Chapter One: Orientation
Our story starts at the root of all the greatest minds in the world. The Motherlobe, the Psychonauts main headquarters. This group of elite Psychics take on the challenges of the mind, growing their strength for the betterment of the human psyche, and to ensure a safer tomorrow.
One such agent of the Psychonauts is an enthusiastic young teenager by the name of Razputin Aquato. From the moment he started his quest to become a great Psychonaut he had done many great deeds. From saving the world from his unstable camp counselor, to saving the world from his great aunts second personality, he had done so much to keep the peace around him, and only at ten years old.
But now it's been four years since then. He has grown, and with his growth he has expanded his horizon and now sets out to become a full blown Psychonaut. Unfortunately, despite all his heroic acts from the past he still wasn't classified as such, and was instead given the title of Junior Psychonaut, just like all the rest of his younger colleagues.
But with the title of Junior Psychonaut came the road of becoming a full agent of the Psychonauts. His journey wouldn't be easy, but he has successfully made it to the final challenge of Psychonauthood.
Junior Psychonaut Academy, Senior Year.
Beep! Beep! Bee-
A hand raised in defiance of the loud noise produced by his alarm clock before slamming down on the snooze button and a burgundy haired teen rose from his bed. The sunlight from his window peered throughout his room, illuminating his homely sanctuary as he stretched his arms and prepared to rise from his bed for the start of the first day of his senior year.
He was only fourteen years old, but already being in his senior year spoke volumes of his tenacity and strength. Truly he was a gifted and talented individual, some might even say a prodigy, but he wouldn't let that get to his head (For the most part).
Finally opening his green eyes to the light of his room, he blinked a few times as his eyes adjusted and a smile stretched across his lips. He was excited, and who wouldn't be? This was going to be the greatest year of his life!
'Alright, time to get ready for the day!' He thought cheerfully, slipping out of his bed before levitating himself to his bathroom to brush his teeth and shower. One must always make sure their body is as clean as their mind after all. It said so in True Psychic Tales #298!
Razputin was quite the aficionado of the True Psychic Tales comics, perhaps even more impressive was his absolute adoration of the Psychonauts and everything that they had done to protect the world. And here he was at the center of it all, training to become one of the greats!
Quickly stepping out of the bathroom after finishing up, the red haired boy grabbed his signature outfit for the day and used his telekinesis to get himself dressed. His outfit slightly differed from when he was younger, but as a person grows, so must their wardrobe.
He was adorned in a bluish-green turtleneck and gray cargo pants. Overtop of his turtleneck he wore a black leather trench coat to replace his old tattered brown one. He pulled on his black combat boots, and his new and improved gray headpiece with his goggles strung right overtop and he was ready for the day!
...Or so he thought, he had forgotten to grab his brown leather satchel that he carried everywhere with him. Grabbing the bag without using any of his powers he slung it over his shoulder and looked himself over in the mirror with a confident smile.
He looked good. Compared to how he looked back when he was ten years old, he definitely matured. He was taller, stronger, perhaps even a bit more agile. He looked his age, a 14 year old boy growing into the body that would define him as a man. He now stood at about 5'6, yet his growth was only just beginning. In no time he may even reach the height of his father, Augustus. He hoped that was all he'd obtain from his father, he didn't want to have to deal with such a scraggly beard.
'Not half bad…' He commented internally, pulling out the brown gloves from inside of his bag and pulling them on as he walked out the door to his dorm room, using his telekinesis to open the door and lock it behind him. He felt good, proud even on how the years had shaped him, but even prouder that he was exactly where he needed to be.
Gazing down the hallway, Razputin reminisced about the first time he came to the living quarters, he was so excited to have his own space that he had nearly forgotten that he had neighbors. It was an embarrassing confrontation on his end, his neighbor had heard him singing along to one of his favorite songs. Their anger filled faces set him straight, but could you blame his excitement? It was the first time he had a space of his own after having to live with his 4 other siblings.
'Alright, off to the academy!' Razputin thought cheerfully, making his way down the hall rather quickly. The hallway was outfitted with windows so that the students could peer out at the main courtyard of the Motherlobe, and Razputin couldn't help but peer out at all his colleagues and future co-workers. The place was beautiful, and had gotten quite a few upgrades since the Maligula incident.
There was a whole new section to the Motherlobe that was primarily for teaching the Junior Psychonauts, and on top of that they had fixed all the pathways to the other facilities such as Otto Mentalis's lab. They had received quite a great deal of funding from the government after the reports about all the world saving recently had gotten out. They were finally being seen as a necessary foundation again, and it was certainly paying off.
Razputin snapped himself out of his trance, he couldn't stand there gazing at the courtyard forever, he had to get out to the Academic Branch. The place where all the future generations of Psychonauts would gather to hone their skills and become the next agents on the field. Perhaps while he was there he'd run into a few familiar faces?
And right on cue as he made his way to the courtyard, there was Razputin's mentor and hero, Sasha Nein. He was a tall, dark haired German man with a habit of smoking on the job. "Oh! Sasha, I didn't think I would see you this early in the day. How are you?"
"Ah, Razputin. I see you're all ready for your first day of classes." Sasha commented, smiling at the young man as he took a drag from his cigarette and adjusted his sunglasses. "I'm well, I'm actually heading to the Academic Branch as well, perhaps you'd like to join me?"
"Of course!" He replied cheerfully, walking beside his mentor as they began their trek to the other side of the Motherlobe (Convenient, I know). "So, why are you headed to the Academic Branch today?"
"Well, I've been invited to give lectures to the senior classes, so you may be seeing me quite a bit more this year. I hope that's a welcome surprise." Sasha joked, smiling at the young man beside him as he took another drag of his cigarette.
"Wow! I can't believe it, I get to be taught more advanced techniques from you now? Like a more advanced version of PSI-Blast or something? This is amazing!" Razputin enthused, his eyes sparkling with excitement as Sasha merely chuckled from beside him.
"It's nothing quite that amazing, but I will be giving you lectures on Mental Sciences and Therapy." He informed, noting that the excitement in the boy's eyes never left. Regardless of what he'd be taught, Razputin was always more than excited to gain new information from his mentor. He looked up to Sasha, and wanted to be just like him as an agent. It certainly didn't help that Sasha almost cottled the boy, he saw him as a younger version of himself, and he wanted nothing more than for him to follow in his footsteps.
"Still, this is a chance to learn from one of the greats! I'm more than ready!" He commented, pumping his fists excitedly before a new voice interrupted their conversation.
"You gonna keep nerding out, or is the world just gonna have to hear how stupidly excited you get about school?" A familiar voice spoke in an annoyed tone from behind the two men. Turning to find the culprit Razputin was happy to find that it was his best friend and possible girlfriend, Lili Zanatto. Their relationship wasn't all that clear still.
"Lili!" He greeted with a smile, walking over to her as she blushed and glared at him while feigning annoyance. "Hey, I didn't know I'd run into you on my way to class as well. How're you doing?"
The girl, just like Raz, had changed over the years. She grew quite a bit, though perhaps that was just due to puberty taking hold of her. She had released her hair from the bindings called hair ties, and let it flow a tad more freely. Her body had obviously changed into one that was a bit more feminine, but she made sure that her appearance didn't affect how strong or intimidating she was.
She was wearing one of her favorite dresses, it was violet with a diamond checkered pattern and underneath her dress she wore some white knee high socks. Overtop of that she had on a black leather jacket, and her favorite pair of fingerless black leather gloves.
She had on her black combat boots, and as for her accessories she had a black spiked choker, a spiked bracelet on one wrist and what appeared to be a violet friendship bracelet on the other. All in all, she looked gorgeous, and it took quite a bit of strength for Razputin not to blurt that part out.
"Terrible. I have to be awake and talk to you, dorks." She replied, locking arms with the boy and dragging him along as Sasha followed alongside them. The couple's relationship was amusing, but it certainly wasn't your normal everyday relationship. Raz wasn't even sure if Lili still wanted to classify them as "a couple". "I'm joking about that last part, I just wish I didn't have to wake up this early."
"Oh, I knew that. I mean how could you hate having to talk to someone this awesome and cool?" Raz joked, smirking confidently as Lili simply rolled her eyes while smiling and continued walking. "Really? No reaction at all? Normally you'd sing my praises-"
"Don't push your luck Goggalor." She pulled his goggles down over his eyes with her free hand to hopefully shut him up. Unfortunately, her conquest wasn't quite successful. Sasha merely chuckled at the couple's display of odd affection and decided to leave them to it, opting to slip away to get to the lecture hall before either of them could protest or say something about him leaving.
"Hey! Come on, Lili, it hurts when you pull them on so roughly." He complained, pulling them right back on his headpiece as he scowled at her. As he gazed back at her he was met with a real genuine annoyed expression from the redhead. "What? Is there something on my face?"
"Where's your bracelet? Are you just tired of me now?" She questioned, blushing with a scowl as she pointed at the boy's bare wrist. Her insecurities began to flare up, but with it came her defensive aggression. How could he have forgotten!?
"Oh! Sorry, it completely slipped my mind, I forgot to put it on this morning. Don't worry though, I always keep it in my bag." He stated softly, reaching into his bag and pulling out the green friendship bracelet that Lili had made for him when they were ten. It may have been corny to say, but this bracelet meant the world to him and he almost made the biggest mistake by not wearing it. "There. Better?"
Lili felt her anger dissipate, yet her annoyance that he had forgotten still stayed in her mind. She knew he didn't mean to hurt her feelings, but he didn't need to see that insecure side of her. Even if she didn't say it, he was one of her favorite people and she'd freak out if she lost him.
...He didn't need to know about that either.
She blushed, "Much. Now let's go, we're gonna be late to orientation, idiot."
The orientation was held in a massive auditorium with spotlights pointed right at the center stage where the presenter of the evening, Hollis Forsythe, The "Lesser Head" of the Psychonauts, was to greet the incoming Junior Psychonauts and introduce them to the new life of being one of their cherished agents.
Hollis Forsythe was a tall woman dressed in a white pinstriped suit with red hair that she kept in a bob cut. Excluding her executive exterior, she was a very kind and understanding individual and would stop at nothing to ensure the best for those she cared about, in this case, the students.
"Hello, Junior Psychonauts! I'm more than glad to have you here at our prestigious academy where we will hone your psychic skills and hopefully help you all find your specialized abilities, as well as your place within the Psychonauts!" Forsythe started, smiling at the many new faces and a few old familiar faces.
Razputin listened attentively to Forsythe's opening speech, trying his hardest to retain all the information that he could, but was ultimately brought out of his trance by Lili resting her head against his shoulder and yawning.
"Wh- Lili! What are you doing, you should be paying attention." Razputin whispered, shifting his gaze nervously to the girl's face and noting that her eyes were closed. She must have really been tired, but that wasn't worth the anxiety of having a girl resting her head on his shoulder.
Moments like these are what made Raz question the validity of their "relationship". On one hand they'd have moments like these where they're closer in proximity than normal friends, and sometimes she'd even declare herself as his girlfriend, but on the other hand she'd simply just refer to him as her best friend. It was hard to really figure out where they stood.
"It's the same speech every year, Raz. It's alright if I just nap for a little bit." She mumbled in response, not even bothering to open her eyes to speak with him. She could feel his unease, but it was pretty nice to see the great Razputin Aquato getting flustered. A sight that reminded people that he was just like them: human.
"But on me?" He inquired, his face beginning to heat up as he caught a whiff of whatever perfume Lili was wearing. He didn't mean to do it, nor did he want to seem creepy, but she was kinda right up against him at the moment. What made it worse was that she just moved closer to him. "I-Isn't that uncomfortable?"
"No. Honestly, you're the best pillow I've got at the moment." She replied, smirking as she could sense Raz gripping onto the armrest of his chair nervously. Deciding she wanted to poke fun at him a little bit, a question slipped it's way out to see his reaction. "Unless you want me to lean on someone else?"
"...Carry on." He mumbled, blushing as he turned his attention to Forsythe, frowning as it appeared he missed the majority of her speech. He cursed under his breath in frustration, but sighed and brushed it off. Lili was right, it was the same speech every year, but he liked to listen because he respected Forsythe enough to hear what she had to say each year.
"And now I'd like to welcome a special guest, the Grand Head of The Psychonauts, Truman Zanatto!" Forsythe introduced, waving a hand outward as the bearded man levitated his way onto the stage.
"Hello, minds of tomorrow!" Truman greeted, receiving a round of applause from the many excited teens as he made his way to the center stage. "I'm pleased to welcome you into the academy. Now, I won't take up too much time, I just want to come in and remind you all why you're here. What you're training for!"
"Dad never gives speeches like this…" Lili mumbled, finally opening her eyes to pay attention to her father. That's right, she was the daughter of the Grand Head, an elite among the elites. The two's relationship wasn't that of your average father and daughter, but they loved each other all the same and their status luckily never got to either of their heads.
"You're right, Truman supposedly hates public speaking… What could he be up to?" Raz questioned idly. He had acquired this knowledge through one of the many True Psychic Tales issues, but wanting to listen into Truman's speech regardless, he tilted his head curiously as Truman continued.
"No doubt many of you know of the countless exploits that we have gone on to defend the minds and bodies of millions. From saving countries from mass genocide, to fighting semi-aquatic shark men, we here at the Motherlobe put our lives on the line for the greater good, and you too may one day be apart of this." Truman clasped his hands together and smiled as a psychic projection appeared from behind him, showcasing images of the many battles that the Psychonauts had gone on, some of which had actually included Razputin in the background. He was getting a few stares.
"We want you all to know what you're getting into. It won't be easy, but I hope you all are willing to put in the work and join us in the quest to protect and serve the minds of the human race." The projection behind him then was replaced by the thinkerprint insignia that provided access to certain amenities in the facilities. "Now, your brain waves have been scanned for the thinkerprint scanners and you have been given access to most of the academy's facilities. I wish you well on your first year freshmen, and I look forward to working with you soon, senior class."
The man gave a small bow before making his way off the stage and presumably levitating off back to his office. Of course he didn't leave without shooting a glance at Raz and his daughter. He was happy to see them in the crowd, but he couldn't stay and chat sadly. There was always work to be done, and as the Grand Head that work usually fell upon him.
"Thank you for your motivating words, Truman." Forsythe said as the man made his way out, clapping softly with the rest of the crowd. "Now, we're going to telepathically implant each of your schedules, and afterwards we want you all to head along to class, be sure to be on time!"
Suddenly Raz's mind was filled with the vision of his schedule for the day, and ironically enough his first class was going to be Mental Sciences with Agent Sasha Nein.
"Oh man, I got Sasha for my first class! What about you Lili, what's your first class?" Raz questioned turning to the girl who rose from her seat and began to stretch. Lili took a moment to finish stretching before finally answering the boy's question.
"I'm in the same class. I'm sure most of the seniors follow the same schedule seeing as we're such a small class." Lili then nodded her head towards the exit and moved a strand of hair that was covering one of her eyes. Having longer wavier hair was certainly a nuisance at times, but she could only blame herself for leaning on the jittery fool beside her. "Let's get going so we're not late. Are you ready to go, Raz?"
The boy smiled, "Yup! Right behind you."
Hello to whoever reads this, I've only got a few things to really say.
So for anyone new to who I am, hi, my name's Micromanaged, or just Micro for short. This is the first time for me writing something outside of MHA, but I hope that I do well enough to please anyone in the Psychonauts fandom if/when they find this.
For those who know me purely for my MHA content, please don't be alarmed, I'm not quitting that kind of content anytime soon, I just thought I should expand my horizon a bit.
Now onto my goal here; I just really wanted to throw my hat into the ring here and create some form of a quality fic for Psychonauts with my own ideas for future scenarios and hopefully those of you out there enjoy it. I know there will be slip ups along the way and not everyone will enjoy it, but I will try my best to do what I can.
I hope to make something enjoyable and if you do like where the story is headed, please let me know, or if there are a few things you think I should try to incorporate, just leave the suggestion.
Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy, and I'll see you for the next chapter.