June 1, 2000
A young lady, appearing to be Hiro's age, entered the large room with her recruiter a few minutes later.
"I still can't believe any of this is real," she mumbled, a comment Hiro overheard.
"I'm right there with you," Hiro replied, surprising her.
"Oh, was I speaking too loudly?" she asked.
"Not really, but loud enough for me to hear," Hiro responded.
"I'm sorry about that. Did you just get here?"
"Yeah, probably just a few minutes before you."
The girl looked at the other twelve people present, "Some look older, a few could be our teachers, but most are around our age."
Hiro observed the group, speculating, "Maybe the older ones are recruiters?"
"I'm not sure. See my recruiter in the corner?" she said, pointing her out.
Hiro noticed Max standing next to her recruiter. "So, what's your point?"
"I think the recruiters are standing behind us, and the people in the center of the room are the super-humans. Two of those older individuals are also in the center."
Hiro realized she had a valid point as she explained it.
"I could be wrong, though," she added.
"I think you're right," Hiro confirmed.
The girl smiled, pleased to have made an acquaintance, "What's your name?"
"Hiro, and you are?"
"I am Talia, nice meeting you."
"You seem so kind, based on my first impression." Talia giggled.
"Oh really? You seem pretty talkative."
"Hey—"
As Hiro and Talia chatted, the final two superhumans arrived: a man in a lab coat and surgical gloves, resembling a doctor, and a woman in a leather jacket who looked like she belonged to a gang.
"They look so cool," Talia said, gazing at them in awe.
"Really? To me, they look pretty dangerous," Hiro countered.
Both had opposite reactions but these two definitely left impressions for everyone.
Suddenly the lights dimmed, a distinguished figure approached the stage and began talking, "Ehem."
"I am your headmaster and it's a pleasure to meet our first batch of superhumans this year. The gods have picked you and starting today the sixteen of you are now superhumans who will serve justice to this city." There was so much authority in his voice.
Hiro still can't believe that superhumans do exist and he is a part of it.
"As superhumans, you possess the potential to protect this place from the forces that seek to disrupt our way of life. You are here because we believe in your abilities and capacities to make a difference."
He gestured toward the screen, displaying images of the agency's past heroes. "Since 1964, this agency has recruited superhumans every year," he explained. "I'm incredibly grateful to the 1964 heroes for quickly forming a team and establishing this agency for future generations. Each one of you is given a gift, your training will not only hone your individual skills but we also teach you to work as a cohesive unit. Collaboration and trust are essential for the battles you are going to face in the future."
"However," the headmaster's tone shifted to something more serious, "You will face challenges that may test your limits, capabilities, and even your moral code pushing you to your breaking point. Always remember that you are not alone, there are sixteen of you plus the support of everyone working in this agency."
He stepped closer to the edge of the stage, "Your purpose as superhumans is clear: protect the innocent and catch the villains."
Once the headmaster concluded his speech, one of the superhumans began to applaud, and the rest of the group quickly followed. In that moment, a shared understanding settled among them: whether they like it or not, they must accept their roles and face whatever lies ahead.
"Alright, I apologize for bringing you all here at dawn but let me remind you that this will now be your new life now that you're all superhumans." The headmaster announced, "Don't worry; we'll take care of all your needs, including hunger, hygiene, and energy. It's all complimentary. I believe everyone's hungry, so the cafeteria is in the left wing of this building. Enjoy your breakfast."
Talia immediately started towards the cafeteria but paused when Hiro didn't move. "Aren't you going to eat?" she asked.
"I actually already had breakfast with my recruiter," Hiro replied, scratching his head apologetically, "You know what, I'll just come with you."
Everyone walked to the cafeteria to eat breakfast. A girl named Sasha came first in line and immediately ordered her breakfast, "Can I get two of these?" She pointed at the hot dog sandwiches.
"Certainly ma'am, anything to fulfill your appetite." The cashier of the cafeteria smiled. Sasha smiled back and proceeded to order her two sandwiches.
Talia and Hiro chatted until it was their time to order.
"I'm going to have curry," Talia ordered, "How about you?"
"I'm good."
The cashier handed Talia a vibrating disc, like those used in fast-food restaurants, "Please wait at a table while we prepare your order, ma'am."
Hiro and Talia found a table, and from there, they continued to observe the other superhumans. "I was right," Talia noted. "Those two older individuals are indeed superhumans, and so is that one who looks like a retired soldier."
"I never said you were wrong." Hiro countered.
"Whatever." Talia scoffed.
"Oh I noticed that our recruiters didn't follow us here."
"Oh yeah you're right."
Talia found some people while looking around, "Look at them. They're so cute!"
Hiro followed Talia's gaze, spotting a girl holding two hotdog sandwiches and a boy sitting by himself at a table.
————————————————————————
"It looks like you could use a sandwich, want some?" Sasha offers one of her sandwiches to the guy.
"No, I'm good."
"It's on me, or well this is free to begin with." Sasha chuckled to lighten up the mood.
The boy hesitantly accepted her offer, "Are you sure you don't need to eat this?"
"I thought I could handle eating two, but dude these sandwiches are huge, I'm already stuffed halfway eating this first one."
"Oh," he laughed, "thank you for this."
"If you're still hungry, you could always order."
"Yeah, I would do that."
"What's your name by the way?"
"My name's Dylan."
Sasha sat on the same table, extending her hand for a handshake. "Sasha," she introduced herself. "And you seem a little nervous, Dylan."
"I'm just a bit shy right now, but I'm usually not like this," he replied. "It's just that all of you are new faces."
"I understand, would you like to be my first friend here?"
Dylan pondered for a moment, but eventually...
"Sure, why not?" he said with a shrug, eventually accepting Sasha's handshake.
"I understand that you might not feel at ease, but I believe we can become great friends eventually," Sasha assured him with a warm and inviting smile.
Dylan looked at her, perhaps the idea of forming a friendship wasn't as far-fetched as he had initially thought.
————————————————————————
The disc vibrated, surprising them both, "I'll be right back," Talia walked to the counter to get her order.
Hiro waited while looking at the other superhumans, the elders and adults seemed to sit on one table.
Talia came back with her curry, "Look at it, it's very appetizing!"
Hiro salivated looking at it, "Damn, now I want one."
"Just order, there's no line anymore." Talia mixed the sauce with the rice.
"Next time, I don't want to be too much of a glutton."
"Your loss," Talia started to eat the curry.
The recruiters entered the cafeteria, and one announced, "You're free to go home after breakfast; your own recruiters will drive you back home. We'll see you again soon."
"Now that's good news," Talia said, clearly relieved she could return home after her delicious meal.
Hiro checked the clock on the cafeteria, "Oh shit,"
"What?"
"I'm busted, my mother usually wakes up every 4:30 in the morning and it's almost 4 am."
"Make some excuse."
"Make me one."
Talia smiled, "That's for you to handle, Hiro."
Hiro gasped, "Are you serious right now?"
She continued smiling, "I'll see you again soon, bye." She left the cafeteria and went to her recruiter.
Hiro had no choice but to spontaneously think of an excuse while Max drove him home.
Max reached his house, "I hope you don't get scolded, kid."
Hiro opens the car door, "I'll see you again Mr. Westley."
"For sure, you can text me anytime, rookie."
Max drove straight into the darkness of the road. Hiro slowly tiptoed himself and carefully opened the door...
"Where were you?" Hiro's mom greeted him at the front door, Hiro jumped out of fear hearing her voice.
"I went on a jog, mom." He couldn't come up with a better excuse.
"You never wake up this early, how come you thought of jogging this early in the morning?"
"My friend persuaded me to."
"Was that your friend driving you back home?"
"Yeah, he essentially made me jog over a kilometer, then drove me home since his car was parked at our goal."
"You better not lie to me, Hiro."
"I am not, mom."
"Okay, get ready for school."
"But it's still-"
"No buts, you already woke up and went jogging, now go prepare your uniform and take a bath."
"Okay, Mom," Hiro said with a sigh of disappointment, heading to his room to get his things and uniform ready.
Three days had passed since the welcoming event, and Hiro hadn't received any texts or calls from Max Westley.
Hiro found himself struggling to focus on the lesson in class. His thoughts were elsewhere until the teacher's voice cut through his daze, "Okay, get a piece of paper, we're going to have a quiz."
Hiro snapped back to attention. "Do you have a piece of paper?" he urgently asked his seatmate. His seatmate handed him one, "Thank you."
"I didn't listen to a single word at all," Hiro stated in his thoughts, "But I have this eye right now, right? This will be a piece of cake."
After the quiz, Hiro was visibly distressed. "Huh? How did I ace the exams days ago but couldn't get a single item right on this quiz?" he wondered aloud.
"Dude, are you okay?" one of his friends asked, concerned.
"Oh... yeah, I'm alright," Hiro replied, still somewhat dazed.
Even during lunch with his friends, Hiro remained distracted, pondering, "How does my superpower work?"
"Let's play video games at that computer shop right there," one friend suggested, pointing to a shop near the diner.
Hiro reluctantly agreed, unable to shake off the zero score on his quiz and the inability to use his supernatural eye again.
Despite his lack of enthusiasm, he joined his friends at the computer shop to play their favorite FPS game. This wasn't Hiro's preferred genre due to his lack of skill, which often made him a hindrance to his friends during missions.
Then one blink and it happened, his supernatural eye came back. It was as if Hiro had activated a cheat code; his friends' characters on screen appeared in a shade of ocean blue, while every enemy glowed in crimson red.
Hiro's skills on flickering on the mouse and the movements on his keyboard got enhanced, "What is my superpower?" he questioned, bewildered by how it had first helped him in academics and was now helping him excel in video games.
"Whoa, Hiro!"
"Let's go, dude!"
"Yes we won thanks to Hiro!"
They all cheered for him oblivious to his eye.
Despite having headphones on, he could hear the same faint rhythmic melody that he heard four days ago.
"Thanks, guys," he said, accepting the praise. He wasn't usually comfortable with compliments, but video games were a different story.
"Yo dude, your phone is ringing."
"Someone is getting their ass beat by their mom,"
"Maybe it's urgent, Hiro."
Hiro excused himself and went out of the shop to answer the call, "Hello?"
"Hiro, where are you? I'm waiting outside the gate of your campus." It was Max calling him all of a sudden.
"Do I have to attend some welcoming to the agency again?"
"No, I do want to talk to you though if you're available."
"Just turn around."
Max turned around and saw Hiro near the computer shop and dropped the call, "Oh you were busy playing video games?"
"I just finished playing my video game, what's happening?"
"How are you doing?"
"Good, is there a task I need to do right now or?"
"Sort of. I'm just slightly concerned,"
"Of what?"
"You've been absent from the agency for the past three days."
"But you just said there's no meeting or event in the agency?"
"No, there isn't," Max responded, "but your fellow superhumans are already training after discovering their powers."
That's when Hiro had an epiphany, "Right, I never found out mine... what is my superpower?"
"That's for the lab chief to know," Max replied,
"That's why I waited for you to come to the agency."
"Why didn't you tell me sooner? I would've come right away!" Hiro exclaimed.
"I thought you'd eventually show up, but I'm getting impatient now... in an excited way. I'm curious about your superpower too," Max admitted.
"Isn't it just the supernatural eye?"
"No, every superhuman has that eye."
"Oh."
"Are you done with your class?"
"Yes, I only have classes in the morning."
"Let's head to the agency so our lab chief can test your blood cells."
Max immediately headed to his car with Hiro following close behind, quickly driving towards the agency.
"Where's that guy going?" one of Hiro's friends wondered aloud, seeing him leave with Max.
They sped to the agency, and upon arrival, Hiro and Max went directly to the laboratory located beside the main building.
"I can't come with you, kid."
"Why not?"
"You're the one who's going to be tested by them, I'm not needed inside."
"Oh damn, now I'm nervous."
Max chuckled as Hiro stepped into the laboratory's office, where he was greeted by the agency's red-haired lab chief, "Good noon, Hiro," she said, "It seems you're here to have us check your superpowers, right?"
"Yes, Ma'am."
"Glad you're not the last one to come here."
"There's still someone who hasn't arrived?"
"Yes, there's one last person, a fellow doctor like me named Dr. Sheppard. You likely saw him at the welcoming event, he was the one in the lab coat and surgical gloves."
"Right, I did notice him along with that leather jacket lady."
"Oh Ms. Helen Parker, she just came this morning too."
The lab chief drew Hiro's blood with a syringe, then said her goodbyes. "You can come back to the lab in about," she checked her watch, "five or six hours." She returned to her lab, and Hiro left her office.
As Hiro and Max walked, Hiro asked, "So, should I just head home?"
"Or you could actually sleep in your own room here in the building," Max suggested.
"I have that?"
"Yes."
They arrived at Hiro's room. "Thanks for showing me the way, Max."
"No worries, I'll be heading to my room now."
"I'll see you in six hours, Max."
Max nodded as Hiro entered his room and closed the door.
There, he walked to his desk stacked with books, posters of superheroes he idolized in the comics are taped through the wall, "This feels like home," Too weirdly like home, does this agency know about what his actual home looks like?
He lay down on his bed, "What would mine be?" Still pondering about his powers.
What if he got the ability of flying over the buildings of the city, or probably an element like fire or water. The thought made him feel excited, the possibilities are endless if you have superpowers.
He looked at the clock in his room, "It's 12:15 PM, and I have to wait for like five hours, I'll be home late again," He muttered.
Hiro couldn't still fully convince himself that all of this is happening, he's going to weigh on balancing his studies and now that he's a superhuman it felt pretty overwhelming for him to handle.
"Can I really do this?" He contemplated while also thinking of the fifteen others, "Would we make a great team? Can we really handle the challenges we are about to face?"
"This is just the beginning," he promised himself, "I'll find out what my superpower is, and I'll make it home in time."
Hiro drifted off to sleep, only to be roused a few hours later by a knock at his door. He opened it to find Max,"What a great sleep you have there, am I right?"
Disheveled hair, half-closed eyes, itchy body, "Wait, is it already been six hours, Mr. Westley?"
"Five hours, but I am sure Gracie is done analyzing your superpower right now."
"Let me wash my face and brush my teeth."
Hiro fixed himself before meeting the lab chief.
They both went straight ahead outside the laboratory. Max waited outside the office as Hiro re-entered.
Gracie, seated at her desk, held Hiro's test results. "We've concluded our findings about your blood cells, Hiro," she announced, a statement that sent a jolt through him.
Gracie cleared her throat and stated his superpower, "You have the C-Class Hypercompetence."
"The C-Cla-what?" Hiro stammered, struggling to grasp the complex term.
"This superpower gives the user proficiency in a wide range of fields," Gracie clarified. "On the physical side, it covers things like martial arts, gunfights, knife combat and many more. Intellectually, it provides an instant boost to your intelligence as long as you've processed and understood the information you've gathered."
Hiro gasped, "Now it makes sense-"
"What makes sense?" Gracie stopped midway to her explanation.
"I aced my exams days ago," Hiro began, "and I didn't even pull an all-nighter; I just absorbed the lessons by listening to my professors."
"Yes, yes, that's an effect of your superpower," Gracie confirmed, reviewing her notes before delivering the pivotal information. "However..."
Hiro cleared his throat, sensing a shift. "Is there something wrong?"
"Not really a problem, but you're a C-Class, which means your ability to master and manage your skills is average," Gracie explained. "Some skills might come easily to you, while others could be a bit more challenging. But don't worry, if you're committed to learning the skills you want, I'm sure you'll succeed."
"What does this 'class' you're talking about actually mean?" Hiro interrupted, never having heard of a power hierarchy among superhumans.
"There's a class structure rarely found in super-humans; you're a rare kind, Hiro, because typically having an unknown class is common for super-humans." Gracie explained. "F-Class is the weakest level for a superhuman, and G-Class is the strongest, almost like a god, hence the name for that level."
"So, to make sure I understand this, you were able to determine both my class type and my superpower? While others only know their superpower and not their class type?" Hiro asked, still confused.
"Yes, you got my point on the dot." Gracie smiled at him.
"So you're telling me there can be weaker or stronger variants of superpowers?"
"Yes, these class types can have both positive and negative impacts on your life," she explained. "On the positive side, anyone with a lower class type will always be weaker than you. While on the negative side, anyone with a higher class type will always be stronger than you. This holds true only if your opponent also has a known class type. However, if you encounter someone with an unknown class, you can use psychological tactics against them," Gracie advised Hiro. "You can make them think that your C-Class is superior to their unknown class."
"But what if they do have a better class type than me, even if it's unknown?" Hiro asked, doubtful about the effectiveness of such tactics if his opponent was genuinely more powerful.
"Well, the simple solution is to call help with your fellow superhumans," Gracie concluded, offering a "power of friendship" solution.
Hiro remained skeptical, unconvinced that such a straightforward approach would be effective.
"Do you have any more questions, Hiro?" Gracie looked at him, happy to oblige all of his questions.
"I don't think I have one but maybe later."
"You can come back anytime to this laboratory office. I'll be taking my leave." Gracie left the office and went back to her laboratory.
Upon stepping outside, Hiro was immediately greeted by Max, who was seated on a bench. "So... what's your superpower, kid?"
"Ms. Gracie told me that I have the C-Class Hypercompetence."
These words caused Max to bolt upright, his eyes wide with surprise.
"Wait, why are you so surprised?" Hiro asked.
"Kid, you need to start training immediately tomorrow," Max declared, "I need to call the higher-ups and get myself assigned as your trainer too."
"Wait, what the hell is going on?" Hiro exclaimed.
"I'm a user of that same superpower of yours." Max gripped Hiro's shoulders, his expression unreadable—Hiro couldn't tell if he was happy or angry.
"Really?" Hiro questioned.
"Yes! I can train you to maximize your true potential. You can learn so much from me!" Max's excitement was now undeniable.
"Let me drive you home, and I'll call the higher-ups after that." They headed to the parking lot, and Max drove Hiro home.
Later that night, Hiro's phone buzzed with a notification from Max: "Hey, are you up later at dawn?"
"I can't, Max," Hiro replied.
"Okay, how about tomorrow afternoon?"
"Uhh... sure, my classes are done at noon."
"Perfect, I'll treat you to lunch, you can take a break, and we'll start our training by 2 PM."
Hiro didn't respond, simply marveling at Max's sudden enthusiasm after learning about his superpower.
The next day, everything Max promised came to fruition, and now after letting Hiro take a break, they found themselves in his personal training room, "You've probably seen the other superhumans practicing, right?" Max asked.
"Yeah, I saw Talia by the swimming pool. I guess she has some kind of superhuman swimming ability or something."
Max just laughed then declared, "Welcome to your training camp, Hiro! Are you ready?" The room was filled with a lot of types of guns, various types of knives, and training dummies.
Hiro nodded, although nervous, "I think I have no other choice."
Max went straight ahead on starting the training session, he demonstrated a series of basic punches and kicks.
Hiro is able to follow the basics but that itself lacks the force and power that Max was expecting, "Okay we need some practice on that one but you pretty much got the textbook delivery of it."
Max then demonstrated a tornado kick, Hiro immediately tried to implement the same kick...only to lose his balance and crash into a nearby punching bag.
"Nice move you got there," Max chuckled as he helped him get up.
Next, they moved to the knife training area, "I used to be great at this too," Max handed Hiro a training knife.
Max explained the basics of grip and stance to Hiro.
As he practiced his thrusts, he accidentally sent the knife flying across the room, where it stuck into the wall with a resounding thunk.
"Impressive!" Max laughed but saw something to Hiro he didn't see earlier with his hand-to-hand combat, "You've got some serious throw strength, just aim for the dummy next time, okay?"
Afterwards, they moved to the shooting range. Hiro starts to watch how Max does it, precise aiming, hitting his bullets to the target's head.
Hiro came next and took aim at the target, but as he pulled the trigger, he was so excited that he forgot to brace himself. The recoil sent him stumbling backwards, nearly colliding with Max, who was trying to contain his laughter, "You're too focused channeling those superheroes you see in the comics and films, act normally, Hiro." Max advised while shaking his head from laughing so hard.
They wrapped up the session for the day, Hiro leaned against the wall, exhausted for the practice prepared for today. Max patted him on the back, still chuckling, "You've got potential, Hiro. Always remember that the key is to channel that energy, not let it scatter everywhere."
Hiro laughed as he glanced at the mess around the training room—knocked-over dummies and knives that are stuck in walls, "I'll try to be a little less...enthusiastic next time."
Max grinned, "That's the spirit! Now let's clean up this mess before the headmaster sees this."
Training might be chaotic but Hiro is determined to master the abilities Max taught him, he couldn't wait tomorrow for another session.
Hiro spent the next seven days practicing his skills of hypercompetence: dodging while throwing punches to the dummies, having an improved aiming to a shooting range target, and attempting to slice through fabric all around the room with the knife.
As he rushed through the course, he tripped, sending him tumbling into a roll. In pure luck, he landed perfectly on his feet, knife in one hand, and managed to hit a target with a stray bullet from the gun on his other hand.
"Now that's a lucky shot!" Max shouted while laughing, although he's proud that there are signs of improvement on Hiro's arsenal.
Hiro stood up panting, "I meant to do that!" He exclaimed, unable to suppress the joy in his voice. He wiped the sweat from his brow when the loudspeaker crackled to life, "Attention, all new superhumans, please gather in the grand room immediately."
Everyone heard the announcement of the grandmaster, Hiro exchanged glances with Max, who shrugged but grinned.
As they made their way through the halls, Hiro passed by Talia, "So did you have an excuse for being late at home?" She joked.
"Really funny, Talia."
The other superhumans joined them in the grand room, once everyone was settled, the headmaster was at the stage, his presence alone made everyone falter into silence, "Thank you all for coming. Just like with previous batches, and after all the training you've completed, I believe it's now time for the sixteen of you to be divided into two teams."
A sudden cheer and anticipation rippled throughout the group as the headmaster began to call out names.
"In Team A: Kenji Shun, Sasha Green, Clyde Peterson, Veronika Ivanov, Cathy Schofield, Ivan Hanley, Ramona Thorburn, and Dylan Millard."
"WOOHOO! This is a perfect team!" Clyde screamed, a basketball coach.
Cathy immediately followed the scream to hype the rest of the group, she hugged Ivan who she thinks is kind of hot.
Most people were quite friendly, with Veronika even hugging Clyde after he openly invited her to, not wanting to leave him hanging.
Well, almost, Ramona is sick and Veronika took notice of this, "Ramona, how are you doing, honey?"
Ivan and Sasha helped her up and hugged her.
"I don't feel quite good, oh my god." Ramona finally replied.
Dylan, who had been noticeably reserved since the welcoming event, remained distant even with his friend Sasha on the team.
Similarly, an old man, Kenji, who is a martial artist with his obvious clothing also kept his distance from the rest of the group.
The headmaster continued to state the names of Team B.
"In Team B: Timothy Haywood, Kristine Sampson, William Arthurson, Bernadette Swanson, Hiro Naito, Talia Walton, Jaison Sheppard, and Helen Parker."
Timothy immediately welcomed Talia by hugging her, "With a team like this, we're set to save everyone!" Timothy exclaimed, he seems to be the life of the party in this team.
Talia cheered, who seemed to agree on Timothy's statement.
Helen, the gang lady, seemed amused seeing these young students get all excited for being in a team.
"This is dumb..." William muttered, a retired soldier equipped with a sniper rifle, shaking his head in clear disappointment.
Noticing his behavior, Talia remarked to Timothy, "Just because he's a retired soldier doesn't mean the world revolves around him."
Meanwhile, Bernadette, an older woman, attempted to strike up conversations, but the younger teens mostly ignored her.
Dr. Sheppard also appeared to be struggling to connect with the others, or perhaps he simply didn't care.
"I think we need to get to know each other first," Hiro suggested to the group, but his words seemed unheard or disregarded. He glanced at Talia, who was engrossed in conversation with Timothy, then at Kristine, who appeared to be deliberately ignoring everyone while absorbed in her book. Hiro stared at her for a while until...
"I really need to take a piss!" Timothy yelled, raising his hand as he headed for the restroom.
Just as the atmosphere became lively for the sixteen of them, a sudden alarm blared throughout the agency, cutting all the hype of the superhumans, the headmaster, recruiters, trainers, and even staff.
"Attention! Intruder Alert!" Echoed through the loudspeaker repeatedly.
Before anyone could react, the doors burst open, and a group of masked men stormed in, weapons drawn. Hiro's heart raced as these events transpired.
"Protect the agency!" The headmaster shouted, but it was too late. Max, the other recruiters, and trainers were knocked out cold one by one before they could even use their superpower.
Hiro scanned his fellow superhumans; their eyes betrayed their fear. They were outnumbered and completely surprised as henchmen, guns drawn, systematically tied them up.
Then, a prolonged, obnoxious voice echoed, "Heyyyyy...", startling the superhumans.