the sudden visit and show of people. Is there a festivity taking place soon? What's the occasion?” He attempts to pry details from the bunch.
“A puppet questioning his betters? We owe you no explanation, but if you must know, I'M here to see how much the realm of mortals has developed.” A male speaks up to answer for himself.
“I see. Forgive me, Thanatos. I meant no offense.” Captain Righteous assures calmly.
“Did your time among these beings inflate your ego, oh wise and strong puppet? Or perhaps, you have become possessive of this territory?” A woman's voice snidely chimes in.
“Of course not, lady Terpsichore. I would not even dream of assuming I could dictate where any of you may set foot.” Captain Righteous responds. During this, Tyson's scowl and suspicion begins fortifying. However, it's then that two people from the crowd of around 50 deities step forward to address Righteous Lad.
“Brother Konnence!” A female’s voice calls out to the hero in charcoal black and green. He looks over to see that it's Ligheonis, who's accompanied by his brother Orpheus. Both appear to be holding gold luggages
“You two are here, too?” Tyson questions.
“We FOUR. Asclepius and Apollonis are here, too. That aside, how have you been faring?” Orpheus questions with a smile.
“Pretty good. I'm just confused as to why a bunch of Gods just showed up out of the blue.” The hero responds as he crosses his arms.
“Weeeeeell… Your tales of America sounded very interesting. We may have caused things to escalate to this point when sharing your other stories with friends, who told their friends. By ‘'we’, I'm including you, by the way!” Ligheonis informs.
“You're kidding…” Tyson blinks with a mild look of shock on his face.
“No, she's not. It's very much true! I even wrote and performed a song of your adventures. It even got to a point where I defended your honor and credibility of your tales within heated debates. Word got around and curiosity among us grew.” Orpheus concurs.
“I was just there just a day or so ago, though. It spread THAT fast?” Tyson questions.
“Yes! Gods typically act upon their desires and wishes on a whim. Not only that, but some have extraordinary hearing and speed. It's not too surprising, truth be told.” Ligheonis reasons.
“Jeeze, I just wanted to have a good time and forget about the drama. I didn't think telling stories at a bar would lead to this.” Tyson murmurs before sighing softly.
“So… do you guys need a place to stay? There's not a lot of room at my parents’ house, but I can pay for a hotel room or two for you guys.” He goes on to offer afterwards.
“No need. Asclepius has taken it upon himself to go study the architecture of this city and find us a plot of land to build a suitable home on.” Orpheus responds.
“But we did intend to eventually visit.” Ligheonis adds.
“Ah, I see. So like, are you guys are staying staying? You know, moving in to live in the city?” Tyson asks.
“That's right. I don't know how long it'll be for, but I suspect it to be longer than seven sun cycles.” Orpheus answers.
“Alright, alright. I just arranged for a tour bus to arrive at this location. If you all would be so willing, I'll gladly give you informative guidance around the city and how society conducts itself here. I politely ask that you patiently wait until the vehicle arrives. Once it does, we'll be on our way as soon as possible.” Captain Righteous announces to the group.
[Galivinth / Five Minutes Ago Back At Mount Heaven Splitter]
“The tree is beginning to wither, but there's still a ways to go. Once you've broken down this tree, we'll test how well you've learned to use the technique with a time trial.” Kanshuro informs his pupil. The teen of interest finally dispels his aura, lowers his arms, and abandons his stance. He's panting softly as beads of sweat roll down his temple, torso, and biceps, and luckily, his training has ended for today.
“We'll continue next evening.” His mentor tells him before heading toward the temple behind them.
“Understood.” Galivinth responds as he wipes a forearm across his forehead and uses the wraps to soak up his sweat. It's then that Asura rises from sitting on one of the large split logs at the camp and approaches him while passing Kanshuro along the way.
“That definitely looks time consuming to learn.” The aspiring swordsman comments and then glances over at the tree.
“But it seems interesting. I look forward to seeing how much you can progress with it!”
“Yeah, me too. I think I'm getting the hang of it now. But man, is it hot today…” The half cryonean groans.
“Some cool shade would be nice right about now.” He adds, now fanning his face with his left hand. By this time, Naeth is approaching to join the two after also concluding his own daily training. Before another word could be said, a sudden massive tower of thunder smites the ground far off over in the city before the boys’ very eyes and quakes the ground more than enough to make them stumble and fall over.
“What was that!?” Galivinth exclaims in fear.
“I-I-I don't know… It looked like a massive bolt of lightning struck the city somewhere.” Asura responds as he adjusts his glasses properly. It's then a rumbling follows, one accompanied by the sound of a wave of water approaching. Before long, the sun gets blocked out and an immeasurable shadow begins casting down over them. Over the entire mountain even!
“Tsunami!” Naeth cries out as fear petrifies him where he lies on his back. All of them are reduced to the same state.
“Ah-ha-haa… haaa… hauuu-huh-huuuuh… Oh my God…” Galivinth barely gets out behind his shaky breathing, trembling before an incomprehensible sight. Fortunately for them, this was not the unannounced end of times, and the towering massive body of water begins returning from where it came and returns the sun's light to the people of dry land.
“Insane… It was as if the water was under someone's control. Nothing about that tsunami was natural in the slightest.” Naeth Comments after exhaling a breath of air he wasn't aware he's been holding in. Finally, he and the others rise back up to their feet.
“Y-yeah, that's the strangest thing I've ever seen in my life!” Asura agrees.
“I thought… I thought we were going to die.” Galivinth utters while cupping the sides of his own face with his hands. Then suddenly he begins chuckling.
“Heh.. Eh-HEH-hahaha…”
“Are you… okay, Galivinth?” Naeth questions as he moves closer and places a hand atop of his relatives shoulder. Yet, the laughter continues.
“Hhhhhh-HAHAHA! I'm– PFFFTT! I'm fine! Haahahaha!!” Galivinth assures, now hunching over with his hands atop of his slightly bent knees. Like a contagious illness, Asura chuckles a bit while placing his hands at his own hips.
“Haha, whaddya’.. Ha-ha-ha. What are you laughing for, then?” Their newest associate asks.
“Me? Haha! What are YOU laughing for?” Galivinth counters. Within seconds after, Naeth also catches a case of laughter and shares it with the other two.
“Tch! You guys are weeeeird. I'm going- ta'h-hahaha! I'm going home!” Galivinth announces as he heads toward the path leading down. The other two follow behind as the uncontrollable laughter continues.