While everyone fell asleep hours later, Remy spent his time heavily researching Flaunt Woman and Blur Man. Amelia had always encouraged him to seek knowledge and he had taken her words to heart since her death, researching the top 100 superheroes thoroughly. He knew almost everything about them: where they operated, their abilities, and their full origin stories. But he had never bothered to tap into the heroes outside the top 100. After all, the ones who had witnessed Endless torture Wide Awake were all top-ranked.
Blur Man, also known as Paul Grayson, hadn’t always been a bum. With his acquisition of the A-tier Lightning ability from the Elemental Flow Site and the inheritance of a B-tier Super Speed ability, he was anticipated to become one of the most reliable superheroes. However, things didn’t exactly go to plan. As the years went by, Paul became increasingly lazy and dipped considerably in work ethic after helping to defeat an S-tier alien invasion where hundreds of civilians had died.
Meanwhile, Flaunt Woman, also known as Emily Raye, started with a bang in her rookie year, peaking at #200 thanks to her inherited A-rank Enhanced Endurance ability, which explained her quick recovery from Remy’s uppercut. Her efficiency in saving lives deteriorated over time as she prioritized maximizing the average view count of her livestreams. Consequently, her ranking plummeted and so did her public image when she became the first superhero to deliberately release a pornographic film. She embodied everything Amelia had hated about the superhero ranking system, craving the spotlight and nothing else.
Paul and Emily may have been ranked low but they were still skilled superheroes. They were competent enough to save thousands yet chose not to.
Early in the morning, Jay and Remy kneeled on the floor of Hayoto’s dojo. The two exchanged a glance as their sensei sat crosslegged before them and an awkward silence hung in the air.
“I’m sorry for my actions,” Remy said finally. “but I do not regret them. They disrespected Amelia and they disrespect you every day. It’s not your job to protect the whole village. You deserve peace and rest.”
Jay nodded many times in agreement while Hayoto let out a deep breath. He stared at them both intensely. “I know, Remy-san. But you must learn to not let your emotions control you. You must assess the situation and remain calm.”
Remy lowered his head in shame. Amelia had drilled the same lesson in him many times.
“We would’ve taught them a lesson if you hadn’t stopped us, Sensei,” Jay said.
“Nonsense. You are both weak compared to them. Do not underestimate trained superheroes.”
Jay fidgeted and winced. “But you’re not supposed to be living like this. Is there anything we can do?”
“I have tried everything, Jay-san. If I report them, more lazy superheroes take their place.”
Jay threw up a frustrated arm. “So, what? You’re just going to protect Whisperwind until you reach death’s door?”
“Big Cuzzy,” Remy hissed.
“You have to take a stand,” Jay continued sternly. “We have to force them to do their jobs properly. Maybe we could… I don’t know.”
Sensei Hayato smiled. “Jay-san, you have a strong heart. I appreciate your concern, but this is a situation I have accepted long ago. I take pride in protecting my people and my family. Do not engage with those superheroes again. Both of you. Understand?”
“Yes, Sensei.” Remy and Jay said simultaneously.
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Congratulations! You’ve completed half of Stage One!
Stage One: Fixed Staring for 20 minutes (500/1000)
Remy threw up a dismissive hand, waving it to dispel the bold letters that were obstructing his view of the action unfolding in front of him. Jay swung his staff swiftly and repeatedly, landing blows against his opponent, who struggled to keep up with the onslaught.
Only six days had passed since Sensei Hayato scolded them, and Big Cuzzy Jay had turned into a machine. He threw himself into as many sparring sessions as possible during the day and treated them like they were high-stakes brawls. He even telepathically communicated with other consenting English-speaking students in the dojo to get his questions answered as quickly as possible. Almost scarily… he improved rapidly. Today, he faced, Jin, an experienced student with super taste, and with each passing second it seemed like he was on the verge of super-tasting defeat. Jay evaded a flurry of desperate lunges before striking Jin in the ribs, the attack reducing him to his knees.
Remy whistled in disbelief and awe. His cousin had a talent for the weapon.
After training, they travelled down a winding path to Sensei Hayato’s home. Remy lightly punched Jay on the shoulder. “I see the progress. I’m proud of you, Big Cuzzy.”
“You’re Big Cuzzy but thanks. Are you free later for some light sparring? I want to work on a few techniques.”
“Sure. Don’t forget to rest.”
“I know. So what’s the master plan?”
“Huh?”
“You know what I mean. Give me a glimpse. How do we pull all this off? How do we erase all the corruption in the superhero ranking system?”
Remy gazed at the beautiful array of colourful flowers on the grass running along beside them. “For safety reasons, the less you know the better but the first step is preparation. Those who are weak can’t change anything so we must become strong. Let’s show Sensei what we’re made of.”
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“Say less, Big Cuzzy. That was already my intention...” I’m tired of getting my ass whooped every morning. Let’s ambush him.
Remy looked at Jay blankly before bursting into laughter, noting the wise decision to telepathically give the idea.
“Well? What do you think? I know it’s crazy but–”
“No, I love it,” Remy said, grinning. “Let’s do it.”
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Over the next few days, they telepathically strategised and finally decided to make their move after Jay miraculously beat Sensei Hayoto’s best student, Yumi, for the first time in a sparring match – the same purple-haired girl who had obliterated him on his first day.
Then one evening, when all the other students had left, they helped Sensei clean up the dojo. Remy leaned against a wall, playfully throwing a broomstick from one hand to the other. “So what made you want to become a superhero, Sensei?”
Hayato squinted his eyes. “It’s been so long that I almost can’t remember. For my generation, every parent wanted their child to enter the lucrative career. When I acquired Super Vision and Super Hearing during my teenage years, everyone encouraged me to become a superhero. It felt like the only logical option at the time, so that’s what I did.”
“Did you feel pressured?” Jay asked.
“Somewhat. But deep inside I felt like it was the right path to go down. What about you, Remy-san?”
Remy frowned, wondering why the sensei had asked the question only to him. “I want to carry on Amelia’s legacy.”
“Interesting.” Sensei Hayato walked towards the dojo’s exit. “I must say, both your auras are excited today. I hope you’re not planning on doing anything reckless…”
Now! Jay telepathically commanded.
Remy threw the broomstick and Jay caught it mid-air, swinging downwards. Without turning around, Hayato sidestepped the attack. Remy quickly closed the gap, executing a spinning kick, but Hayato flipped at least five metres away.
What? Remy had never seen anyone jump so far without a running start. What were his legs made of? Springs?
There was a brief silence until Sensei Hayato nodded once. “Very well. Let us begin.” He sped forward and leapt, breaking through Remy’s tight guard with a flying kick, tossing him in the air. Remy caught himself with both hands and sprang back to his feet just in time to see Hayato swiftly kick Jay in the body three times, snapping the broomstick in half in the process. Remy threw a rapid punching combination while Jay picked up the two broken ends of the broomstick and swung them as if they were two batons. The duo attacked simultaneously, attempting to find a hole in their sensei’s iron clad defense, but as the fight progressed, it became clear the old man had no blind spots. It was like he had eyes at the back of his head.
Hayato dipped under Remy’s signature hook and palm striked him in the thigh so hard he flipped forwards, landing face first. Before he could get back up, Hayato dislocated his shoulder with one quick stomp before effortlessly hurling him across the dojo like he was a sack of potatoes.
THUD!
He slammed against a wall, dazed. The outcome did not shock Remy. He had seen Sensei spar numerous times against Jay, but only now did he truly appreciate the raw strength and fighting intelligence.
While some would have lost consciousness, Remy was not physically able to, so he watched with fascination as Jay blocked and evaded Hayato’s punches. He lunged and swung with the broken sticks but they didn’t seem like broken sticks at all when Jay wielded them. They were extensions of his arm.
Remy stumbled to his feet as Jay intensified the speed of his attacks while evading every palm strike.
“That’s enough,” Hayato said.
Jay continued the monstrous assault, swinging and lunging and spinning.
“Stop,” Hayato repeated louder, but Jay was in another world, extreme focus and frustration burning in his eyes.
“I said enough!” Hayato yelled. Multiple long thorns erupted out of his palm, each one inches away from impaling a frozen Jay.
Jay took a step back and sunk to his knees. “Damn it. You were right, Sensei. I’m weak. I’ll never be able to hit you.”
Remy popped his shoulder back into place and exchanged a knowing look with Hayato. What they had both witnessed was something special.
“Remy-san. Come here.”
“Yes, Sensei?”
“Kick less. Your boxing is terrifying. Jay-san, stand up.”
Jay slowly got up. He avoided eye contact at first but then his eyes widened when he noticed Hayato’s beaming smile. “You did an excellent job. From now on, I urge you to stick to wielding two batons instead of a staff.”
“Why?” Jay said, giving a puzzled expression. “I couldn’t even hit you.”
“Your defensive and offensive capabilities elevated to another level, so much so that you forced me to use my Flora Ability. Very few students have pushed me this far. Hold your head high. You are on the road to mastery.”
Remy nodded in agreement, but made a mental note to double his training regime. There was no way he was going to let his cousin leave him behind.
Sensei Hayato paused, seemingly deep in thought. “Jay-san, there is an unconventional sensory pathway for acquiring the Super Hearing ability. I believe it will compliment your fighting style. Would you like to try it out?”
Jay’s eyes lit up. “Yes, Sensei! Please tell me more.”
“First of all, I must warn you that it doesn’t always work. Like with any Flow Site Pathway, it requires a sufficient genetic compatibility. There are some pathways created by Reluctant Man for those with disabilities. Anyone in Whisperwind who has severely impaired vision for more than five days acquires Super Hearing which means if you can close your eyes for that duration, you will have a chance in obtaining the superpower.”
Jay turned to Remy with the widest grin in existence. “Did you hear that?”
“I heard.”
“You should try get it too!”
“No, it’s not for me and you can’t access two pathways at the same time anyway.”
Jay closed his eyes. “Well, I’ll see you guys back home. I’ll find my way.” Instead of walking out of the dojo, he bumped into the nearest wall. “Oops. I’ll get the hang of it.”
Thud. “Ow.”
Thud. “What the hell?
“Let me try that again.” Thud.
“It has to be this way.” Thud.
“This way?” Thud.
“A little help? Sensei? Remy? Wait, don’t help. I’ve got it. There we g–” Thud.
“This makes no sense. I don’t understand. The exit was right there. I saw it.”
Thud. “Why is there so much wall? Am I even going in the right direction?”
Thud. Jay opened his eyes, rubbing his forehead. “Do you know what? I’m going to start tomorrow morning.”