Pink Star heaved a sigh as she walked down the street. It was evening time, the streets growing less crowded as everyone went off to dinner. But she wasn’t very hungry.
Because.
It happened again.
Another one.
Another crush turned out to be…
Just…how does this keep happening?!
Such was her state that the girl didn’t even notice the light in front of her was red. She stepped out into the street…
She heard a loud honk. She turned her head and gasped.
A truck was heading right for her.
BAM!
Something slammed into her. She flew through the air…
But nothing hurt.
She slowly opened her eyes…
And gasped again.
A man had grabbed her, holding him in her arms.
A strong…handsome…muscular man…with gorgeous hair.
He flashed her a smile.
“Careful there! The loss of a fair maiden such as yourself would be quite the tragedy!”
She started to flush.
And then frowned.
She started to tremble.
And then she pushed the man away.
“N-NO! I WON’T BE TRICKED AGAIN!”
She sprinted away as fast as she could.
The man blinked a couple of times as he watched the girl run.
“Twas quite the strange reaction, was it not? And here I was about to invite her for supper…ah well. My ancestors always said…only with the most courageous of hearts and emptiest of heads should one court crazy.”
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Pink Star gasped for breath and leaned over on her knees. When she had caught her breath she looked up.
Looks like she was in the park.
She heaved a sigh and walked to a nearby bench, taking a seat and looking up at the now dark sky.
Why did she do that?
Why does this keep happening?
She frowned.
She felt her vision blur.
“No…I promised myself…I wouldn’t…cry…”
As she looked inside…she knew the truth.
It was because she never really let go of Wonder Knight.
How could she?
After all…he was her hero…
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It was back in the first week of school. Amy Moss was feeling out her way through her teenage years. She had managed to meet a couple of girls, it looked like she had found a group of friends. Everyone was going well…
Then she saw it.
Just outside the school…one of her new friends being accosted by three teenage guys. Before she knew it, she had run out, her hand stretched towards them.
“Leave her alone!”
And then her hand started to glow…
A pink light shot from her hand, slamming into one of the guys’ faces. Amy stared at her hand, her eyes wide open.
“W-What…”
Oh no.
It came out again.
That thing her parents had always told her to hide. That she tried so hard to keep in.
But when she thought of her friend getting hurt…her body moved before her mind.
And now…
“You freak!”
Amy cried out as one of the guys slapped her, sending her to the sidewalk. The three guys surrounded her. She gasped as she looked around.
She locked eyes with her friend.
The girl turned her head and ran.
“Stay away from me, you freak!”
Amy’s eyes widened and trembled. She reached out her hand after her friend…but the guy she had attacked stepped in front of her view, cracking his knuckles.
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“You’re going to pay for that. Freak like you should just disappear.”
“N-No…help…someone help me!”
The boy swung his fist.
Amy closed her eyes and shielded her head with her hands.
But the blow never came.
“Cut that out!”
She slowly opened her eyes and gasped.
Another boy had stepped in between the three, standing over her. He held the guy’s fist in his hand.
“You’re going to protect the freak?”
“She’s a person, just like us! And yeah I’m going to protect her!”
He squeezed the guy’s fist slightly. The guy cried out in pain, and then the boy grabbed his shirt with his other hand and tossed him down the sidewalk. A second guy struck the boy’s head from behind…and cried out as his fist crumpled against the boy’s skin. The third guy’s eyes widened…and then he turned and ran.
The other two quickly followed suit.
The boy watched them go then turned to Amy, extending a hand.
“Are you alright?”
“Y-Yes, thank you.”
He flashed her a grin.
“All in a day’s work, for a hero!”
“A hero? Are you a super?”
The boy jumped a bit, then sheepishly smiled as he rubbed the back of his head.
“Ah…yeah, I am. I, um, just started training. But I decided…I’m going to try and be a hero someday. That way…everyone will see…”
Amy looked up at him with wide eyes.
Her heart pounded.
She gulped.
She heard the bell ring.
She thought about class…about catching up to her friends…
Her friends…
“Stay away from me, you freak!”
Her heart dropped.
She stared at the boy in front of her.
The boy not hiding.
The boy standing proud and tall, protecting her from harm.
“Ah, um, we should get to class, right?”
She made her choice.
“Excuse me! You said you were training, right?”
“Um, yes?”
“Just on your own or is there some sort of class?”
“Oh, no there’s someone who’s helping me.”
“Can I come too?”
“Excuse me?”
Amy stared straight into the boy’s eyes, a firm expression on her face. The boy glanced away, unable to meet her gaze.
“I’ve decided, I want to learn how to be a hero too. So let me come and train with you!”
“Um, ok?”
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Amy followed the boy…Wonder Knight…as he led her into a large gymnasium. A dark-skinned woman in a suit and sunglasses waited inside, with another woman standing behind her with a clipboard.
“Wonder Knight, you’re a bit late today…hm? Who’s that with you?”
“Sorry, Director Green, we had a bit of trouble thinking of a name…”
“You need to be on time, Wonder. Sorry won’t cut it to the people who get hurt if you’re late.”
She heaved a sigh and turned to Amy.
“And who might you be?”
“I-I’m Am…um…P-Pink Star? I…I want to be a hero too! P-Please train me!”
Director Green extended a hand.
“Director Green, founder of the International League of Superheroes. Well, we’re trying to teach this boy here, one more won’t hurt. Linda, can you add her in?”
“Yes, Director.”
“Thank you. Well, let’s get started, Pink Star, what exactly can you do?”
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Pink Star sighed and crouched against the wall, her head buried in her knees.
Another failed training session.
Wonder Knight could lift a car with a single hand.
They were being trained by Captain Hot Devil himself!
There was even a new girl now who could straight up stop time!
Meanwhile…
She could barely shoot a little floppy beam of light.
“Pink.”
She looked up. It was Director Green.
“...hi Director.”
Director Green sighed and pat her shoulder.
“You’ll be fine, Pink, don’t let it get you down.”
“It’s not that…it’s just…”
Pink Star looked up, where Captain Hot Devil was teaching Wonder Knight how to throw a punch. The boy punched a sandbag…and knocked it right off the chain and across the room.
“...I want to be a hero…like him…but how can I keep up? I’m just…going to hold him back…”
Director Green watched her in silence for a moment.
“Maybe we’re looking at this wrong.”
“Hm?”
“We’ve been trying to boost your power, treating it like some sort of muscle we just need to exercise. But maybe your power works different. Tell me, have you tried something else? Something to help you concentrate, focus your power?”
“Um…”
“You’ve just been imagining beams or sticks, keeping it simple while you try to up the power, right? Maybe you need a more defined image, or a habit to help you focus. Or maybe you should focus on control, rather than raw power.”
Pink Star hummed as she thought to herself.
Something else, huh?
Well, she did always love animals…
She held out her hands.
They began to glow...
“Squirrel?”
Pink light flashed…
A small little squirrel chittered in between her hands. Pink Star gasped.
And then clutched her head as she saw the world from two pairs of eyes. The squirrel quickly dispersed.
Director Green smiled and nodded.
“I think I know what you should work on now.”
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Pink Star gripped her knees as she tried to hold back the tears.
At first, she had just looked up to him.
He was strong and brave, standing proud and tall with his powers. She was weak, cowering and hiding, so she couldn’t help but envy that. She wanted to become like him.
And then…
They trained together.
Fought together.
Ate together.
Played together.
And she found out…that he was a wonderful guy too.
Kind, considerate, reliable, with a surprising sensitive side.
The tears streamed down her face.
Yeah.
She had really loved him. Still loved him.
But she could never be with him.
She held her face in her hands.
He was still her hero, her inspiration. Even if she couldn't be with him in love, she still wanted to stand by his side as a hero.
That’s why…she tried to hold it in. Tried to go back to normal, to keep the team as it was. Tried to move on, tried to find someone else.
Was it any wonder every guy she found ended up being the same?
And then she remembered.
Dr. Ueda had said…there are some things she shouldn’t hold in.
“It’s ok…if I cry…just this once…right?”
Pink Star sobbed long into the night.
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The next day, Pink Star stomped into the break room.
“Pink? Where have you been, we were getting worried…”
She marched right up to Wonder Knight driving the boy against the wall. He started to sweat as she glared into his eyes. The rest of Aurora Legion glanced at each other and then quietly observed the pair from a distance.
“U-Um, w-what’s going on, Pink?”
“Reject me.”
“E-Excuse me?”
“Reject me. For real this time.”
“U-Um, what?”
“Look, I really love you. Seriously. So when you tried to tip-toe around my feelings with that ‘I’d date you if I was into girls’ crap, my heart believes there’s still some small chance and I can’t move on. So if there’s no chance, if there’s truly no hope, if you won’t ever consider me as your partner, then reject me. Directly, permanently, in no uncertain terms.”
Sweat dripped down Wonder Knight’s face. He glanced at her eyes and froze.
There were tears welling up in them.
He heaved a sigh and looked down, then looked up and into her eyes.
“Pink…no, Amy. I’m sorry, but it’s a no. I…don’t think of you that way.”
A knife twisted into her heart.
But…a burden lifted from her shoulders.
Tears started to drip from her eyes as her head hung.
“…t-thank…you…I-I'm...sorry...”
And she started to sob.
Wonder Knight reached out his hands to her…then stopped and looked at Chronolock and Icy Rose with panic in his eyes. The two girls sighed and stood up, taking Pink Star back to her room.
“Come on Pink, let’s have a sleepover, just us girls.”
“T-That…would be nice…”
“I’ll get us some snacks, do you want anything?”
“I-Ice cream please…”
Wonder Knight frowned as the girls left the room. He heaved a deep sigh and stared at the floor.
Voidspeaker glanced at him from the couch. He lifted a controller.
“Don’t worry, Chrono and Rose will take good care of her. Want to play some games, bro? Get your mind off things?”
Wonder Knight thought for a moment, then walked to the couch.
“You know what? I think I do.”
“All right! Finally, I’m going to get to play with people at my level!”
They booted up a game and joined a match.
Voidspeaker suddenly froze.
On the enemy team.
He saw the name.
NSLICE-00P.
A private message arrived for him.
“Predatory Greeting: Hello, Voidspeaker, Wonder Knight. This player looks forward to inflicting virtual violence upon you tonight.”
Voidspeaker began to sweat as he whispered.
“…Oh no.”
The next day, Pink Star felt more relaxed and at peace than she had been in a long time.
And Wonder Knight was more stressed and frustrated than he had ever been.