Sup dudes and dudettes. The poll results are in and the decision has been made. We will show highlights and quick look-ins on the other fights, while we will follow Melody's fight in its entirety...most of which will be shown next chapter.
Now, as to why this chapter is going up at...9:15 pm est...well, I got home from work at 6 with only 1,700 words written. The reason for this is that I work in the shipping department of an online retailer and have been overwhelmed all week from all you jags Christmas shopping. If you bought anything on Amazon or Ebay this week...It's your fault this chapter is late (kidding...kidding). Anyway, this chapter is going to begin to show off the Quirks of many of Melody's classmates, but won't get too far into their personalities (With the exception of those in Melody's match)
Speaking of which, you may be asking "Oh hey, Buixy! What process did you use to pick the groups for this challenge?" And to that, I answer...I randomized it.
Then rolled a D20 to decide the minor fights.
Anyway, I really hope you all enjoy! If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or anything else just shoot me a PM, review, or e-mail.
Purpose of a Hero
"Hey, Halloway. Hold up a minute?" Derrick Holl called as his students began to file into the hallway. With a bemused expression on her face, Melody stopped packing up her things and nodded to her teacher. Once the rest of the class was out of the room, the blue-haired man chuckled, shaking his head with a smile on his face. "You really remind me of her, ya know?"
"Sir?" The redhead asked, now even more confused.
"Harmony. She figured out my Quirk nearly as fast as you did." His words took a moment to register and when they did, her eyes widened. 'Does...does he know mom?' The man nodded and leaned back on his desk. "Your mother was a very old friend of mine. I met her here actually. She was the one who got me interested in teaching in the first place. I was heartbroken when I heard about her."
"Yeah...I hear that a lot. It really makes me happy that she affected so many people like that. All I ever hear about her is how amazing or kind she was," Melody smiled, bowing her head. To her surprise, her teacher laughs heartily.
"Trust me, Harmony wasn't perfect. She had an annoying tendency of bottling up her emotions and exploding every few months." This made her smile drop slightly. 'That...that sounds a lot like dad always says I am.' "Makes sense. I've always thought you would get the best of both of your parents. Only fitting you also get some of the worse. Don't take it to heart too much though."
"Uh...yeah. Guess I'm not used to hearing the bad about her."
"Everyone has demons kid, Harmony was no exception. Anyway, don't let me get you down before on your first day. I'm not really allowed to pick favorites...but if Teardrop's daughter ever needs someone to talk to about her mom, life, or school all she has to do is ask...or think I suppose. Anyway, get outta here, we've got work to do.
Purpose of a Hero
"Alright. Before you head into the prep room, let me explain why we are here," Holl announced to the sixteen teens standing in front of him. Behind him was a metal door with the words 'Hero Training Prep Room Four' engraved onto it. "In the coming weeks, months, and years, you will discover that the 'Forge' isn't your average high school. Every year on the first day of classes it has become a tradition to test the new students capacity for Hero work. Each teacher has a different test they subject their class too, but mine may be the most trying. At most only four of you will pass this first test."
"Only four?" Andrew inquired with raised eyebrows. Beside him, Kira had a look of determination on her face while Melody tried to keep her expression neutral. 'Crap. What kind of test is this?' She pondered. Just then Derrick smiled and threw open the door behind him, giving the students their first look at a room with sixteen cylindrical tubes lining the walls, eight on either side.
"The Labyrinth will be a test of your problem solving, combat aquity, and individual talents. You'll be randomly grouped up in fours and released into a large metal maze. Traps, deadends, and other obstacles will stand in your way. First one to reach the center of the maze passes. However, that is not the only way to win. If you are the last person in your group still standing you will pass as well. In accordance with this, combat and Quirk usage between students is not only allowed, but encouraged."
"FINALLY!" Clara bellowed and turned to smirk maliciously at Kira, who countered with a hardened glare. Seemingly unperturbed by the girl's outburst, their teacher turned and clicked a button on the wall next to the door. The creak of gears echoed throughout the room as the cylindrical tubes opened at the front, revealing sixteen mannequins with a variety of different costumes on them.
"Are those our costumes?" A boy with dark gray hair murmured, his eyes wide in shock.
"Grab your costume and suit up in a changing room, then meet up back here. Ten minutes, go!" Melody walked into the room and found her name and class rank illuminated over one of the mannequins in the back. It looked just like she had described it on her entry form. Most of the costume was a skin-tight, which she hadn't requested and was slightly wary of, red jumpsuit with white gloves and black boots. On the center of the costume's chest was a large 'SP' emblazoned in jagged writing. A blue bandana that would cover the lower half of her face completed the look. 'The suit is breathable and feels soft. Oh! The gloves have the iron knuckles I requested! That's good, I didn't think they would allow that. Boots look pretty good and are...steel-toed? There's a request I didn't make, but I suppose it makes sense.' Taking the suit off of the mannequin took her a moment and when she got it off she had to find an open changing room. In total it took her just about five minutes to slip into the costume. Stepping out of the dressing room, she felt a bit self-conscious. 'Note to self: next time specify a more loose fitting jumpsuit. This is so embarrassing.' She thought, her face turning red as she joined the small group of people who'd already finished getting changed.
"OH MY GOD! Melody you look great!" Andi cried, leaping over to stand before the redhead, who smile and shook her head sheepishly.
"You look much better. I really didn't want my suit to be so tight. It's embarrassing," she complained, crossing her arms over her chest, her face still as scarlet as her hair, making her classmate giggled at her dismay.
"Yeah, I see what you mean. I'm in a pretty similar situation," Andi said, looking down at her own costume. Like Melody, she the base of her costume was a jumpsuit, though hers was midnight black. Unlike the redhead though, she had a matching yellow miniskirt, vest, and boots, while a cyan-colored domino mask covered her eyes. "Oh well, at least we get to see everyone's Quirks in action. Especially Kira's...she can't hide it forever."
"Yeah, yeah. Stupid first-day test. I just hope I'm not in the same group as that Clara, she really makes my blood boil," Kira muttered, joining them with a pouty expression. Just like Andi, she wore a full black bodysuit, complete with black combat boots, however, the material used in hers seemed to be something different. It had a silkier sort of look to it. Around her waist was a small red and gold belt with several pouches attached to it.
"Okay, looks like that's everyone. I'd suggest you brace yourselves...this part gets a bit bumpy," Derrick announced as the final student re-joined the group. After giving them a moment to prepare for whatever he was about to do, the teacher flipped open a panel in the wall to reveal a control console. He typed in a code and the whole room began to shake violently, causing Melody to stumble slightly, while Kira completely fell over. Then the walls of the room began to rise. 'No. The floor is sinking! We're going underground?' As the prep room slid further down, a massive chamber began to appear and in the center of it...was a massive maze with metal walls.
"Holy crap!" Melody exclaimed, and her surprise was shared by many of her fellow classmates.
"The 'Forge' has several underground training areas located on campus. Most of them are pretty deep, but this is the uppermost chamber," Derrick explained.
"How the hell do you make this?" A boy with dark brown hair asked, his normally tired-looking eyes alight with fascination. In response, their teacher grinned and started to speak.
"Most of these chambers were made by two former teachers, who went by MoleRat and Bolder, way back in the 2150s. When the school had expanded to the entirety of its land borders, they decided to expand underground. As I said, this is the topmost level, the ones underneath this are much, much larger and hold many different simulations you will be subjected to over the next four years. Any questions?" When no one spoke up, he nodded and motioned for the class to follow him as the lift finally stopped moving. He led them to a small area just outside the maze with a large video screen hanging from the reinforced metal wall. "Okay. Like I said, groups of four, win by searching or by fighting, only four people may pass. Got it? Good! Let's go, group one!"
"I'm so excited! Our first day and already I feel like a Hero!" Diana said with a grin, showing off her pointed white teeth. On the video screen, a picture of each student flashes by rapidly before the rotation stops and four faces appear.
"Andi Ena, Lyon MacAllister, Eris Blackwood, and Oliver Ferdinand, you're up first! Follow the arrow ways to one of the eight entrances to the maze. Once you get there, await further orders!" Holl told them. Andi shot Melody and Kira a nervous look before following the other four students. Soon, they disappeared behind a wall and the rest of the class began speaking amongst themselves, some in anticipation, some in apprehension.
"What's your strategy, Melody?" Kira asked suddenly.
"Find the center. My Quirk isn't the best in close combat, so it would be best for me to move quickly and find the objective as quickly as possible," the redhead muttered, reaching one of her hands up to fiddle with her hair.
"Yeah, from what I heard of your Quirk from Andi it's definitely an 'S&R' style one. This should be pretty simple for you then. You can just phase through the walls right to the center!"
"Kazani brings up a good point. The walls of this maze are reinforced with anti-Quirk measures to ensure someone like Halloway cannot go straight through them, Wolfbane can't melt them, or Abrams cannot levitate over them. Can't have you taking the spirit out of the maze," Derrick announced. Before anyone could dispute this, a loud horn echoes throughout the cavern. "Round one has begun!"
The large screen showed a large, live view of the four contestants. The brown-haired girl, who Melody assumed to be Eris Blackwood, grinned to herself and took off at a run into the maze, Andi began fiddling with the black extensions to her antennae ears, Oliver followed Eris' example and started running with long strides. "What is he doing?" Diana asked, her eyes focused on the final screen. Lyon was casually walking down one of the pathways leading from his starting position, smiling his admittedly creepy smile. Melody watched him waltz through the maze for the first few minutes of the maze until the class around her took a collective gasp. She glanced over and saw the beginnings of a battle between Oliver and Eris.
"Let's tango!" The female shouted excitedly, causing the black-haired boy to sneer. Eris winced slightly as she held up her wrist, from which a sharp, black object appeared and shot toward Oliver at a remarkable speed. "Black Bone Bullet!"
Eris Blackwood
Her Quirk: Black Bone
Her skeleton is made up of a black colored metal that is stronger than steel. She can remove and regrow these bones at will, but not without hurting herself.
Oliver's pale yellow eyes narrowed as he barely managed to duck beneath the bone spear, which soared over his head and nearly hit a passing Andi, who jumped backward with a girlish yelp. Despite her miss, Eris continued grinning and held up her, now bleeding, wrist once again. "No worries! This one'll hit for sure!"
"Tsk. Irritating girl," Oliver mumbled to himself and reached his arm forward, wrapping it around a surprised Eris' midsection...fifteen feet away.
Oliver Ferdinand
His Quirk: Rubber Body
He can stretch his body out like a rubber band, though the length he can stretch to varies between body parts.
"What the hell!?" The girl shouted. She attempted to struggle against the boy's grasp for a few seconds until he flexed his arm, causing his grip to tighten. "Let me go!"
"SICKNESS FREQUENCY!" Andi, who her opponents had seemingly forgotten, roared as her antennae began to vibrate violently. 'What is she doing?' Melody wondered. That is...until Oliver's grip on Eris faltered and both of them retched on the floor of the maze.
"Damn, I'm gonna have to clean that up aren't I?" Holl muttered as he glared at the offending substance on the screen. Hearing the confused murmurs of his class, he sighed and started to explain. "With her Quirk, Miss Ena can manipulate radio waves. Imagine that she just used what was akin to a dog whistle that makes people throw up."
"Nasty," Melody said, watching as Eris and Oliver both turned their attention towards Andi. It was at this moment that the redhead looked over at Lyon's screen to check his progress. Her eyes widened when they saw him turn the corner into the middle of the fray.
"Ah, so this is where you all were. I've grown tired of this maze. Let's end this quickly, shall we?" The orange-haired boy grinned and held up his right hand, showing for the first time the small black tips of his fingers. He pressed his middle finger and thumb together and snapped. It was over in an instant as a typhoon of flames consumed the other three opponents.
Lyon MacAllister
His Quirk: Pyrokinesis
Lyon can completely control fire with his power, the only drawback is that he can only control fire he himself makes.
The inferno he'd created swirled around the other three students for several moments before he waved his hand, dissipating it. All three of his opponents lied on the ground, completely out cold but surprisingly devoid of burn marks. 'How in the world?' "He used his fire to form a tornado around them, and kept it burning long enough to use up all the oxygen inside. Pretty brutal, but I have no other choice but to declare Lyon MacAllister the victor of round one!"
"Jesus, that guy isn't messing around!" Kira exclaimed, her eyes wide and alight with intrigue. Melody nodded in agreement before grimacing. 'There's absolutely no way I could stand up to him. Even if I got in close he could easily repel me with his fire. Hopefully, I don't get someone like that in my group. Who'd have thought that guy would be so powerful. I suppose you can't judge a book by its cover.'
"Alright! While group one is being looked after by our expert medical staff, let's get into the next heat. Take a look at the board to see who our next competitors will be!"
"He's getting way to into this," Melody said under her breath, getting an exasperated look from the teacher in return. 'Right, he has some sort of mind-reading Quirk. I've gotta be careful what I say. Could someone get detention for just thinking? Argh! Melody focus!' Pinching her leg to escape from her own mind, the redhead turned to face the board and paled as her face passed, only for four different students to be ultimately chosen.
"Alright, Diana Suharto, Hazel Aria-"
"Hazel Camellia Aria!"
"Fine, fine. Diana Suharto, Hazel Camellia Aria, Alexander Blackwood, and Andrew Abrams. You guys are up! Go find an entrance and prepare!" Holl announced, ushering the four students away into the path that led to the maze's eight entry points.
Purpose of a Hero
"GET BACK HERE HAZEL!" Diana bellowed as she sprinted after the smaller girl, who seemed to move at speeds too fast for any regular human to keep up with. In truth, Melody was sure her eyes were playing tricks on her. 'She must have some sort of teleportation or speed Quirk. It's odd though, every time I blink it's like she moves further and further away from Diana. If she has a speed Quirk, she's moving way too fast to keep up with. But...it must have a cooldown or something, there's a stutter in between her steps.' The short-statured girl jerked around a corner and immediately stopped in her tracks, falling to the ground in an instant. Seeing this, Diana stopped and glared at the brunet boy walking towards them with his hand held up, palm facing the girl splayed out on the ground.
"You noticed then, Diana?" Andrew asked, a small grin on his face. The Komodo Dragon girl growled and leaped back a few paces. 'This is bad. I don't have any long-range attacks. Best to retreat for now!' She thought as she turned to sprint away, only to freeze as another male voice spoke.
"Inserting Fire Core...Raging Blaze!" With his left arm transformed into a dragon-shaped cannon, Alexander let loose a wave of fire, though it was not as large or seemingly as hot as Lyon's. Nevertheless, the blaze hit Diana and she was pushed back, right into Andrew's gravity field.
Alexander Blackwood
His Quirk: Mechanization
He is more machine than human. With his Quirk, he can transform his arms and legs into cannons and when he inserts a specially made 'Core', can fire off elemental attacks.
"Woah! That's a pretty cool Quirk, man!" Andrew called, a small grin on his face though his eyes showed an intense determination. The other boy simply glared at him and raised his arm again, inserting a small yellow-colored capsule into a slot on his shoulder.
"Inserting Lightning Core. Electric Misery!" From the cannon, a massive bolt of electricity discharged at Andrew, who grimaced and dropped his hand, diving to the side and out of the bolt's path. It was at that moment that Diana sprung and slammed her scaled fist into his gut, knocking the wind from his lungs. Hazel also used this opportunity to get up and dash off in hurry. While her attention was on Andrew, Alexander loaded a bright blue colored capsule and fired a freezing wind, causing the metal walls to become covered in frost. Almost immediately, Diana began to shiver violently and fall to her knees again. Back in the control room, Kira gasped.
"What the hell happened!?"
"She's a reptile and therefore cold-blooded. She can't regulate her own body temperature. Intense cold especially is bad for her. Plus the metal walls hold in the cold," Melody explained, her brows furrowed in concern for her classmate. The battle didn't last much longer, however, as not a minute after she had run off, a bell went off and Holl announced that Hazel had found the center of the maze first.
"Well-done. Minimal injuries...uh, MacAllister? Mind warming up Miss Suharto a bit?" Holl said, giving the violently shivering girl a concerned glance. The orange-haired boy nodded and snapped his fingers, forming a smaller version of his inferno from the first match that swirled around the dragon girl. That taken care of, the teacher pointed dramatically towards the screen again as the faces of the eight remaining students flashed by more quickly than before. Eventually, the randomizer stopped on four faces...and Melody's breath left her. "Melody Halloway, Sirius Wilsk, Rylee Ingram, Narruk Mondronen. Get going!"
Purpose of a Hero
"Okay, calm down. You've got this Melody. You know Rylee has some sort of steam Quirk, she said about as much when we were talking the first night. That Sirius kid is carrying a bat, so maybe some sort of strength Quirk? Then there's Narruk...I've got no info on him, so I'll just try to steer clear. Right, time to show off my stealth game!" She paced for a few more moments before a horn sounded and the door in front of her slid open. Hesitantly, Melody stepped into the maze and flinches at how the metal walls seemed to amplify the sound of her footsteps. Almost immediately, she heard the sound of fighting and paused. 'Maybe I just go the other way. I don't wanna run into someone too early...or at all.'
With her hands clenched, fingernails digging into her palms, the redhead forged onwards. 'If I remember correctly, Nathan always told me to keep one hand on the wall at all times and you'll find your way out of any maze. Shouldn't be too difficult, right?' Almost as if the world were mocking her, the moment she placed her hand on the wall beside her, it began to rumble. The floor before her rose up and, from the ceiling, dropped a massive boulder. "Oh...great." The rock slowly began to pick up speed as it rolled down the makeshift ramp formed when the ground ascended. 'Crap! Dangit! Friggin heck!' Melody thought as she frantically ran down a side hall, and watched in horror over her shoulder as the path she had first came from closed and the wall bent to allow the boulder to continue after her. She ran for quite a while until she stopped, out of breath, and facepalmed. "I'm...an...idiot." Gathering herself, she transformed into her Wraith Form and allowed the boulder to pass right through her, for a brief second thinking it would still crush her.
"What the heck is that!" A squeaky male voice asked, nearly making Melody jump out of her skin. Turning around she found herself face to face with an indigo-haired boy with wide red eyes. 'This is that Sirius kid. Gotta be careful, I have no idea what he's capable of.'
"Who cares! Let's get her!" A female voice roared from behind her. Melody watched as a large wooden sword passed through her ghost-like body and slammed into the ground. Whipping around, the redhead was shocked to see a girl she hadn't seen with their class beforehand.
"Epiphany! Weren't you watching? Her Quirk allows her to phase through stuff! You're Quirk is ineffective! Fall back for now!" Sirius yelled at the girl, who rolled her eyes and swung again at Melody, who was beginning to feel the strain of hold her Quirk this long. 'Who the heck is this girl? Did I just miss her before? Either way, I've gotta put some distance between us, my stamina is almost spent, I've gotta recharge my Quirk a bit.' She thought, leaping away from the other red-haired girl.
"Who are you? I didn't see you before?" Melody inquired, trying to buy herself some time as her she reverted to her normal form.
"Oh! That's because I'm dead!" She replied with a manic grin, her hands clenching tighter on her wooden bat. When the redhead faltered slightly, her eyes widening, Epiphany giggled and jabbed her head back at Sirius who gave her a half-hearted glare. "His doing, he saved me and now I've gotta deal with him forever. It's very trying."
Sirius Wilsk
His Quirk: Host
With his Quirk, Sirius can absorb the souls of willing people and call upon them as both astral and physical forms. At the moment he only has one soul locked away.
"Way to tell all our secrets, Epiphany!" The short boy cried, stomping his foot childishly. 'He looks like Nathan's little brother! So adorable!' Shaking her head to clear those thoughts, Melody ran at Epiphany, who was distracted by her banter with Sirius and slammed her palm into the other girl's collarbone. The crimson-haired girl slid backward a few feet and, to Melody's shock, didn't appear to be at all phased. "Epiphany! Fall back! We don't know what she's capable of!"
"The same can be said for her! We've gotta seize the initiative!" The spirit replied, her eyes locking onto the other girl as she raised her bat, which began to grow and shift in shape. Melody lowered herself into her fighting pose and prepared herself for her opponent's attack. "Let's rumble!"
Purpose of a Hero
Well, well, well. That was fun to write. I haven't honestly written too many fight scenes in my time, so I don't expect these are too good, but hey I'll improve in time. Anyway, a few notes.
HAZEL ROLLED A 20 TO ESCAPE AND THEN ANOTHER ONE TO FIND THE END OF THE MAZE!
LYON IS PRETTY GOOD, EH?
RUN INDY RUN!
Ahem. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed! Have a good one!
NEXT TIME ON THE PURPOSE OF A HERO!
THE SOUND HERO'S DAUGHTER!