Chapter 11/Training for the Sports Festival
Me and Hop exited the medical bay of the bar with Tokoyami over my shoulder. Apparently after our battle with the Trio Hop brung us here to get properly healed up. Luna had been picked up by Chris and was taken back to Universe 1. She left a message with Hop telling her to tell me that me and her will talk later.
"Thank you for inviting us on this trip. It really helped the two of us out." My thanks wasn't for nothing. It helped me combat beings strong enough to push me to my limit and Tokoyami had his first experience with ki, even if it was temporary.
"Next time there is a tournament I will be sure to invite the two of you because it was kinda fun having you there." She rubbed the back of my head with her knuckle. "Just make sure you come back so we can keep training. Bring Tokoyami whenever you can too."
"I will, just make sure you don't break our bones again." I say as the portal opens to Universe 605. Tokoyami wakes up and sees the portal in front of him. He begins to protest before his belt and the back of his neck is grabbed and he is tossed into the portal with him screaming.
Hop laughs. "No promises there. See you around." And with that I jump through the portal, lugging all the luggage with me.
When Tokoyami and I get to my apartment, he is already in the bathroom vomiting into the toilet. After placing his luggage in the corner. My hand went to my chest as a clothes beam is used. My school uniform appears on me and bandages cover my arms. The scars may not have anything to do with the demon but they still reminded me of my past.
Tokoyami walked out of the bathroom and grabbed his uniform out of his bag. He and I had spent the entire weekend at the tournament and we now had to return to school today. Both of us remembered what Mr Aizawa had said on the phone and that we would be put against each other to see if we have improved.
However, this time it was a fight that we were excited for. Just one more thing I had to clear up before we made our way to school.
"Tokoyami, could you keep the Kaioken a secret for now?" My question caught the bird headed teen off guard. He looked at me with curiosity.
"Why? It would be wise to train such a power for the future." When Hop explained to Tokoyami what had caused the red glow around Leo in the tournament, he immediately thought about how much of a game changer it was. The technique could take the place of a quirk and it appeared to be very powerful.
"That's the thing. If Aizawa discovered its existence then he would treat it like a quirk. I want to make sure that he could handle staying out of personal training of mine because if he tries to force me to train it in his own way then that could be the end of me."
Tokoyami gave it some thought before nodding. "If that is what you wish then it shall be so. All I ask for in return of my silence is that you continue to assist me in unlocking my own ki inside of me."
"That shouldn't be a problem."
We exited my apartment and started making our way to school. Shoji had once again texted Tokoyami saying that the reporters were crowding the front gate again. Apparently, a good chunk of hero students were hiding in a nearby alley preparing to charge the front gate. They were only waiting on us two so we picked up the pace.
When we finally got about two blocks from UA, a whisper caught our attention. Stopping, I turn to see one of Shoji's mouths whispering towards us to lead us to their position. Tokoyami and I walked over to see that Shoji had gathered Midoriya, Tsu, Kirishima, Kendo, and Uraraka.
Kendo stepped forward. "Are you guys ready to charge the gate?" We all nodded and she began telling us the positions each person would take.
They put me in the middle behind Shoji so the reporters couldn't try to single me out like last time. To my left, Tokoyami and Tsu. To my right, Midoriya and Uraraka. Behind us, Kendo and Kirishima.
Shoji started counting down."3, 2, 1, Go!" We turned the corner of the alley and sprinted to the front gate. When the media saw us they immediately started running our way. Any student who wasn't a part of the attack squad snuck inside when they were distracted.
Our group was yelling as we hit the mob head on. They weren't stupid enough to stay still and get ran over so the reporters all jumped to the side. When a clear path was made, we jumped through the front gate and landed with a thud.
I looked up to see Aizawa looking down at us. His expression showed large amounts of confusion. Then it went to the normal face of being tired and he pointed to the school. "Get to class."
We made our way to our classrooms, thanking Kendo on the way for helping us. When Tokoyami and I made it inside, our classmates stared at us for a moment.
Then Iida came charging towards us with his hands doing the robot thing they do. "Tokoyami. Leo. It is good to see you both are up and walking. The tournament went well, I assume."
Tokoyami spoke up. "Not exactly. We got eliminated in the following round. All three of us were wounded but the advanced tech of their world healed us rather quickly. Fortunately, the tournament was a good learning experience. Leo and I are ready for what comes next."
"Good to hear, because today you will show your classmates how much you two have improved." Tokoyami spins while I slightly turn to see Aizawa looking at us. "And if you two fail to impress me, then you will be expelled."
I responded. "So it would be a normal Monday morning."
"Well technically this doesn't happen all the time. It just so happened you two have been caught in this on Mondays."
Bakugou laughed in his seat. "Good, the quirkless one will be out of here in no time. One less bug to squash on my path to glory."
Everyone returns to their seats and Mr Aizawa stands at the front of the class. "Today we will be talking about an event that is coming up that will affect all of your futures."
The class's mindset went to them fighting more villains. Several had frozen in anticipation while I just looked on.
"The Sports Festival is in two weeks."
The anticipation turned into excitement as my classmates muttered to themselves. The Sports Festival? I would have to listen to understand. It must have been pretty big if everyone was this hyped for it.
"For those in here who haven't heard, the Sports Festival is a one day event were UA students will be put up against each other in a tournament. Different events will be randomly selected and put into play. Heroes from around the world would be watching and so will civilians. It is as big as the Olympics once was, before quirks came into play." Aizawa explained.
Oh, so this was a way to show the world who we are. How funny that this occurs so soon after the tournament in Universe 500.9.
Iida raises his hand and Mr Aizawa tells him to ask his question. "Is it wise to have this event after the villain attack? Wouldn't it just become another target for them?"
"While I do see why you would think that it is best if we continue to hold this event to show that everything is okay and for the public to know that." Aizawa stated. "But just so you know if you do not give it your all you will be removed from the hero course."
"Speaking of which, Tokoyami. Leo. Get changed into your hero gear. The other teachers agreed to let the class see you battle in the beginning of the day and your classes with them will resume tomorrow. See you at the field." With that, Aizawa walked out of the classroom.
I stood up and a flash of light appeared in the classroom. When it dimmed, my hero outfit was on me. If Aizawa wanted us to skip classes elsewhere today, then that means he expected me and Tokoyami to fight for a while.
Then let us see who was superior, because this would not go the way our teacher expected.
Our class was out on the field where we performed our Quirk Apprehension tests. The students were lined up on the side of the field with the exception of two. Tokoyami stood about fifteen meters from me. His back was to our classmates. In front of us, Aizawa stood holding a starting pistol.
"The winner would be the person who doesn't submit or the one who is left standing. Don't go overboard." He raised the gun in the air and fired, causing all those who still felt sleepy to jump where they stood.
Dark Shadow immediately bursted out and charged me. I gritted my teeth. One thing that should be avoided was the use of exploiting Tokoyami's weakness. He trusted me to keep so that will be what I do.
My hands took a fighting pose as the Flowing Water waves followed my hands. I diverted Dark Shadow into the ground and then jumped on his head. Then my feet launched me in the air.
My foot extended as my body flew at Tokoyami. He countered by planting his feet and grabbing my foot, which shocked me. He threw me over his shoulder but he didn't expect my other foot to catch me with an insane amount of flexibility.
It seemed our training had paid off for him because he was much more skilled than the first time they fought. With him still holding onto my foot, my other leg jumped up and used him as leverage to kick him in the beak.
However, Dark Shadow then tackled me into the ground. The shadow grabbed my arms and attempted to hold me in place. My feet began biking in the air and before the creature knew what was going on my feet had built up enough wind to hit him with the Whirling Wind.
Dark Shadow yelped and let me go. I then slammed my hands to the sides and used the momentum to launch me to my feet in an instant. Tokoyami was already on me, throwing a double haymaker. My hands caught both of them and our heads clashed. Dark Shadow began pushing my chest in an attempt to make me lose my balance. We glared each other in the eye.
Our classmates were surprised by the battle. They had only seen me battle the assassin at the USJ and seeing me battle up close was a sight to behold. Tokoyami on the other hand, had improved greatly since the Battle Trials. His strength had greatly increased somehow.
I shot my left leg out and slammed into Tokoyami's ribs. He gasped and Dark Shadow retreated and pulled his master back to avoid a second kick to the side of the skull. When the bird headed teen regained his footing, Dark Shadow wrapped around his hand and he struck at my face.
My head shifted to the left and left a ki afterimage in its place, just as I had done against Basil to trick him. A flat hand struck Tokoyami in the chest and he went flying again. This time I gave him no time to recover as my feet dug into the ground and sent me flying towards him.
Tokoyami shoved Dark Shadow's face into the ground and the bird dragged itself across the dirt to halt their momentum. Then it retreated into Tokoyami's chest and he crossed his arms and closed his eyes. Then he spread his arms and a charged up shadow burst out of his chest.
Both my hands shot downwards and two knife hands buried into the dirt and I twisted and landed on my back. Dark Shadow passed above me and a ki blast forms on my foot. It shoots out and hits Tokoyami in the knee. Dark Shadow may not have been hit by the light but his host got a good blow to his footing.
My left hand gets yanked out of the ground and I start kicking my legs. Using my right hand as an anchor, I spin around on the ground and let the energy on my legs propel me faster until my right hand is pulled out of the ground and I'm sent flying feet first into Tokoyami's chest.
He hits the ground with a thud and a hand is outstretched in front of his face. He swallows and then announces, "I surrender".
I offer him my hand and he accepts it. Pulling him to his feet, we bow and turn to Aizawa. The teacher is writing down notes. He looks up. "You both passed but there are a few things that need to be pointed out."
The rest of the class signs in relief, glad that their friends weren't to be kicked out of school. All except Bakugou and Todoroki, the ladder not caring and the former pissed off that the quirkless one had lived through another day.
"First off, Tokoyami." Aizawa points to the teen. "You may have improved but your skill still needs work and you really too much on Dark Shadow to keep on the offensive. However, I must give you credit for actually focusing on that weakness." The comment raised Tokoyami's spirit. It wasn't too often that a pro would compliment you.
"And two, Leo." Aizawa furrowed his brow. "You didn't throw a single punch the whole time. In fact, the only time you have ever thrown a punch was at the USJ. It did wonders then and even though you are afraid to hurt Tokoyami it will only hold you back if you hesitate to hurt your opponents."
I look down. Aizawa had no idea why my punches were rarely used, especially at full power. The punch that was used against Bladedge had just had my power behind it and not my skill. Had my martial arts been used the battle would have ended more brutally.
And hurting my foes to the point of being completely broken horrified me.
"You two are both very strong and will make great heroes if you get past your issues. But be aware that there is more to being a hero than just fighting. Try to talk to others more. You both are quiet kids who need to socialize."
He then turned to the rest of the class. "There is still time in the day. Head to the class that you would normally be in at this time. Don't forget about what I said about the festival."
The day continued on as normal from there.
Math was easy.
English was easy.
Literature was okay.
Art History nearly got me killed.
By the time hero training came around my body was itching for some physical exercise. It appeared that I wasn't the only one. Bakugou had been having trouble sitting still and was thumping his leg all day. If I wasn't the most difficult person to see in the entire room he would have been glaring at me all day.
The class was back in Ground Beta. Our uniforms were already on and Aizawa was speaking with All Might in the back room. While we were waiting, each of us prepared in our own way to get ready for the training.
Currently, I was showing Shoji how to meditate. Tokoyami was nearby already doing it since Hop had taught him when the three of us were training. Shoji was able to get the stance down pretty easily but like Tokoyami he was struggling to bring out his ki.
"Focus, Shoji. If you concentrate so hard your breath increases then you begin to focus more on your breathing then your thoughts. The key is to relax."
The many limbed teen had three sets of hands in the meditating pose and had his legs crossed on the ground. With his eyes closed, he was trying to dig deep to find this power that Leo used. Shoji had asked for me to teach him how to use it whenever they were at lunch and I didn't see any reason as to why not.
"Can I get another representation please?" Shoji asked me. I nodded and took the meditation stance. My body then started to slightly glow and levitate off the ground. Tokoyami looked over from his spot. He knew that he still had some distance to go before he could do that but it was within the realm of possibility.
Aizawa then came into the room and we all stopped what we were doing and grouped up. Our teacher had a piece of paper out and he began his speech.
"Today we will conduct more battle training. The USJ showed that you all could hold your own but it goes to show that it is still something that needs work. On this list will show your opponent for each fight. It will be conducted as one on one combat. Any questions before we begin?"
Iida raised his hand. "Will Tokoyami and Leo be excluded since they already battled this morning?"
"That was an unrelated battle trial so no. Any other questions?" No one else raised their hand so Aizawa began to list the opponents.
Shoji vs Ojiro
Yaoyorozu vs Hagakure
Uraraka vs Sato
Sero vs Mineta
Midoriya vs Kirishima
Tokoyami vs Bakugou
Kaminari vs Jiro
Iida vs Ashido
Todoroki vs Asui
Koda vs Aoyama
Leo vs Present Mike
Everyone looked at Aizawa as if he spouted nonsense. Then I spoke up.
"Wait, what?"
"OH YEAH!"
Jiro and I clutched our ears as Present Mike ran out of a nearby alley yelling. He stopped next to Aizawa and gave me a thumbs up.
"All Might told me about your difficulty with loud noises so I decided we will begin working on that and it just so happens that the loudest hero just so happens to work at this school. It will be painful but we can raise your tolerance of loud noises without diminishing its effectiveness."
I think about what he says and raise my hand. "When would a victory be decided in our battle. Would it be by submission or a different means of victory?"
"It would perform the same way as your battle with Tokoyami but the only difference would be that I will stand by and stop the battle if need be."
He turned to the others. "Now everyone heads back to the observatory. We will spectate the battles from there."
We all made our way there as the first two combatants took their place.
The battles went as such.
Shoji defeated Ojiro
Yaoyorozu defeated Hagakure
Sato defeated Uraraka
Sero defeated Mineta
Midoriya defeated Kirishima(barely)
And now it was Tokoyami vs Bakugou. From what I could see it looked like a losing battle for Tokoyami. Without ki control, the bird headed teen's quirk had dwindled to the size of a cockroach and the blonde had him pinned down by his beak with a hand over his shoulder.
Although this battle revealed Tokoyami's secret.
"Your weakness is light." The explosive teen stated while over his opponent, who flinched at that revelation. "I'm a bad match for you, Bird Brain."
The students in the observatory who hadn't heard of his weakness had also come to this conclusion.
"That means I could beat him easily." Kaminari stated to the others. "Guess I'm one spot closer to the top of the class."
Kirishima then defended Tokoyami. "Hey, don't say that. Tokoyami is still pretty strong without Dark Shadow. Look at his battle with Leo."
"Yeah, but he lost that. And it looked like Leo was trying to avoid exploiting Tokoyami's weakness so he must have known going into the fight. If he had no knowledge that light was the ki then it would have ended differently." Mineta may be a perv but he was pretty smart.
Yaororozu then spoke up. "It is understandable why he kept it hidden. His reliance on his quirk makes him a weak fighter at close range. Now anyone in this room could defeat him with prep time and knowledge."
"Don't get too ahead of yourself."
Everyone looked back at me. "The reason why I knew about Tokoyami's weakness was because he entrusted it to me so that we could work together to improve his weakness. Every day we exercise so that it can be done. But we have only been in school for a week. You can't expect physical change to occur so fast."
Aizawa glanced at me. "Then you can explain to me why you held back against him in your battle."
"It was so I could test to see how far his strength has gone. Plus if I hadn't held back and used my ki then you would have expelled him."
The pro thought about this for a moment before announcing the next match.
They went as such.
Jiro defeated Kaminari
Iida defeated Ashido
Todoroki defeated Asui
Aoyoma defeated Koda
And now it was my turn. As I made my way to the exit, Aizawa put a hand on my shoulder.
"I understand you are helping your classmates, and don't think it would get you in trouble for doing so. Just remember what I said earlier. If you don't focus on your own strength then you can't be a hero. Don't take that the wrong way."
"Understood" He lets me leave as Present Mike takes his spot at the end of the street. When I get to the other end, we give a thumbs up to the cameras to indicate that we were ready.
"Begin" Aizawa's lazy voice goes over the intercom and I'm immediately hit with an ear splitting scream.
"YEEEEAAAAHHHH!"
I fall to my knees and clutch my head. My ears weren't the only thing that was taking damage. The force of the scream was pushing me back even though I had dug my feet into the concrete for a footing.
Gah, it burns. And with that noise, I can't concentrate.
Back in the observatory, everyone had earmuffs on as the sound didn't just attack me but them as well. Tokoyami walked up to Aizawa.
"Not to be offensive, but do you think it was a good idea to put Leo up against a pro?"
"None taken, Tokoyami. But to answer your question, yes. There is a good chance that Leo won't win this but that is not the goal here. We are training him to handle higher volumes so it wouldn't affect him mid-battle."
"So what you are saying is you set him up for failure."
"Yes and no."
Back on the battlefield, my senses were overloading. Any attempt I had to activate my ki was disrupted by a scream. Then my eyes looked up and Neo was right in front of me.
"Before you ask, I'm speaking to you in your mind. Now just focus on ignoring the pain."
I yell out. "I can't focus, that's the thing!"
"You wake up everyday and experience more pain than this. Just breathe and try your best to regain your composure."
He is right. This is just pain inside my head. If I could look past that pain and just focus then I could win. My eyes close and hands go to my sides. The noise intensifies as my ears open up.
But then suddenly my mind starts to clear up as I begin to shove the noise to the side. It still hurt but it was becoming more manageable.
Aizawa noticed me becoming more relaxed and raised an eyebrow. "What is he doing?"
Then I raised my hand towards Present Mike. The hero became confused but continued to scream. Whatever was happening, it didn't mean he couldn't keep hitting the kid.
But the second he stopped for air, my hand lit up. "Thank you, Present Mike. This has been very instructive. I appreciate the lesson."
Then my hand did a one inch punch motion and an invisible ki blast propelled forward. (This is Hit's technique by the way, not the time skip the other one.) Mike didn't even see the attack as it struck him in the stomach. He keeled over and fell to the ground.
Then he started flapping his arms, signalling that he was done. The attack was designed to make him feel more pain than he was actually experiencing. So right now Present Mike believed that he was critically hurt when in all reality it was just a punch in the gut.
The class looked shocked. They just witnessed a pro hero get taken out by a student. Aizawa looked just as surprised as the students. The last thing he expected was for Leo to actually win.
He then put his fingers to the bridge of his nose. "Now didn't I promise not to underestimate you."
When the battle trials had ended, we had all returned to our homeroom to grab our stuff. But when we tried to exit, a group of students were blocking our way.
"What is going on here?" My question is met with mutters. A few mentioned that I was the quirkless one and it jabbed my heart when they brought it up. Great, it was back to the quirkless thing again.
Bakugou bumped past me and started shoving people aside to get through. "They are here to check out the competition for the sports festival. Not like it matters because these extras are all going to lose to me."
"C'mon, Bakugou. Don't make us a bigger target than we already are." Kirishima piped in.
"If this is what the hero course is made of then I'm disappointed."
I perk up at the voice. Even in the back of the class my memory triggers at the sound of it. It is that purple haired kid that they keep running into. First at the Entrance Exam, then the front gate, and now here.
Making my way to the door, the others turned to see me approach. The purple haired kid's face went from smug to surprise. "Ah, it appears you are in this class. It all makes sense now."
"We tend to keep meeting in odd situations so let me introduce myself. My name is Leo, my real name is to kept a secret for now." I extend my hand.
He shakes my hand and replies. "Hitoshi Shinsou" When that was over he looked me up and down. "Something happened to your arms?"
My body flinches as I grab my left arm. "In a way, yes. But it wasn't from the USJ." He nodded before stepping to the left to let me through. It was clear neither of us really liked talking so it was best to keep it at that. But that could have gone worse.
Shinsou began speaking to my classmates as I made my way through the crowd. There were a few snickers but overall they just ignored me. They were here for competition, not some quirkless runt.
When I made it to an open hallway, a message popped up on my watch. I tap it to read.
Unknown: This is Toshinori. Meet me in the teacher's lounge.
Knock Knock Knock
My knuckle rattles on the door to the lounge. Some shuffling is heard and the door opens to reveal the giant form of All Might. "Young Leo, you have made it please come inside!"
I nodd and entered. Inside, Midoriya was seated on the couch. He looked at me a little worried but remained quiet. All Might gestured for me to sit down next to the teen and when I did he shut the door and locked it.
Then proceeded to vanish in a puff of smoke and spit out blood. Midoriya screams and tries to flap his arms in front of me to distract me.
"Young Midoriya, it is fine. He has seen me in this form. Gwaah!" He spit up more blood.
"What! How?" The poor kid looked like he would die of shock. I lay a hand on his shoulder and tell him to breathe. Once he is finished, All Might continues.
"Long story, but the reason I bring him here is because some things need to be set straight."
"We already talked about this, All Might. I won't say anything about this form of yours."
"While that is good to hear, that is not why I called you here today." This caused me to raise my brow. If that wasn't the reason then what was.
The symbol of peace sat down across from us and exhaled. "Leo, I figured that you could help me with a problem that has come up. Midoriya is one of the few people here who knows the real reason behind this form, I figured you deserve an explanation."
"There is really no need." I explained. They both look at me in surprise. "I keep secrets of my own so I know what it is like to feel that way. But trust me, if it is kept at this then it is fine. All I need to know is that you two are connected and Midoriya will take your place in the future. Oh, you both let off the same life energy when you power up so that is how I know."
They both looked at me with wide eyes. Then Toshinori spoke up. "Oh, okay. I guess...this conversation is over then."
He then started fiddling his fingers. "I don't really know what to do now."
"Let's just end it like this." I get up, unlock the door, walk through, and gently close it behind me.
"What just happened?" asked Midoriya.
"He just left."
"..."
"..."
"A phone call is here!"
Both of them jumped and screamed at the sudden ringtone.
Hop and I had just gotten done with our spare and were sitting at the bar. Ridge was cleaning some glasses and had some music in his ear. Tokoyami went home after school instead of coming with me to see Hop because he said he didn't want to worry them.
The beating Hop gave me was less brutal than the usual ones but after the conversation they shared, it was understandable as to why. They both officially became friends.
"So there is a tournament coming up for you two right after the one we were in? Sounds fun. Is Luna going to be able to watch?" Hop asked.
I take a drink of some healing juice. "Aizawa said that I get to have one visitor from Universe 1 to come and see it. There will be some ambassadors with the teachers to watch as well but that is so that they could study the sport. It is already said that this year's festival will be packed."
"I can see why. If what you say is true, then your class surviving a villain attack will become the top news."
"I guess"
We sit in silence for a moment. It was moments like these that made the bar so relaxing.
Then Hop jumped up. "Hey, I just remembered to give this to you." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a keychain. It only occurred to me it was the same one she was currently wearing. "When you were unconscious, Luna and I went and got a picture. They made these three keychains which they say are practically indestructible. Luna got one and told me to give it to you when I had the chance."
She places the chain in my hand. I open it to see Luna having hugged Hop by the neck whenever the picture was taken. It was one of the only pictures that I had seen of Hop smiling but Luna had that effect on people.
Hop then continued. "You might want to wear that. Luna would be disappointed if you didn't." I respond by immediately placing it over my neck.
"Thank you, by the way." She looked at me with confusion. "You always make Luna smile whenever she is around you. Considering I can't see her as much as I'd like, that means a lot. Just thought it needed to be said."
She smiled. "Anytime, Luna always reminds me of the best parts of life which help more than you know. She is a good kid. Kinda like her brother. I'm just making sure she doesn't end up stupid like him."
"Hey!" I yell however I'm smiling as much as she is.
Ridge then got excited and removed an earbud. "Hey this really good song is coming on. Do you guys mind if I crank it up?"
Hop and I look at each other and shrug. "Why not?"
The rhino turns on the stereo. The song burst through the speakers and we both laugh at the jamming rhino.
Breaking Benjamin: Red Cold River
While the music is playing. In Universe 605, a large man with obsidian arms and a black cape is kneeling to a figure in the shadows. The man named All for One is watching from a distance. Shigaraki beside him.
"So this 'Leo' bested Bladedge?" All for One asked his pupil.
Shigaraki nodded. "The kid was faster than the others but it looked like he possessed more skill than the others. There was another kid who attacked bladedge who possessed way more power and would have eliminated him if not for nomu. Both had green hair."
His master nodded. The location of this 'Leo' hasn't been one hundred percent guaranteed but a part of his path has been discovered. The second assassin his ally is sending will intercept him during the sports festival, when security would be higher at the school but lower around it.
"It would appear round two is about to begin." All for One began to laugh. The cloaked assassin smiled at his chance at a worthy opponent. And the being in the shadows would watch curiously as his assassins tested the heroes that would become worthy opponents.
His vengeance is at hand.
Sorry for the lack of updates. My job doesn't give me much free time. Plus this chapter is pretty boring and only serves as a setup. Don't worry though, it is about to get real exciting.