-June 17, Friday 10 pm-

A woman, her red hair showing signs of wear, gazed at the lake. The faded leotard she wore clung to her body, appearing it might rip apart at any moment. She was down on her luck and angry. This was her last shot. Her last chance to try for it, and she failed. Nothing good could come from it. Anger, anger continued to swell up from within.

Unknown to her, Mistress M hovered above the woman with a dark smirk.

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-Saturday, 12:05 p.m. Parkerville. Downtown-

Jake and Ryu were sitting at 'Dave's Eatery' diner. They had just returned from an hour and a half of training since 9:30. The girls opted out for the park and took Tina with them. They had just ordered and were waiting for the burgers to come.

"Ah man, I was here last time with a buddy of mine just to get my hands on this burger." said the excited redhead.

"Aren't you a little over excited?"

"Maybe, but this burger was part of a challenge a few years back. Ever heard Dude vs. Edible Bites?"

"Yes." His mind clicked. He analyzed the facility with a surprised expression. "Wait, it was this restaurant?"

"Yes!" The teen clenched his hand as if he was on the eve of the new millennium. "That burger put this city on the map. It made the city a bit more popular and a new tourist trap. The Hungry Burger is why I come here to honor the show... despite the previous host leaving." He grumbled. "But still, I want you to try this. Even if you don't like it, you still need to know why this burger was part of the challenge.

"But did he lose and almost have a heart attack?"

The redhead looked at him dryly. "He also had Quadruple Chocolate milkshake, Deep Fried Butter, and Loaded Mayo Monster Fries."

"Ah." He responded, realizing he forgot the others."

"Eating that meal is a one-way ticket to a heart attack. That is why I eat them as a single item and not a grand meal." He gave a thumbs up and a toothy grin. "Even if certain foods are bad for you. You just gotta try 'em one time and only if you don't eat anything else the rest of the day."

"I agree to that."

"Besides." The redhead leaned. "With what we are doing, I'm sure we'll be eating a lot. We're superheroes, but we take care of certain threats like the Ghostbusters did."

"And we can't get involved with this world affairs, or else we cause more problems."

"Yeah... I think we would be in over our heads. I'm surprised Christina was lecturing us about not trying to get involved."

"Why?"

"To some extent, she's into causes... but I guess she's grown since letting the frogs out of the science class. Plus, you probably watched or read something where the heroes come across a world ruled by an alternate version of themselves?"

"Yeah, don't want to go that route... you think we will?"

"I hope not! Imagine me suppressing people because they didn't give me a particular video game I wanted or they didn't call me 'Emperor Shock Master of the Universe.' Crazy."

Jake smirked humorously. "I know, crazy. That would be too much responsibility. A lot more than we have."

Then, their burgers were brought to them. The spiky raven looked at the sculpted food and felt his mouth watering.

"See here? First, there's the bun, A cheese bun. Then you have a burger mixed with blue cheese and bacon, topped with mushrooms, BBQ sauce, fried pickles, tomato, lettuce, red peppers, and the secret ingredient… marshmallow sauce." The goofy boy picked up the burger. "Observe, my friend, this is a work of art." Then he took a bite."

The Fire Radiant also took a bite. Upon it, his taste buds started dancing and craving for more. They finished their meal and then left the diner.

"I've been meaning to talk to you about East Lion Hill High. How is it?"

"Like other schools, I think." Ryu placed his hands in his pockets. "Teachers can vary from crabby to odd to 'eh, they're alright'. You already know about cliques and other drama. Rob Jocko is an example."

"Okay, keep an eye on him."

"And Marissa and Issac. Rob may be a grade above, but those two are in our grade."

"Got it, keep an eye on them."

"Then there is the notorious Student Council where for some reason they may have as much power as the Supreme Court... or so they say." He narrowed his eyes while it seemed like his surroundings had gone dark. Jake looked on with a blank look. "Pizza Day was taken away, but the Red Menace brought it back. Yes."

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Jake blinked and tilted his head as a sweatdrop formed. "That sounds like something I should've been there."

Ryu popped back to his less-than-serious tone. "Ah, there were feathers, peanut butter, and a giant rubber band."

"Ah, cool."

"Okay, now let's head to the comic book shop and meet Ed."

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-Ridgewood Plaza-

Amy, Christina, and Tina were sitting at one of the tables in the plaza as they ate food. Tina looked up at Amy.

"You look like someone who sings."

The older girl perked up. "Uh? Me? Nope. Why?"

"I don't know." Tina gazed at the brown-haired girl. "You look like a prep to me."

Amy giggled. "I'm not a good singer. As for prep? Is that an old-fashioned term for a stylish valley girl or something? He-ll-o." She mocked in a valley accent. "No, not that type."

"She doesn't have an InstaTele account." Christina took a bite. "Everyone told her to, but she refused."

"Creeps and weirdos." The light brown-haired girl grimaced at the thought. "Don't wanna."

"You could say that about every social platform.

"Then why cheerleading?" The younger girl pointed out. "Mom says it isn't a sport and only for those who want to show off."

"I wanted to have fun." The Light user frowned slightly. "It was fun, but people took it too seriously." She leaned down at the table. "It's a skill, not about who's hot or not. People thought I was too ditzy and..." She trailed off.

"Amy." Christina frowned.

"Sorry." Tina noticed the tone. "I didn't mean to bring up anything hurtful."

Amy smiled at her. "You're fine. One of the reasons I stopped was because I enjoyed Volleyball more."

"That's good."

"Amy, Christina."

Tina noticed the Water Radiant narrowing her eyes while the Light Radiant tensed. They all turned to a green-haired girl standing before them. She gazed at them with a neutral look.

"Lily." The older raven-haired girl spoke cautiously. "Anything you need?"

"No, just saying hello."

"Well... hi." The light-haired brunette said to her with a small smile.

The green-haired girl rolled her eyes and then looked away. "Look, I was just saying... hello and..."

"Yeah." Christina stared at her intently. "And goodbye."

Lily shot her a glare, then scoffed. "Fine, whatever." The girl walked away, leaving the trio to sit in silence until Tina spoke up.

"You know each other."

Amy shrugged. "Yeah... she was our friend, but."

"Let's say things happened during our freshmen year that broke our group apart as we entered high school." Christina muttered. "It involved a bunch of unnecessary drama, and people got so offended and stupid over the pettiest of reasons."

"Sorry."

"Things just happened. It took a while for some of us to forgive, and others just went off."

Tina frowned at them. "People are just stupid. Why throw away friendship or any relationship for petty reasons."

"Because people are... selfish sometimes." Christina stood up. "Come on. There's this desert cafe you might like."

Tina nodded. Whatever happened was not worth losing some friends over. She would not pry. They might reveal it in time, but it was not her business. For today, they needed to enjoy it.

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-Evening, Ishida Residence-

"Jacob."

Jake had returned home and was about to pass the living room when his mother called. A woman in her early 40's with shoulder-length black hair and the same auburn eyes. She smiled warmly at him.

"Hey, mom."

"You're happier than usual."

Jake's eyes lit up. "I am?"

"Well, you seem not to be as distant, like you found something. Did you meet people here?"

Jake nodded. "Yes."

"Great!" She said excitedly. "I was worried about the two of you. I know uprooting you from your friends back home, but... you know I had to transfer."

"I know, Software Developer." He smiled. "They needed you here."

"We're staying here."

He raised a brow. "Are you sure?"

She nodded. "That's the plan. You and Tina seem to go out more often. That tells me we'll like it here." She perked up. "Oh, your grandpa sends his regards. He'll be coming in a few months. He has a gift for you two?"

He smiled brightly. "Awesome! What is it?"

"He says it's something unique."

"He will be arriving from Japan in late July, but he'll be staying until late August." She smiled. "He was worried about you, but since you made new friends, his worries will be lifted."

Jake nodded. Friends... he did make friends... right... and not just teammates that got together due to circumstances. He shook away negative thoughts. Other than Mistress M, things were pretty good."

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-Next Day, Hub-

"These are the three artifacts that require rage." Luka spoke up. "Our friend Heina managed to get back with me after we discovered Mistress M's ambition."

Pilot nodded. "And what did she say?"

"She discovered three artifacts that would manifest through gathering rage." She placed a blood-red chalice in front of them. "The Blood Chalice. Drinking from this will turn you into a berserker in exchange for half your lifespan."

"A dark maiden like that wants to live forever." Reinstar said while meditating on the table.

"Is she a maiden?" hummed the brown-skinned man. "She is a mistress."

"Name only or not, it's not the point." said the redhead. "Next."

"The Gauntlet of Rage." A picture of a blood-red metal clawed gauntlet. "This will turn your rage into power and control the people. Also bad, taking it off without a rune will wither you away."

"A possibility, next."

"The medallion of rage." She showed a picture of a blood-red medallion. "Amplifies your current power and drains people of their rage. It will also do something hazardous to your health." She sighed. "They're all dangerous."

"Correct you are." Javo nodded. "Whatever one she needs will manifest."

"And if she summons all three?" asked the lavender shinobi.

The leader grimaced. "Then we have to stop her before she does. Is there anything else?" The group shook their heads. "Then the meeting adjourned."

"Well then." Reinstar stood up. "Javo, want to go roam the city?"

"Sure."

"Don't get into trouble." Pilot ordered. "Food and beverage only. Don't overindulge. Remember the budget whenever we are in this world? Just because we exchange gold coins doesn't mean we have an unlimited supply."

"I know," The ninja turned to her large friend. "Come on, Javo."

"We'll be back soon." said the large man.

The redhead grumbled as he watched them leave. "Good as they are, they can get into trouble."

"You haven't?" The bird woman smirked. "Heina told me about your days in the academy. You used to get into trouble."

For the moment, his eyes lightened up slightly, and a brief smile displayed for the moment. He sighed. "I grew up."

"We all did..." Luka frowned. "But... sometimes we need to live a little."

He sighed. "We'll see."