A cat was stuck in a tree. That was the so-called opportunity that struck. From Jeremiah’s point of view, it looked perfectly relaxed and in no sort of danger. The calico cat yawned at the five humans below with bored apathy. Jeremiah was positive that ‘rescuing’ this cat would only earn some claw marks to the face.

“I was afraid that today would be less than stimulating, but now, there’s a real problem to be solved!” Instructor Hill exclaimed.

“No worries, Roger. I’m already calling the fire department~” Ashley said, pulling out her cell phone.

In a flash of movement, Instructor Hill cleared 10 feet of space between himself and Ashley and plucked her phone from her hand.

“We have all the help we need right here, Ashley. An opportunity to use one’s Blessings in a real environment is the real blessing.”

“Eww! Bad pun!” Ashley cried as she jumped up and down to take her phone back, while Instructor Hill dangled it just out of reach. Isaac laughed more than necessary at this, using Jeremiah’s shoulder to prop himself up. Soon, Isaac’s laughter died abruptly as he caught on.

“Wait,” Isaac said, “You want us to save this cat?”

“That’s right,” Instructor Hill replied, finally returning Ashley’s phone to her. “I already know your Blessings on paper, so why should you repeat yourselves when you can show me instead?”

“What if our Blessings aren’t suited for it?”

“Hm?” Instructor Hill tilted his head, staring at him quizzically. Something about that look irked Jeremiah. Isn’t it obvious?

“I mean, what if we can’t do it?”

“Jeremiah, is that a question a superhero should be asking?”

“Wha—”

Isaac butted in, “I’ll do it! It’s kinda lame but it’s better than sitting around doing nothing.” As he approached the tree, he started stretching. The cat looked down at Isaac with a princely contempt. Isaac turned and gave a crappy salute to the other three.

“I’m Isaac Lopez from the Southern Empire. My favorite color is blue and I’m gonna be an Agent of T.H.R.O.N.E. for the ladies!”

A small moment of silence followed his introduction, interrupted only by soft meowing from above.

“Laaaaaame.” Ashley groaned.

“Is he serious?” Jeremiah said.

“Honesty is a hallmark of heroism, isn’t it?” Instructor Hill smiled.

Isaac sized up both the tree and the cat, gears working in his mind. He pulled out what looked to be a slingshot and stooped down in the grass.

“Nope, too jagged,” He muttered. “Nope, too small.” Then, with a triumphant a-ha! Isaac retrieved a smooth pebble from the grass.

Jeremiah was about to repeat his earlier question, but Isaac brought up a hand.

“Don’t worry, this isn’t for the cat! It’s for me.”

“Why don’t you introduce your Blessing as well, Isaac?” Instructor Hill said.

Isaac nodded as he loaded his slingshot.

“‘I’m trash at explaining it, so I’m just gonna say what Teach said one time.” Isaac said. “I’m only as fast as the potential speed of whatever I’m copying. What sucks is, I can only get that fast when the object goes from still to moving.”

That explains the L-Train, and why he didn’t just use super speed to get here on his own. Jeremiah thought. He can copy speed, but can only begin at the exact moment the object begins to move.

Ashley looked uninterested, while Instructor Hill beamed for some reason.

“I guess you’ll copy the speed of the pebble when you sling it, but what does that have to do with saving the cat?” Jeremiah asked.

Isaac’s perpetual grin turned into a cockier smirk. He readied the slingshot and aimed it at the branch of the lounging calico.

“It’s real simple, Jerry. I use the pebble to scare the cat off the branch,” Isaac said as he fired the pebble, hitting the branch with a surprisingly weighty impact. In that time, Isaac’s image blurred as it placed itself forward and directly under the branch. When Isaac’s speed returned to normal, his arms were spread wide and outward. “And copy its speed so that I’ll be right under to catch…” His voice faltered as he realized the cat didn’t move a muscle. It yawned in reply to Isaac’s pebble and stretched before nearly instantly falling asleep.

Ashley doubled over in a wheezing, donkey-like laughter. Isaac stood there, frozen in his pose, mouth open. Jeremiah simply facepalmed. He hated to imagine how they looked to bystanders. Was being a superhero supposed to be this embarrassing? Isaac returned to the group, deflated. Instructor Hill dutifully made additions to his notes and looked at Jeremiah and Ashley.

“She’s a tough one,” He said. “It’ll take more than a little trick to get her. Who’s next?”

Jeremiah tensed up as he realized that Instructor Hill's eyes settled on him by the end of his words. Until Ashley spoke up.

“Alriiiight, Roger. I’ll do it as long as I’m like, your number one pick for your next class~♡'' She said, sashaying towards the tree and cracking her knuckles. Ashley struck an irreverent pose and said, “Heyyy, it’s Ashley Baker from West Gardenia! I’m like, toootally a fashionista and I joined T.H.R.O.N.E to get rich and famous!”

This surprised no one.

“Anyway, my ability is Color-kinesis. I can like, use my mind to mess around with anything as long as they got the right color. Buuuuut it’s kinda iffy ‘cuz that color changes every time I sleep.”

“And what is your color today, Ashley?” Instructor Hill asked.

Ashley smiled and turned to face the sleeping cat above. She reached towards it, and pulled her hands up, palms facing the sky. The cat awoke with an angry hiss as it began to be pulled upwards from an invisible force. It looked as if it were being grabbed by its loose skin, specifically, the skin covered by patches of black fur.

“It’s Velvet Black day! It’s a totes unlucky color, but this cat is waaaay unluckier!”

“Velvet Black? The heck is a velvet black?” Isaac said.

It’s a situational power, Jeremiah thought. But it seems pretty useful once you find a way.

The cat continued hissing as it dug its claws into the branch. It looked at Ashley with seething hatred. Ashley grunted and reoriented herself and pushed upwards again.

“You’re stubborn! If all your fur was black, this would be way easier!”

At those words, Instructor Hill furiously scribbled down notes.

This contest of strength lasted a couple of minutes before Ashley gave up. She was visibly sweating by the end of it. The cat once again made itself comfortable.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

“Making me sweat my makeup off,” Ashley panted, giving the calico cat the finger. “You’re the freakin' worst.” Jeremiah could have sworn the cat had stuck its tongue out at Ashley. Am I hallucinating right now?

Instructor Hill’s voice brought him back to the present.

“It’s just you now, Jeremiah.”

Jeremiah knew his turn was coming, and somehow, he pushed it to the back of his mind, as if it was years in the future and not a matter of minutes. He had to do it. It was his Blessing, his identity. It’s why he is here in Seraph City. It was why he could become a superhero, an Agent of T.H.R.O.N.E. And yet he didn’t want to use it. He looked at Ashley and Isaac. Miscellaneous as their Blessings were, they were leagues ahead of him in finding a use for their powers. They thought this was a waste of time as well, and they still did it.

It was going to happen eventually. Endure it for now. Someday, this Blessing of yours will be your pride and joy, Jeremiah.

Jeremiah walked closer to the tree and turned back to the others, absentmindedly tugging at his pants.

“Hello, I’m Jeremiah Stoudemire from, uh, Behema. I’m a fan of old-school superheroes and I want to be a T.H.R.O.N.E. Agent for. . .” He couldn’t tell the truth. The truth being his desire to make up for a childhood of being ashamed of his Blessing.

“Travel, I guess.”

“Behe-what?” Isaac blurted out.

“Travel? Ooooh, T.H.R.O.N.E is international! I totes forgot.”

Instructor Hill frowned. Jeremiah found himself frowning back. Not a good enough reason? After what they said?

“I don’t think this Blessing can help, but here goes.” Jeremiah said.

“I appreciate your cooperation, Jeremiah.” Instructor Hill said. He leaned forward with a giddy smile, sunlight bouncing off his glasses.

Jeremiah sighed, and in a swift motion, threw his head back and ejected his stomach. The stomach was oversized by human standards. It was pink, bulbous and tubelike. Like a human stomach, but longer. This was his so-called ‘Blessing.’ A frog stomach he can eject from his mouth.

Jeremiah’s body significantly slimmed down to a scrawny figure once his giant stomach was out and in his hands. However, the weight of his stomach could not be held by himself, so he followed it to the ground instantly. Lying down with his frog-like stomach in front of him, he closed his eyes and tried to explain his ability.

“My stomag ith lig a frog’s,” Jeremiah said, his voice muffled by his own esophagus. “I gan thow ub my own thomach. I gan altho thore idems thad I gan thwallow. Dey gum bag good ath new, lig they were neber thwallowed.”

He kept his eyes closed. For some reason, he could only see Instructor Hill’s excited face in his imagination, waiting for Jeremiah to use his ability.

Jeremiah remembered the last time someone looked at him with any kind of anticipation for what he could do. It was right before his first activation of his Blessing.

It was his parents who were excited for him. He remembered the way their wide eyes narrowed. The way their nostrils flared and their chins lowered. The corners of their lips turned down. An expression of disgust, as they watched their only child eject their own stomach in front of a doctor.

Jeremiah’s eyes opened, and he looked to his Instructor. It was Hill, now standing in front of him with a passionate glimmer in his eyes and an open-mouthed smile. Behind Instructor Hill’s towering form, Ashley and Isaac’s jaws were wide open.

“And there it is! Amazing, isn’t it? It’s amazing!” Hill jabbered. He dropped to a knee to inspect the gargantuan stomach.

“This is a Physiology Blessing of a truly exotic caliber! Normally, these kinds of Blessings are shaped by the human form, but in this case, the Blessing itself is what his form is built around! This allows it to defy biological proportions and carry out its function to a supernatural degree!”

Jeremiah’s face went red. This wasn’t what he was afraid of, but this level of attention wasn’t something he knew how to deal with. So he stayed still. Meanwhile, the hysterical ramblings of Instructor Hill continued.

“It looks as if my hypothesis on the weight of the stomach is true, but now we need to see the limits of what it can hold! Do you mind if I—” Instructor Hill caught himself before reaching his hand out and turned to the other two as he cleared his throat. He unfolded a piece of paper from his notebook and adjusted his glasses.

“I’ll explain Jeremiah’s Blessing since he cannot properly speak at the moment. Jeremiah’s Blessing takes the form of an ejectable frog stomach. All Blessings are supernatural in some way, and Jeremiah’s stomach supernaturally defies biology in that whatever he chooses to remain untouched in his stomach will stay that way.”

Taking cue, Jeremiah silently pulled items out of his stomach. A wallet, a cell phone, a handheld gaming device. He even turned the phone on to prove it was still functioning.

“Woah!” Ashley and Isaac shouted in unison.

The two quickly swarmed Jerry and his stomach, hollering like they ran into a celebrity hero. Ashley started snapping photos with her phone from Instructor Hill’s side, while Isaac frantically pulled his slingshot taut back and forth.

“That’s freakin’ metal, Jerry! A vomit-stomach, man? Freakin’ metal!”

“Noooo waaaaay! It’s like, the perfect purse! Trade Blessings with me, Froggy~”

“Let’s give him some space, why don’t we?” Instructor Hill shooed the two back and smiled at a dumbfounded Jeremiah. Where was the look in their eyes? Where was the disgusted expression, the gagging and retching? Why are they. . .

“A Miscellaneous Blessing, indeed. Just like everyone else here.” Instructor Hill said. There was something else in his words, just beneath. Jeremiah’s eyes widened as he understood the Instructor meant. Your Blessing is strange, but I’ve seen even stranger ones.

Jeremiah couldn’t help but hang his head. What an ego he had! In a small town, Jeremiah was a popular laughingstock to be sure, but in Seraph City? He was just another person with a superpower. And still, somehow, I made it on the waiting list, Jeremiah thought. He raised his head to face his Instructor. Because of him.

Jeremiah slowed his speech in an attempt to speak as clearly as possible.

“Why me?” Jeremiah asked.

“Because I was curious,” Instructor Hill immediately answered. “Miscellaneous students tend not to go far as superheroes, but I believe they weren’t given the proper lessons to make the most of their abilities.”

Instructor Hill looked back at the other two students. “Those two lacked faith in their Blessing just like you. In fact, they probably still do. Don’t expect them to think less of you for having an ability just as Miscellaneous as theirs.”

Jeremiah remained silent, staring at his Instructor. He watched as Instructor Hill’s eyes went glassy and without focus.

“Let your feelings of inadequacy push you to strive for a better self and a better tomorrow.” Instructor Hill murmured. Jeremiah recognized those words. Someone else said that, a long time ago.

An old hero.

“M.G. Myriad?”

Instructor Hill’s eyes blinked back into focus as he smiled ruefully.

“A fan of his, Jeremiah?”

“Something like that.”

“You’d have good taste to be.”

A small sort of silence lingered for a moment, before Instructor Hill cleared his throat. As he walked over to a nearby bench he waved at Ashley and Isaac.

“You two! Jeremiah does not see a use for his Blessing in the rescue of this poor, unfortunate cat! Use your Blessings together and save the day!”

The two joined up with Jeremiah who began to suck his stomach back in. Isaac, ever the helpful one, attempted to assist him.

“No worries, my man! I gotcha—oh man that’s heavy!”

Before Isaac could snap his spine in half to lift Jeremiah’s stomach, Jeremiah deeply inhaled his stomach, swallowing it in less than a second.

“Thanks for the help, but it’s not heavy as long as I swallow it.”

“Aww, now you’re all fat again,” Ashley mocked, causing Jeremiah’s ears to turn red. “Must be tough carrying such a heavy. . .”

She faltered, apparently lost in thought. Jeremiah took it as a mercy and tried to strategize.

“The cat is tough, and doesn’t want to leave the tree. . .”

“Uh-huh.” Isaac said.

“Ashley might be able to pull her off, and Isaac is definitely fast enough to catch her. . .”

“Yup.”

“And… All I can do is store items. . .”

“Correct.”

“Can you help me out here, Isaac?!” Jeremiah snapped.

Isaac pursed his lips, scratching at the birth mark on his forehead.

“What would Teach do?” He said.

Jeremiah sighed. How was he supposed to know? Jeremiah wouldn’t dare to try decrypting the thoughts of someone like that. But maybe he left some sort of hint for us? Jeremiah began thinking about the Instructor’s excited outburst when he ejected his stomach. Something about. . .

Jeremiah snapped his fingers, just as Ashley gasped.

“The weight!” They both said in unison.

“The wait for what?” Isaac said. “What are we waiting for?”

“That stomach of yours is totes heavy,” Ashley said. “And you can vomit it out pretty quick too.”

“And I don't even feel it either,” Jeremiah added in. “It’s also incredibly tough. That’s what they said in my physical when I joined, at least.”

“So if you, like, aim your stomach at the tree. . .”

“While you pull at the cat. . .”

“And I. . .” Isaac chimed in. “Don’t know where we’re going with this, man.”