Greg joins the wards or In which shadow stalker hates Greg's training montage. (Non-Canon)
Created By X-777TheReQUium«»Tm
"Uhh...Hi, I'm Superior. It's nice to meet you," said Greg as he looked around at the his fellow wards, his golden and white costume gleaming. He had decided that if he was going to join the Wards, he was going to make the best first impression possible. The boss had even made him a brand new costume, actually designed for someone of his weight class. It was a more impressive version of his old one. Despite his new outfit, he was still a little nervous as he was a bit unsure of how to act around them. They had been heroes for years and he was just a rookie. A rookie that had taken down Lung, but still...one night of fighting does not a hero make.
"Hey, Superior, its nice to meet you, I'm Vista," said the blonde and bubbly young heroine. "You've already met Clockblocker," she continued, pointing towards a boy in a white, clock themed, armored costume. "And that's Shadow Stalker," she said with a voice tinged with a hint of distaste as she pointed to a dark skinned girl in a black costume cleaning a crossbow. "Gallant, Kid Win and Aegis are out right now. You can meet them when they get back from patrol."
Shadow Stalker walked over, her steps determined and her posture dripping with arrogance. Despite her somewhat aggressive bearing, she seemed to be studying Greg as she gave him a quick once-over. "So, Baldy, heard you're the guy who beat Lung."
Greg chuckled nervously and raised a hand upwards, scratching his bald head. Evron had recommended he shave his scalp clean in order for his hair to grow back even. "Well, yeah...I beat him." Greg knew he didn't look impressive compared to Gallant or Aegis with their big muscles but he was still pretty tough. At least, he hoped he looked tough.
"Hmm...He must not have been as tough as they say. Heh...someone like you, you don't have any guts. I bet I could take you," Stalker replied with a sneer.
Greg smirked, his eyes flashing from blue to red and back again in an instant. "Really, you think so?"
You could almost see the cocky smirk behind Shadow Stalker's mask. "I know so."
"Let's have a little fight. A spar to see who's really tougher. I am a Brute, you know," Greg replied.
"And? I've taken down Brutes. You can ask Aegis," she replied confidently. " If you really want to spar, let's go down to the training room and I can show you exactly what I'm talking about." She walked out of the room, closely followed by an eager Greg.
Greg was actually anticipating a good fight from all the hype she was spouting. He hoped she wouldn't disappoint him.
Clockblocker and Vista glanced at each other and hurried after the two fight-crazy capes.
Shadow Stalker and Greg stood a few meters apart in a room that looked like it was designed to take damage. The ground was covered with some type of rubbery foam material and whatever the walls were made of, they looked durable. Clockblocker and Vista stood several meters away, close enough to see everything but still giving the two capes plenty of room to tear into each other. Greg had his arms at his sides, completely relaxed and waiting for the fight to begin while Shadow Stalker was the opposite. Equipped with weighted batons designed to deliver an electrical shock upon contact, she was ready and on her guard. Although it wasn't unexpected. One of them was a Brute and the other wasn't.
"Okay, Vista, is the camera ready?," Clockblocker asked. The young girl nodded, holding up a small video camera to catch the footage.
"You two ready?," he asked, this time directing the question to the two fighters.
"Yes," the two replied simultaneously.
Clockblocker cleared his throat dramatically. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I am the great Clockblocker, Master of Time, and I will be your referee in today's Clash Of The Capes. Today's match is between up and coming rookie, Superior, who took down Lung on his very first night out. A legend in the making, He just might be the Brutiest Brute Brockton Bay has ever seen since Glory Girl and today he'll be up against the Wards' very own Shadow Stalker, a tough contender, the dark lady with a thirst for justice and the-,"
"Clockblocker!," screamed Shadow Stalker. "Cut the shit or I'll introduce you to the business end of my crossbow!"
"Fine, fine, fine, don't get your panties in a bunch," Shadow Stalker growled at that, "yeesh...Begin!"
Shadow Stalker moved immediately, shifting into her shadow state in an instant and jumping forward. She was fast, much faster than a regular person in her shadow state.
She reached him quickly and shifted back to normal immediately, her batons already swinging toward Greg's face. With a lazy movement, Greg slid over and avoided her weapons. With a small motion, she redirected her batons to strike him in the chest and he moved, leaning back.
"HOW!" Miss. "ARE!" Miss. "YOU!" Another Miss. "DOING!" Another Miss. "THIS!" Another FUCKING Miss! "FUUUUCK!"
She leapt back, turning into her shadow state the instant she moved, the force of her jump giving her distance. She glared at him, a growl rising in her throat as he gave her a small smile in return. The girl bent her knees and shot forward in an impressive run. She shifted into shadow once more and moved much faster, her gaseous form moving nearly as fast as a car. The instant before she reached him, she changed states and struck at him.
The attack hit nothing but the air, though, Greg moved a few inches to the side, his face close enough to Shadow Stalker's for their noses to be touching.
The movement had been nothing more than a shifting of his feet but to an outside observer, it must have appeared as an impressive display of skill. As the Boss said, fighting is all about footwork.
Greg smirked. Despite the fact that this really wasn't much of a fight, he was still enjoying himself. Well, he was enjoying Shadow Stalker's enraged screams. He really wasn't doing much at all. From the moment the fight had started, adrenaline had entered his system and Zirin had boosted his senses greatly, slowing everything down even more than normal. Shadow Stalker might as well have been a crawling baby. 'This is kinda starting to get a bit boring. Might as well end it.'
As Shadow Stalker landed, she whipped around and was about to launch herself at Greg when she noticed him yawning. Under her mask, her eyes twitched in anger.
"What the fuck? Am I boring you? Huh? Answer me, shithead!," she screamed at the bored-looking baldie.
"I am getting a bit bored, yeah. I'm going to end this," was the blasé reply.
"End this? Shit's barely gotten start-," Shadow Stalker froze. What happened would be viewed as an example for anyone who ever claimed that someone like Greg could never beat Lung. Without warning, Greg's appearance and demeanor suddenly changed. His rounded face became sharp and defined, his silly, dazed smile became a harsh grin that promised pain, his muscles seemed to bulge under his costume, his face darkened with rage, and his eyes...his eyes became nothing more than pinpricks of red that promised DEATH. An aura of rage surrounded him, paralyzing Shadow Stalker and making Vista and Clockblocker take several steps back and then several more. Greg Veder was gone and Superior was in his place.
He blurred. In an instant, he was in her face and she shivered as she stared directly into his eyes.
Superior's harsh grin increased. "Did you really think you could beat me? I took down Lung with nothing but these hands! And you thought you could bring me down? Here's your punishment for insulting my skill." Greg drew his fist back and launched it forward. Shadow Stalker closed her eyes, fear in control of her reactions, as she braced herself for the strike.
When she realized she was still conscious and that something...someone was poking her, she opened her eyes. Only to see that Superior...no...Greg had his finger to her cheek. The aura of rage and death that defined Superior was gone and his eyes were back to his normal blue, the silly smile there once again.
He snickered. "Did you really think I was going to kill you? Come on, Stalker." He flicked her on the cheek and she grunted as she flew back, the small flick feeling like a light punch from Aegis, meaning a strike from a heavyweight boxer.
Clockblocker ran over, followed by Vista who was still filming.
"Wow, dude, you're strong...and fast," the self-proclaimed Master of Time exclaimed.
Greg grinned at the praise. "Yeah, but it's all about hard work. When I first got my powers, I could barely lift a couch on my own and Shadow Stalker was faster than me. I had to train for this type of strength."
"So, how did you get so strong?," Vista asked, staring at him with stars in her eyes.
"It was the hardest training anyone ever undertook. I suffered through hell everyday without rest. My best friends became pain, suffering, and misery. The first thing I felt when I woke up in the morning was the burning ache of my muscles and bones. Day after day, I pushed myself to my limits and beyond, to the point I felt like my body was breaking down and I was about to die. But when it was all over, I had succeeded. I was like this," Greg said, clenching his fist,"and I still continue my training to this very day."
"What type of training from hell was this?" asked Clockblocker, skepticism clear in his tone.
"If you must know...100 push-ups, 100 squats, 100 sit-ups, and 10km run. Every. Single. Day." Greg told him.
Vista gaped. "How long were you doing this?"
Greg took a deep breath and closed his eyes, the haunting memory of the hell he had been forced through playing through his mind.
"One...Whole...Month," he said solemnly.
At this point, Clockblocker went into shock from disbelief, mutterings of "that's so stupid" being repeated. Shadow Stalker, who had regained consciousness quickly enough to hear Greg's statements of training, started to have seizures of rage and screamed obscenities.
Vista ran up to him, hands held up to grab at his costume. "Teach me, please!"
A/N: Again, for those who don't know what an omake is, this is a non-canon extra that someone pitched me as an idea for this story. It is not actually a part of the story or plot in any way. I decided to use it and post it because I thought it was funny.