Chapter Text
WARNING THIS IS THE REWRITTEN VERSION OF CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2 DOES NOT HAVE ALL THE CHARACTERS IN THIS CHAPTER
I AM CURRENTLY REWRITING CHAPTER 2
Chapter 1: The Start of a New Story
The crowd's cheers resound across the colosseum-esque battleground as their favorite heroes prepare to enter the stage, the platforms that would lead them to the start of the tournament sitting empty for the moment.
On this day the Top 10 heroes were to face one another in the 21st Hero Tournament, a tradition that began after the fall of the god-like villain named Zero. To determine whether the current X continues his undefeated streak of victories or… if another contender will de-crown the top hero and become the new X.
Lin Ling steps forward and through the dark tunnel as his suit appears with a tap of his fingers. Ribbons of white and gold, similar to that of Nice’s original color schemes, wrap around him before fitting onto his figure as he treads toward the light at the end of the tunnel.
The ever fortuitous Lucky Cyan unfolds her signature guitar into its bow form as she smiles while walking toward the bright exit at the end of the tunnel. Her eyes gleam in excitement while also holding onto a bit of nervousness as she wonders whether her childhood friend would watch her battles to come.
The power suit hero Loli twirls her bat as her signature emoticon flashes confidently across her facial screen. Though ready for the coming bouts, her mind temporarily lingers for a second on memories of the past before she steps forward into the cheering crowds.
Big Johnny runs through the dimly lit hallway as Little Johnny chases after the tiny alien creature, finally catching up and scolding his life long companion lightly. The young hero then smiles before laying his hand out toward his friend, prompting the little critter to comply while Little Johnny dons his beast-like mask.
The well guarded Wang Yi, formerly known as Ghostblade, places a photo of his cherished daughter safely into his diary before stuffing it away. Letting out a tired sigh he shields his eyes while heading out into the cheering crowd and blinding light, ready to face the future that stands ahead of him. To protect those he loves.
The ever uncaring Dragon Boy lies lazily on his platform as it carries him toward the center of the tournament stadium. He yawns tiredly before slowly getting up and stretching while a section of the crowd cheers his name with growing excitement. He would clear the world of all its ill begotten trash. Or well, die trying.
Meanwhile, E-soul, who had been kicked out of the top ten due to unforeseen circumstances, steps toward Rock, who glances at the electric hero with a shadowed expression. Whether it be due to disappointment or an expected outcome, the future that involves the two remains shrouded in the unknown.
The ever elegant Queen’s steps echo loudly within the tunnels as her power resounds with a golden aura. The heroine moves forward and onto her platform before swiping her hand and expanding her domain. For what reason? Who knows?
A shadowed figure suddenly steps out into the light as surprisingly, Nice, the hero thought dead, appears on the stage. Though his figure seems to showcase odd cracks along his body, he stands ready, seemingly prepared to fight. To what could these odd markings entail?
Yet… despite most of the top ten appearing, two contenders remain unseen. The transformation dog hero Ahu and the oh so mysterious Hero X. Unbeknownst to the others, those two had been conversing quietly in Ahu’s section of the stage tunnels before X had begun to walk off, the dog hero stepping forward and toward his platform as he recalls last night’s events.
As the clock ticks down Ahu turns back toward the dimension swapping hero with a serious expression painting his face. “Then what are you going to do from here on?”
The middle platform for the Hero X rises as the counter continues to tick down. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2… 1
X’s watch suddenly beeps as the hero sets a new timer before turning back to the curious dog with a smile. “Well, that’s obvious… Defy fate.”
Then, with a snap of his fingers, X appears on the main platform. Though, for some reason the heroes surrounding him suddenly gain expressions of surprise as Ahu promptly runs forward with confusion painting his muzzle at the sight before him.
X had shown up in his civilian form as the main center stage attraction!? “Clocking out on time.” X mutters while wearing a confident smirk.
But… for some reason… The world warps once more as chains wrap themselves around the frozen heroes, but strangely not due to our resident reality manipulator. No, this time, the odd occurrence surrounding the world’s beloved heroes wasn’t due to a known force. And due to this strange occurrence the heroes of this story find themselves in a place unknown to them. For what purpose could they have been taken for? And why?
Well only time will tell, but for now let us allow the beloved heroes and their companions to gather their bearings before forcing them to dive into the deep end of their past and future.
Every single one of the kidnapped heroes groggily rise from their fallen positions, only to see that X, or the regular looking office employee they had thought to be X, was already standing and observing the space.
“Hmm… Well this is certainly odd.” X hums before snapping his fingers and switching back into his hero form. It seems that his powers worked at least.
The only thing that surrounded the confused heroes and non-combatants was a white void, not dissimilar to one of X’s domains. Though only the top hero himself and Ahu were aware of that at the time.
“X! Was this your doing!?” Ahu barks out at the top hero in a semi upset and panicked manner. Was X truly going to the lengths of kidnapping all the heroes just for a diabolical scheme?!
“No. This time it wasn’t me.” X answers back curtly while glancing around in slight intrigue. Ahu’s eyes just widen in response to X’s serious tone as the dog hero can only sit on the floor with a stumped expression.
“AHU!” The surprised Ahu suddenly looks to his side to find Xin Ya running over to him with a big smile, her usual cheerful nature still evident despite the abnormal situation.
“Xin Ya! Why are you here!?” Ahu quickly meets his owner in the middle for a heartwarming embrace, a concerned expression plastered across his muzzle at the implications of his beloved human being in this strange place. It would have been fine if it was just him and the heroes… But it seemed there were other citizens, not just Xin Ya.
Among the top heroes of their world stood some very prominent non-superpowered figures. For one, all the main owners of each leading hero association stood near their respective heroes. Rock stood next to E-Soul and Dragon Boy while Mickey and Liu Zheng stood near Queen, the Johnnies, and Lucky Cyan. Zac was just chilling in a relaxed position while watching Xin Ya and Ahu interact, much to his amusement. Though, one particular association leader seemed to be missing for some reason…
On top of the major leaders of the three groups there also stood some other interesting individuals. To each of the heroes some were more important than others, but all were integral to the coming events in their world. Near Ghostblade, his divorced wife and child sat extremely confused, though one showed more emotion than the other. Next to Lucky Cyan sat a worried Luo who was currently wondering if this somehow had to do with his powers. After the lucky and unlucky duo, Lin Ling was graced with Miss J’s presence as she sat up in a professional manner, sending a glare toward the people’s hero who in turn wore a sheepish expression despite not being at fault. And finally, the ever joyous Xin Ya, who of course was currently cuddling the dog hero Ahu.
As the members of the white void all shake their heads and look around with varying expressions of bafflement and slight irritation they then begin to realize who was next to them and where they were.
“Where are we…? Am I…?” Lin Ling mumbles quietly before pinching himself in the cheek with a very befuddled expression, wondering if this was another one of those weird dreams he had been having lately as Miss J shoots him a confused look.
Queen just stares suspiciously at X before becoming aware of the two leading figures in her life next to her and the slightly unnerved Lucky Cyan. “Q-Queen, do you know what's happening?”
The two Johnnies also walk up to the DOS group with worried expressions. Though Big Johnny seemed less worried and more excited at the prospect of the interesting place they had found themselves in.
“This was certainly not on the bucket list of today's activities!” Little Johnny chuckles out while patting his companion on the head. Inwardly he was a bit antsy at the very weird white void, but he could ignore that in favor of keeping the mood lighter.
“This is unlike anything we've ever experienced before… Are you all alright?” Liu Zheng, Queen's apparent father figure and former journalist, steps up to the group with a concerned expression.
“I believe we are in good health, but I… I have no clue where we’ve found ourselves…” Queen responds to her father before answering Cyan’s earlier inquiry in a somewhat unsure manner, prompting concerned expressions from those surrounding her with the exception of Mickey.
“I hope this isn’t my fault somehow…” Luo mumbles out with a self-depreciating laugh as he makes his presence known to the group, prompting various reactions from the surprised DOS members.
“LUO!?” Cyan immediately runs up to her childhood friend before embracing him tightly, her previous worries leaving her in favor of questioning the unlucky boy in her grasp. “I thought you were still at University X! How did you get here!?”
The unlucky Luo chuckles out while also hugging the heroine back with a warm expression. “Well it's not like I came here on my own, Cyan! I don’t think any of us came here on purpose…” Luo scratches the side of his cheek as the group are reminded of their current predicament.
Lucky Cyan then lets go while sweat dropping at somehow forgetting their clearly abnormal situation. “Oh… Right.”
“It is good to see you again, Luo. I hope you’ve been well.” Queen greets Luo with a soft smile as Little Johnny simply holds a curious expression. Who was this new person? They seemed to know Queen and Cyan pretty well despite not looking like a hero… Was it someone from before he joined DOS?
“Yeah, studies have been pretty tiring, but I’ve been doing well! Also I was planning on visiting soon, I swear!” Luo responds with a pointed finger to signify his seriousness, Big Johnny climbing onto his back before messing with his hair playfully.
“Ahh! Son! Stop it! Don't climb onto random people!” Little Johnny quickly moves forward to remove the little critter while Luo chuckles as the beast-taming hero grasps onto his companion tightly while shooting an apologetic look to the boy.
“Please, don’t worry about it!” The unlucky young man scratches the back of his head while chuckling at the amusing situation. If he remembered correctly this was Little Johnny and Big Johnny. It was nice to finally meet the duo.
“I hope you’re working hard?” Liu Zheng steps up next to the heroes while laying a comforting hand on the young University goer, Luo nodding in reply as Ceo Mickey injects himself into the conversation.
“While I do find the unprecedented reunion heartwarming, I believe we have more urgent matters to attend to.” Ceo Mickey, while not appearing worried, did not look too at ease either as he glanced around warily at the amount of heroes gathered in this space against their will. Especially when they should be currently holding the 21st Hero Tournament. Even the mysterious X seemed a bit confused, so that most likely ruled out his involvement in this event. Though then again, this could merely all be a well crafted ruse.
As the DOS group and their heroes conversed, Ghostblade just stared at his wife and child with wide eyes, unable to remove his gaze from the two. Despite seeing her only occasionally from the shadows while avoiding direct contact he noted that his wife still looked as unaffected and beautiful as ever. And his daughter was of course still the brightest star he had always loved. But… It had been so long since he had been in arms distance from the two. Especially a fully healthy Nuonuo… Which was the reason for his lack of a reaction that soon led to his presence being discovered.
Nuonuo was immediately the first of the mother daughter duo to notice that her father was sitting next to them, prompting her to quickly scramble over to hug the now frozen man. Ghostblade’s wife, Zhang Lan, merely maintains her usual monotone expression while glancing over to the father and daughter embrace.
“Hello Wang Yi…” The silent voice of his wife brings him back to his senses as he nods to her before hugging his daughter cautiously, glad to finally embrace one of the greatest gifts that life gave him, but still slightly worried. After all, he had chosen to keep away from his family in lieu of having an attempt on his life. Even after his daughter's full recovery he hadn’t forgiven himself for failing her and had not wanted to endanger them with his existence. He guessed that Nuonuo had begged Zhang Lan for answers and seeing that she didn’t appear too bothered by their embrace… perhaps it would be acceptable if he allowed himself this brief reprise in this void-like space?
“Dad… Where have you been…? I missed you…” Nuonuo’s wistful voice causes Ghostblade’s heart to crumple while his daughter's tears stain his cloak, her grip still tight as if letting go would mean his disappearance once again. “If I could speak just this one time… To tell you how much I love you with my words… To tell you how sorry I am… I would give it all…”
Ghostblade then glances around the area before locking eyes with E-Soul. A resounding thought suddenly goes through the deadly hero’s mind. In his lack of awareness, he had shown a vulnerability he had never meant to display… And had just made the lives of his beloved family all the more dangerous due to being unable to control his emotions properly. The hug from his daughter didn’t help conceal the facts, but he should have at least tried to hide his relationship with her. Even if it hurt him.
As the two glare, the tension appears to thicken between the assassins, though, luckily it seems E-Soul didn’t intend to do anything at the moment. Then again, they had all found themselves in an impossible predicament so doing anything drastic currently didn’t seem to bode well for either party.
“Hagh! I was so ready to kick some ass in the tournament! Where the hell are we!?” Dragon Boy scowls with frustration before Rock places a calming hand on his shoulder, prompting the hero to simmer down with a scoff.
Not two far away from Zac and Ahu, Loli stares at the broken Nice next to The Commoner and his manager, the only one still remaining motionless, slumped over and cracked almost like a broken doll with no strings. The smile on his face seemed uncannily fake, even more so than usual. “I was wondering if that really was Nice, but whatever that thing is feels like it's even worse…” The pink hero clenches her mechanical fist tightly before noticing Nuonuo and her father hugging with familial warmth, the scene causing a small smile to grow on her face.
“At least she got to see him again…” Loli’s fond expression holds for a few seconds before turning into one of irritation as she mentally berates the old assassin hero while crossing her arms. “Why’d you go and disappear on her, you old fart!? She was fricking sad for weeks! At least contact your own daughter after a year long coma!” Though upset, Loli inwardly understood his intentions and silently told herself it was probably for the better that he did what he did. Though she still wanted to have a reason to be angry at Ghostblade. Especially after the whole stalking fiasco. Plus she was pissed that Nice was somehow back.
“Hello everyone.”
A voice suddenly calls out to the very surprised members of the void, minus X, who all jump before entering combat stances. Each one of the trained superhumans and superdog protecting their respective companions while those without guardians simply glance around with unease.
“Hello mystery being. Will you perhaps explain the reason as to why we’re all here?” X calls back out in a very laid-back manner while waving up at an unseen force, prompting some of the heroes to just stare at him analytically.
“Yes I will. First I’d like to apologize for the abrupt transport, but it was at the most fitting time and most convenient method. Second, you are all here to witness the past and future.”
The voice pauses after its blunt reveal, already expecting the coming reactions from the heroes and civilians.
“Hah?! What are you talking about?? Witness the past and future!?” Loli surprisingly yells out first with pure disbelief, causing Nuonuo to look in her direction and sweat drop, some of the others jolting at the sudden outburst.
“That’s not possible? Right!? Are we going insane? Is any of this even real??” Lin Ling mutters to himself rapidly in a panicked manner before getting smacked by Miss J in the back of his head.
“Calm yourself Commoner! You’re a hero, keep it together!” Miss J commands with a hiss, prompting Lin Ling to nod with a slightly more put-together expression.
“Is the voice in our heads or are you guys hearing it outloud?” Little Johnny questions the others while wearing an incredulous expression, Big Johnny playfully patting at the hero’s hair.
“Past and future…? If this being is speaking truthfully then all our plans will get exposed!” Liu Zheng thinks to himself while glancing around warily. The amount of heroes here would mean no way out. The concerned father’s gaze then lands onto his daughter as an even more terrified thought begins to emerge. “She… She’ll find out I…”
Dragon Boy just lies down in a tired manner while grumbling about wasted time and not getting to fight, prompting an eyeroll from Yan Mo. Though he too was a little uneasy over the current predicament, he knew there was no feasible way that this being was speaking truthfully. This just had to be an overly complex plan from that irritating X. So for now… he would simply bide his time and wait.
The rest of the heroes remain silent while also appearing very lost in thought. Each one wondering various things regarding the current situation before X suddenly breaks the silence once again.
“Is it the real future or the fated future?” X inquires cryptically while shocking the others due to the implications of the mysterious hero’s question.
“He can’t be serious… There is no possible way that this farce is playing out… Past and future?” Rock’s gaze narrows at X’s inquiry as he slowly begins to lose composure while Dragon Boy catches on, staring at his benefactor with an unimpressed look.
“The fated future. I need not mention the past we shall be observing since you are at least somewhat aware already. In fact the only reason you were brought here was out of concern that you would interfere at the disappearance of the other heroes. But you need not worry, your world is perfectly safe and all actions taking place are currently paused. After all, the observation of your stories will take up a large period of time.”
There was no way that the being was telling the truth? Right?? The members of the void glance over to X in order to gauge his reaction, silently wondering how the man would react.
Meanwhile, the top hero simply held a thinking pose while ruminating on the strange being’s words. “So they're showing them everything? But why? Is it an intervention point? Or perhaps an event beyond our dimension? Does it not fear the penalties of causality? Ahh I’m way past overtime…”
After a few seconds of presumed thinking X suddenly claps his hands together while letting out the sigh. “Well I see no issue with this happening since you’ve stated the world has been frozen.” X then snaps his fingers before turning back to the other heroes, a small smile growing on his face as he faces them in his office work attire. “I guess you’re all in for a surprise.”
The worried expression of the more villainous company leaders doubles as they begin to conjure up their next plans. How would they escape this?? No… was escape even possible? Why was the Voice doing this in the first place? Was it targeting them specifically? Was it in cooperation with X? Was he feigning confusion earlier?
All these thoughts ran through their heads, but not one of them could begin to fathom the reason for this odd occurrence.
After all this was simply for entertainment.
The heroes also remain frozen while staring at the regular office worker in renewed shock. What was the Voice saying? Did this mean that X was aware of everything in the past, present, and future? Was he really the god-like being the Hero Commission labeled him as? Or even worse, Zero?
“H-hold on, Mr. X why are you so calm right now?” Lin Ling questions in confusion while holding out an open hand, a few of the others also wondering the same.
“Huh? Oh I’m technically off the clock so this is a good excuse for a nice little break.” The response from the top hero only serves to confuse the void goers even more. Though Lin Ling funnily resonates with the statement inwardly. Breaks were necessary in office worker life and extra breaks were awesome to encounter after all.
“I can’t believe I got beat by this random piece of trash.” Dragon Boy mutters out as he runs a hand down his face while Yan Mo’s expression only held pure annoyance at the lackadaisical man’s attitude.
“Um, Mr. Voice? If what you’re saying is true… does that mean we’ll be seeing… everyone’s private lives…? Cause… I dunno how I feel about that heh…” Little Johnny anxiously questions, prompting the heroes to all have light bulbs go off in their heads.
“AH WAIT! No, I refuse! No one needs to see my personal life!” Loli, unsurprisingly, is the first to speak up as she shakes her technologically enhanced bat in the air while others just agree with various expressions of unhappiness.
Ghostblade’s face comically deadpans as he shakes his head in a desperate manner while pointing one of his blades at the invisible being, Zhang Lan wearing an exasperated expression at her ex-husband’s antics while Nuonuo snickers a bit at her father’s overly animated movements.
“I agree. This is an invasion of privacy that I will not permit.” Queen responds with a tone of absolute standing, her expression seeming more cold than usual. Mickey glances at Liu Zheng quietly while the both of them silently hope that Queen would continue to deny the viewing.
“Hoooo Noooo… That would be way too embarrassing…” Lucky Cyan blushes while covering her face as steam slowly rises from her head, Luo patting her on the back with a confused, but admittedly amused smile on his face. Little Johnny quietly notes this interaction down in his head before looking over to his alien partner in crime who just gives him a cute expression. “I sense… A friendship opportunity!”
“I also refuse.” E-Soul mutters in a dark tone, electric sparks irradiating from his body as his hostile gaze seems to incinerate the air. His story? Revealed to complete strangers? Unacceptable. Only he was entitled to knowing his past, not even Rock was allowed that tale.
Yan Mo himself was currently warily observing Yang Cheng carefully. If worse came to worse, the boy would absolutely lose his mind and Dragon Boy would have to fight him. The best case scenario would be for E-Soul to crumble against the weight of his guilt, but… He somehow doubted that outcome being true.
“My past… huh…?” Dragon Boy quietly ponders with an uncharacteristic expression of contemplation while not bothering to vocalize his irritation again.
“EVERYONE’S GOING TO SEE MY INFATUATION WITH MOON!?” Lin Ling wears a mortified expression as he sweats nervously while Miss J side-eyes the hero before sighing tiredly. At the end of the day it was Mr. Shand who would take the fall. She was just a humble manager who did what she was told. As Miss J inwardly told herself these excuses she clenched her hand tightly, a small expression of guilt appearing on her face.
“I have a feeling we don’t get a say…” Ahu silently assumes while glancing over to Xin Ya who just seemed as happy as ever. She also was also currently shooting curious faces, causing the man to sweat drop amusingly. His owner really sucked at reading the room sometimes…
“I’m sorry, but this isn’t up for debate. Your only escape would be through X yet I feel that he understands the importance of this and will not intervene… I hope.”
A few of the more not emotionally cut off heroes turn to the top hero with pleading eyes. Mainly Little Johnny and Cyan, the latter gently nudging Luo to join in. Though Luo just sweat drops while shaking his head in denial. He didn’t have the cuteness that his childhood friend had.
“Sorry you guys, the mystery being is right. Plus I’m not at work right now.” X gives a quick apology along with a shrug before snapping his fingers and manifesting a soda can.
The others groan in disappointment while no longer seeming very surprised by the odd hero actions. The Voice then makes itself known once more with a regretful tone as it responds to the woes of its audience.
“Though some of your history will be shown, the more personal and unnecessary aspects of your lives will not be revealed. That is the most privacy I can give you all, I apologize.”
“Mr. Voice, may I also ask a question?” Lucky Cyan inquires while raising her hand as if in a classroom, much to Luo and Little Johnny’s amusement.
“Please feel free to. Before we start the showing I’d like to get all your rampant thoughts out of the way. I will be here the entire time, but I’d like you all to get through this without my input.”
“Oh, ok! Then… How are you planning on showing us the past and future?” Lucky Cyan asks in a polite manner while glancing around the white void, prompting the others to also become confused. There wasn’t exactly anything they could view a story on. Assuming that the being was going to show them their stories rather than tell them.
“Ah yes. Just look over to your right and enter those doors. They will lead you to a movie theater where you shall observe your stories. While you are here you will not feel hunger or fatigue, but out of consideration I have prepared a dining room and sleeping quarters for your comfort. This will be a mentally exhausting number of days for you all, I apologize.”
All the baffled members of the void promptly look to the side to find the aforementioned double doors most likely leading to the supposed movie theater.
“Uhhh… That wasn’t there before… Right?” Lin Ling questions to Miss J who nods with an intrigued expression in response to the appearance of the extremely strange sight of the new doors. It seemed that this place was even weirder than they had originally thought.
Before anyone could even do anything, Big Johnny quickly leaps off of Little Johnny and scampers toward the theater doors, prompting the beast-tamer to run after his friend. “Oi! Son! Hold on a second!”
Lucky Cyan and Luo quickly run after the two while Queen sighs and walks gracefully in tow, her father and boss following slowly behind. The others simply glance at each other warily before either grumbling or remaining silent and begrudgingly joining the run away DOS group into the theater.
X, being the second to last one, looks back at the still body of Nice before sighing and snapping his fingers.
Inside the theater multiple rows of large cushioned seats made up the layout of the decently sized room. A giant screen with the words, To Be Hero X, taking up the front of the theater. At the back of the room two double doors could also be seen, the exits most likely leading to the dining room and sleeping quarters.
Little Johnny, Lucky Cyan, and Luo all gaze with equally starry eyes at the very fancy cinema as Queen walks up to the three while wearing a soft smile. The two heroes, along with Luo getting dragged away by Cyan, then run off to explore the rooms behind the new doors while the older heroine takes a seat in the middle of the front row, Mickey and Liu Zheng sit a few seats behind her.
Lin Ling had entered after the DOS group along with Miss J before becoming amazed at the large theater. The hero then glances up at the screen before double taking and becoming mortified at the realization that the screen was currently displaying his last submitted promotional video for Nice. “AM I GOING FIRST!? AGH I’M GONNA DIE OF EMBARRASSMENT!”
Miss J also gazes up toward the screen before cringing in realization. “Mr. Shand will not be pleased…” The manager sighs tiredly while fearing for her future self’s lack of a job. Or life…
Meanwhile E-Soul was currently ignoring the stare he was receiving from Dragon Boy, who had tried to egg the electric hero into a fight on their short walk to the theater’s doors. The masked hero stares wistfully at the theater walls as a quiet thought breaches into his mind. “It’s been a long time since I’ve gone to a theater… I wonder if I could’ve come here with Xia Qing in another life?” The memories quickly fade back into the dark crevices of his mind as he shakes his head while forming a new thought. “I’ll need to destroy the screen the moment anything mentioning my past appears…”
Ghostblade, on the other hand, silently walks past all the heroes while attempting to take a seat in the back before getting his sleeve yanked by a certain someone. The former assassin hero then turns around to find Nuonuo pulling on his hero costume with large pleading eyes while pointing over to the right-side of the middle row where her mother had sat herself. The usually fearless hero sweat drops while looking to his ex-wife with a question mark hanging over his head before receiving a small nod from her, prompting him to sigh as Nuonuo leads him through the large chairs.
Ahu simply trots into the cinema with Xin Ya and Zac in tow while an expression of intrigue fills his face as he sniffs the air. After all, he was still a dog at heart and being a hero didn’t change that about him. Though inwardly his thoughts were still focused on the situation at hand. He wasn’t going to let anyone harm his owner.
Following her fellow FOMO members, Loli slowly steps into the theater, a curious expression painting her face as she de-transforms a portion of her battle suit, allowing her hair to run free. Not that her suit wasn’t comfortable, but their stay here didn’t require her to remain fully combat ready. At least… she hoped. The pink heroine then glances around before finding Nice sitting at the far right-side of the front row and grimacing in irritation. “Creepy! How did he even get in here?!”
As Loli chooses to find a seat as far away from Nice as possible and to leave Nuonuo with her family, her only remaining close companion vetoes that decision by waving her over with a grin. The surprised Loli responds by awkwardly walking through the middle row and placing herself next to the family of 3, much to the chagrin of Ghostblade.
“Were you really going to sit by yourself?” Nuonuo teases as Loli sighs out with her response. “I just didn’t want to bother your family bonding time… You looked really happy.”
Ghostblade’s eyes widen by the smallest of margins as his opinion of the power suit user goes up slightly. Though, he still preferred the option of her not sitting with them. Then again… the young heroine had lost her father and close friend, only being left with her mother after the Ruins Incident. So perhaps it wouldn’t be the kindest thing to force the young heroine to sit alone. After all he was trying to rectify his past mistakes and somehow deal with the guilt of killing so many. He never realized these things would matter to him until he experienced the fear of losing his daughter… How awful his actions were made him all the more concerned of his murders being showcased to the audience. Especially to one orange haired individual.
As the family and pink heroine converse, with the exception of Ghostblade, X finally steps into the theater while glancing around before letting out a whistle. “Not bad, mystery Voice, but it could use a few touch ups.” X promptly snaps his fingers before making the room seem even more extravagant for absolutely no reason.
The mysterious X then yawns before taking a sip from his soda as Queen stares at the seemingly normal office worker with a face of curiosity and bitter reminiscence. “I still don’t know how he defeated me… After all these years I never got the opportunity to prove myself against him… And right when I was going to receive my second chance, this strange kidnapping occurs? Surely fate finds my life an amusing tale…”
Yiwei then looks around at the newly transformed cinema before sighing in a sort of lost manner. “But if he can do all this then did I ever stand a chance…? Will my goals forever be locked behind a snap of his fingers?” The heroine looks down at her clenched fist before suddenly noticing a pair of normal looking office shoes. The slightly startled Queen looks up to find the person she was currently ruminating over standing in front of her with a small smile.
With a gesture of comradery, X just grins toward the heroine before leaning forward, causing Queen to jolt slightly. “You don’t need the title of X to fulfill your dreams, Queen… None of you ever needed the title of X, because you were all already the catalysts for the change that you’re looking for.” The office worker cryptically whispers to the experienced heroine who just tilts her head slightly in befuddlement.
“What are you…” Queen questions slowly before suddenly finding herself getting hugged from behind as Lucky Cyan giggles while Luo could be seen wearing a smile.
“This place is so cool, Queen! I checked the dining area Mr. Voice was talking about and it had all kinds of food! And the bedrooms were really comfy!” Lucky Cyan excitedly explains while wearing a bright grin, Liu Zheng and Mickey leaning out of the way due to Cyan somehow forgetting their presence.
“They really weren’t kidding about being comfortable!” Luo chuckles out as Cyan nods vigorously in agreement. The surprise kidnapping ironically didn’t seem too bad at the moment.
“Yeah I had to keep Big Johnny from eating everything! I got really worried when he got that look in his eyes.” Little Johnny mutters tiredly while wiping sweat from his forehead. His alien companion simply sat on his shoulder comedically while staring back at the doors leading to the dining room.
Queen just smiles back at the small group before realizing that she was about to question X, only to turn and find him missing. The heroine then glances around before finding him sitting a few seats away from them minding his own business. The top hero sighs as she looks back down at her open palm before thinking over his last words. “We were already the catalysts for change…?”
Cyan, noticing Queen’s stilted expression, pokes the heroine softly in the shoulder. “Is something wrong, Queen?”
The older heroine shakes her head quickly before returning to her usual expression. “Nothing, I was simply curious as to what the Voice would be showing us first.”
“Oh yeah! I guess we’re kinda here to watch our… past…” Little Johnny’s tone of voice trails off as his mind wanders to a certain memory. “If I can… If I can see the moment dad died… I’ll find the murderer… Will the Voice reveal that…?” As the thought passes his mind a darkness begins to creep into his heart before he quickly gets pulled back by a pair of snapping fingers.
“Oiii, Earth to Little Johnny, are you ok?” Lucky Cyan questions in a slightly concerned tone while Luo also stared at the hero in worry. Both of Cyan’s seniors were acting a bit odd today, then again… they were currently trapped in a very weird place.
“Y-Yeah I’m fine! Don’t worry about me!” Little Johnny laughs out a bit breathlessly before jumping over the 1st row of seats and sitting down on the left side of Queen.
“I think I’ll sit here, if that’s ok?” Little Johnny peers over to the white haired heroine who just nods in response, still wearing a small smile. “Of course.”
Lucky Cyan also leaps over the row of cushioned chairs while pulling Luo over with her surprising strength before sitting down on the other side of Queen, her expression more serious than usual. “I know we’ll probably see a lot of stuff we don’t want each other to see… But I want you guys to know it won’t change how I think of you two… I will always trust the both of you with all my heart.”
The two heroes blink in surprise before both respond in their own heartfelt ways while Luo smiles softly.
As all this occurs, E-Soul slowly makes his way to the back row along with Yan Mo and Dragon Boy. The trio of the MG group having decided to sit as far away from the rabble as they could in order to plan ahead for the future sights.
Meanwhile, Miss J dragged Lin Ling to the left side of the middle row while wearing a tense expression, clearly worried about the past that would be revealed. Ahu quickly chose to sit next to X’s right side near Little Johnny, much to the confusion of Xin Ya and snickering of the top hero.
“I’m only sitting here to keep you in check!” Ahu barks out in a poor attempt at appearing threatening while X just ruffles his fur in response, much to the chagrin of the dog hero. Zac, on the other hand, had chosen to sit on the other side of X to stay near one of his star heroes after receiving an ok from X himself.
“Hey Mr. X can I have your autograph, pretty please!” Xin Ya grins from ear to ear as the suddenly surprised X just stares at her with a stiff expression. The hero, despite his outwardly confident look, never interacted with fans in his office work attire since nobody knew who he was. So Xin Ya was his first experience outside of hero work and he was kind of unsure on how to act. He also recalled meeting her in this form a couple of times so he was a bit surprised that she didn’t immediately bombard him with questions first. “Uh… Yeah, sure.”
Ahu smirks at the flabbergasted office worker who recovers from his humorous stupor before chuckling at the smug expression of the dog hero.
“Wait! Ahu, is Mr. X your friend!? You were friends with the number 1 hero and you didn’t tell me?!” Xin Ya’s eyes sparkle as the dog hero suddenly sweats at her excited questioning. Ahu then looks over to X with a pleading look, prompting the office worker to grin before snapping his fingers and changing into his hero form. “Of course, little lady, Ahu here is my best friend second only to you. I did ask him to keep our companionship a secret so I apologize.” X responds while raising a finger to his matter-of-fact statement as the dog hero deadpans. He could’ve sworn that X was trying to look a little too cool and confident at the moment. “No way she believes that—”
“WOW! THAT’S SO COOL! AND MAKES A TON OF SENSE!” Xin Ya exclaims as her expression somehow shines even brighter, forcing X to look away from the sheer overload while Ahu just grumbles about how easy his owner is to trick.
“Very well, is everyone settled?”
After a few surprised noises from some of the unprepared members of the theater, various replies resound from the barely filled cinema as a few of the heroes and civilians become slightly excited with anticipation. Whose story would be shown first? What would this all culminate too? And why did this Voice feel the need to do this in the first place?
“Well? Let’s get this show started.” X calls out with a grin before the theater's screen begins to warp and spin, the titling of To Be Hero X brightening as a familiar voice begins to play.
To Be Continued…
Hi everyone! This is the revised version for those who read the original and are wondering why it's changed. I wanted to add more characters after feeling a lack of dialogue and overly repeated interactions between characters. So yeah! Also I do plan on adding more character but that will be plot relevant to this story so no spoilers :D Toodles! - TheWritingKaiju