Despite looking like someone in a perpetual hangover, Allen was surprisingly sincere with giving personal advice to each and every teen. He talked about perspective, perception, and new concepts they could explore about their power. He also suggested readings about other supers that had similar enough powers to help inspire them.
"Aren't categories loose? This seems pretty solid to me." Calvin commented while he and Ina idled at the side.
"Really?" She looked at him, a brow raised at his question.
"Yeah, Physics punch, Mystics magic, and Gimmicks have rules."
"They're loose but they're not groundless. They're still based on what's common between powers." She pointed towards Quinn. "Let's say Quinn's power evolves so that she doesn't have to touch things. Her rule is gone. Is she still a Gimmick?"
"Powers can change like that?"
"It's evolution, it's in the name."
"Makes sense." He nodded. "So, she turns Mystic?"
"Somewhat, depends on how she uses it. Again, loose."
Calvin nodded, somewhat getting it, but still not completely. He looked towards the other teens in the other groups, tensing a little as he remembered Lightspeed and Frostbloom were also in the room right now.
"Whose power do you like best?" Calvin asked to shake away the tension. "In this group, at least."
Ina turned serious, pondering his question for a moment. "Right now? Alex's swapping power seems good, but I have to go with Benjamin's."
"The touch telekinesis?"
"It's pretty versatile. And it's telekinesis, which is really high-ranked as far as powers go."
"But you have to touch to control it." He argued. "It'll be like budget super strength."
"You know telekinesis is more than just lifting stuff with your mind, right?" She looked at him with the most judgmental eyes she had sported so far. "You can do far more than lifting stuff."
"Like?"
"Binding people. One touch and you'll be stiff as a rock." She realized what she said and looked to Calvin, glaring at his failure to suppress a smirk. "Ew."
He let out a chuckle. "Didn't think of that."
"There's a lot more he can do than just lifting stuff." Ina said, before asking for his own opinion. "Which one do you like best?"
"Liam's is interesting. He can tank projectiles like they were spitballs, but a punch is still a punch to him." He imagined himself having that power and being virtually bulletproof, running away would be so much easier.
The two continued chatting, joined eventually by Quinn who was unexpectedly deep in thought for a while before returning to her cheery self. Whatever advice Allen gave her must have been something else.
'I wonder which categories my powers are. [Color Control] might be Mystic, I don't really have a 'rule' for it. [Gourmand's Insight] is definitely gimmicky. [Impervious Pebble] could go either Mystic or Gimmick. I don't have a Physic. Yet.' Calvin was lost in thought, looking towards the Super Store rewards from one of his quests. 'Hero name... one step at a time. Learn how to punch people first.'
"You two need advice or anything? We still have time." Assistant Allen talked to Calvin and Ina while Allen Prime was giving advice to Liam. "Matching mouth masks. That's new. You guys sick?"
"A bit." Calvin nonchalantly shrugged. "Can I ask a question?"
"That's what I'm being paid for."
"Is there any way to increase the chance to get a power? Or influence what you'll get?"
"Can't increase it, I'm afraid. But-" Assistant Allen looked at him inquisitively. "How old are you?"
"Sixteen?" Calvin answered. That was his official age that he and Sam agreed on. He had no idea of the truth.
"Good, you're not some baby-faced thirty year-old. Don't sweat too much, kid, your generation is practically guaranteed a power. It's a documented phenomenon."
"Lano's Law." Ina interjected.
"Precisely," Allen read her name tag, "Ina."
Calvin turned to the nerd beside him with a questioning look. Quinn did too.
She sighed and started explaining to him, "Lano's Law states that Superpowered individuals are twice more likely to awaken and be half as powerful as the previous one for each generation of humans that are born." Ina continued. "And as he said, our generation is almost always guaranteed a power. Although most of them are going to be weaker, which lends credence to Quincy's Third Law of Superpower Equi-"
"I think that's enough, both of them are overheating." Allen chuckled at Calvin and Quinn looking dazedly at mid-air. "Point is, don't worry about not getting a power. It's not likely for that to happen."
Calvin shook himself awake, "what about influencing it?"
"That too, there's no reliable evidence of that happening other than 'my neighbor's kid awakened a water power while swimming in a pool' or 'your cousin got a healing power because he was studying to become a doctor'. So don't worry about it either." Allen smiled mysteriously. "At least, that's what I would've told you if you asked me last week."
Ina's brows raised, a twinkle appearing in her eyes. "And this week?"
"It's still what I'll tell you." He laughed then winked at the annoyed delinquent. "Try next week, maybe the answer will change."
After half an hour of giving advice, the two Allens called the three groups back together. Frostbloom and Lightspeed joined and stood beside him, making Calvin's heart rate increase as he fidgeted with his mouth mask to make sure it was still on.
"Alright, how was that sagely advice from experienced heroes? Good? Okay, that's great." Allen Prime summoned another chair and sat down. "That's half of our agenda today done. The next is probably what some of you are waiting for, Combat."
Two large non-overlapping circles made from holographic light appeared on the floor, one gold and one blue. Lightspeed walked towards the golden one and Frostbloom skipped to the blue circle.
"I'll sit this one out, since I'm not built for combat. These two, however, are. Same thing as before, I'll split you all into two groups and then line up to get your ass beat." Allen Prime chuckled before getting a smack from Assistant Allen.
The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
"I'll leave the explanation to the two of them, now, let's split you up- yes?" He saw Calvin raise his hand.
"Uh- I don't have a power yet, and I'm not trained." His eyes glanced over to the two heroes, a nervous itch came and he readjusted his mask.
"That's fine then, just sit around and watch."
Calvin nodded, relieved that he was easily excused.
Allen looked towards Ina for a moment before he started splitting them up. Calvin and Ina ended up in Lightspeed's group, leaving Quinn crying alone in the other one. Regina 'Ink Crow' girl was also with them, along with a few others he recognized.
"Have fun, don't bruise them too much." Allen chuckled, leaning back and getting a massage from himself.
----------------------------------------
'Reminds me of when Frostbloom and I were in the same place as them.' Lightspeed smiled lightly, dodging another knife stab from the kid attacking him.
He ducked down, grabbing the kid's leg and pulling it as he stood up. The kid lost his balance and fell backwards with a soft thump, the softened floor cushioning his head. He then sent a resentful look towards Lightspeed, he just chuckled and offered him a hand to stand up.
"Can you only summon knives?" He asked, glancing towards his name tag. "Lonnie?"
"Knives are the only cutlery useful in a fight." The kid shrugged.
"Who decided that? I suggest you expand your knowledge on what is considered cutlery in different cultures, both ancient and modern."
"That's what Miss Frostbloom said."
"Well, she's right. Now, regarding combat. You fight less like a Summoner-type Mystic and more of a Physic, can you not control them at a distance?"
"I can... but it's hard."
The kid demonstrated by summoning a spoon, making it float in the air a few inches while he held his breath in concentration. The spoon fell with a clang as he breathed out, clearly mentally fatigued by the action.
"I see. You can work on that, flying knives are terrifying." He chuckled. "And you're too narrow minded when you fight. Keep in mind the big picture, see the battlefield, not just the battle."
"I don't understand."
"Summon knives where I might step. Block my retreat or trip me up with forks. Lock up my joints with big spoons." Lightspeed provided suggestions. "Don't just attack."
He let the kid go and raised his holowatch, looking through the list sent to him by the Instructor. He was randomly picking students and crossing them off the list.
'Calvin.' The name had been bothering him since earlier. He glanced towards the masked kid, trying to remember and overlap the blurry face in his memories. 'No, he doesn't have a power.'
He sighed and picked another random name, saving the powerless kids for last.
"Regina." He read her name. "Go up."
----------------------------------------
"Her ink crows are kinda sick." Calvin commented, entranced by the ebony feathers shooting towards the speedy ass-hat in white. He silently hoped she would him and stain his suit in the process, but the man was fast. Really fast. 'How did I even get him back then?'
"She's too obvious and conservative. With her powers, she could probably blot out the entirety of the arena with her birds, but she's in there shooting them straight towards him one by one. Not even predicting, not even curving, just treating them like bird bullets." Ina ranted, judging the fight.
"Bird bullets are kinda sick." He muttered.
"You're kinda sick."
"Thank you."
"That wasn't a- never mind." She sighed leaning back. "You okay? You've been fidgeting with the mask I gave you since earlier."
"Nothing... just- I don't know." He frowned, watching the speedster dash through the birds. "I can't fight."
"Just like most people." She gestured towards Regina. "It's not like it's taught in Primary, not even in Secondary. It's not a required course in Advanced either, and not a lot of people take it."
'Huh, I thought they were all taught.' Calvin scratched his cheek. "Why not?"
"Why would it be required?"
"I dunno, villains?"
She looked at him like he was dumb, "let's say you know how to fight. A supervillain comes down from the sky, what do you do?"
"Depends on the supervillain."
"No, you run. You don't have a power, you're not strong, you're just an ant with sharper teeth."
"Hm, but why don't they take it in Advanced?" He knew 'Advanced' was more or less this world's name for University or College.
"Not everyone wants to be a hero. And not everyone thinks their power is 'hero worthy'." She gestured some air quotes. "Even those with good powers only start to learn after getting them."
"Then why are they making us fight?"
"Probably to suggest trainers or schools to enroll in. Even if they don't know how to fight, they can see how they use their powers by telling them to smack people as hard as they can."
"Well, I don't see any smacking so far." Calvin looked at the ink-filled circle. Lightspeed was still stainless, much to his disappointment.
"That's because he's cheating. I hate speedsters, such a cheat." She muttered.
"You and me both."
Similarly to when the both of them were watching fights in the fight club, the two got into discussions about the superpowers getting used by the others in their group.
The swapping guy had almost landed a kick when he tried to surprise Lightspeed by swapping when they were in close quarters, but it seemed like Lightspeed was expecting it and blocked the kick by grabbing his leg.
The most exciting fight so far was the girl that could transform into a giant crocodile man, although even she couldn't land a hit. She still shook the ground with every hulk-smash she made.
"Who's that?" Calvin didn't recognize the next person coming up.
Draped in a meticulously tailored black suit accentuated by a stylish grey vest, a crisp white collared shirt, and a touch of vintage flair with a pale-red cravat gracing his neck, Calvin found himself feeling like he was in 1920's London.
"Is that a flat cap?" Calvin stared at the oddly-dressed teen walking up into the circle. "Who wears flat caps?"
"Apparently him." Ina muttered.
"Oh god, I almost forgot about you." Lightspeed sighed.
"Cor blimey, what you gawpin' at, mate? Ain'tcha ever clapped eyes on some proper style before, eh?" He spoke with an incredibly exaggerated cockney accent.
There was a silence after he spoke, even Lightspeed paused either too taken aback by what was happening in front of him or trying to decipher what the teen said. Calvin was doing both.
"You know what, I don't want to think about this. Just come at me." Lightspeed just gestured for him to fight.
"Alright, mate. You're askin' for a wollopin? I'll indulge ya then!"
The fake cockney guy rushed towards Lightspeed, hands in front like a boxing stance. He bobbed left and right as he neared, suddenly jabbing without pause.
Lightspeed dodged the jab without using his speed, backing off in the process. The guy pursued him, punching with a left hook, which Lightspeed dodged by ducking.
The unknown guy then grabbed the back of Lightspeed's costume and kneed him in the chest. Lightspeed blocked the knee with his hands and finally used his power to blur and get away quickly.
"Huh, he's actually good." Ina said in surprise.
"It looks like it." Calvin was intrigued.
The two were now looking at each other from a distance, Lightspeed looking surprised by how well he fought.
"Oi, did ya bloomin' forget me juice?" The teen grinned, pointing towards Lightspeed.
Lightspeed was confused for a moment before his hand flew up. An invisible force then kept hitting it repeatedly, sending him flying to the ceiling.
"Oh shit, that's the pompous ass from last week." Calvin finally recognized him from his power. "That's his power, at least."
"What? Him?" Ina squinted, leaning forwards to look closer. "Why is he like... that?"
"That's just how he is." A boy sitting beside Calvin spoke up. "James."
"Oh, voice changer. I remember you."
"Reduced to my power, huh. Nice to meet you too, powerless." He smirked.
Calvin rolled his eyes. "Touché."
"What do you mean that's just how he is?" Ina steered the conversation back.
"He's a cinephile. Loves movies and shows, you know? Wanted to be an actor before he got a power," he explained while gesturing to his friend, "he's really into method acting. And, well, he gets too into it when acting like his favorite characters."
"Huh." Calvin looked back to the arena, where Lightspeed was now somehow holding the cockney ass in a choke hold. "Is that why he was like that last week?"
"Pretty much. He's a weirdo, but he's got a good heart." James scratched his cheeks. "He's just got shit taste for movies."
"I can somehow imagine that."
The fights continued after Alden was advised by Lightspeed, although it was unclear he took any of his words to heart. Even voice changer fought, although it just highlighted how unfit his power was for combat.
Soon, all powered individuals were done, Lightspeed looking a little tired from all the fighting.
"So, you two left." Lightspeed looked towards Calvin and Ina.
"Oh, no, powerless. I'm good." Calvin raised his arms in surrender.
"I can still teach you how to throw a punch at least, we have-" he glanced towards Frostbloom, who was busy bullying a girl with similar powers as her, "a lot of time."
"I'll pass." He shook his head.
"Suit yourself." He looked towards Ina. "You?"
"Hell yeah."
Ina stood up, fire in her eyes as she jogged a bit too excitedly into the ring. She headed straight towards the weapons rack prepared by the side and took a pair of rods. They looked like batons, but literally were just meter-long sticks.
She twirled them around, making the sticks spin with practiced ease before lowering her stance and grinning.
Lightspeed was a bit perturbed by the girl's grin, but shook it off and gestured for her to come.
Ina rushed the distance between the two of them. As she neared, she jumped and spun, swinging both rods at an angle towards the speedster.
Lightspeed immediately had to blur and dodge backwards out of her range.
As if expecting this, Ina stopped her spin and dashed forwards while swinging one of the rods upwards to stab at Lightspeed's chin. Lightspeed craned his neck to dodge, only to feel an impact on his knee as her other weapon stabbed it.
He immediately dashed backwards, a cold sweat on his back as he realized he'd have a busted knee if he wasn't super.
"You're trained." He spoke the obvious.
"Yeah." She smiled.
"Why bother with this?"
"Because it's fun."
With that she dashed again towards Lightspeed, batons ready to smack.