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We had shifts for who would train the newer heroes, and I thought that I would join the class that Blade Cat led, since I had only basic hand-to-hand combat training, and I was technically still a new guy. Blade Cat training for martial arts, so I thought that I could get some good knowledge. Blade Cat, or Mike, trained people individually, focusing on people having the most trouble in his regular classes. It was sort of embarrassing to be one of the ones that he visited regularly. "Your movements are too blocky, you need to be more graceful. Like a snake through the grass should you move, a tiger in the brush."

Each time he directed me, I get better and better. My movements are more graceful, and I'm getting extremely fast. My strikes are more efficient. Even Black Cat is amazed at my progress.

There was this one fighting style that I liked, it looks more like somebody flailing their limbs around in a mad dance, called Ka-Puetta. I think that it would do the best for aerial and ground combat. It bases itself on the fact that an attack can come from anywhere.

Jamie did mostly kickboxing, something that fit her personality better that anything else, I think. Stephen was more of a wrestler. He has a nimble, strong, large frame that is ideal for this sport.

Leah is pretty good at staff fighting, something that I had experienced myself. She is also good at Kung Fu, no surprise there. Dave is pretty good at karate, as well as the one that I'm doing. Gamma-Bot did pretty much everything. I guess that's because of his neuro-interface.

I was sparring with Vortex when a kid in a white and blue suit ran up. It looked like that kid from Montana. I said, "Hey, Jake," then Dave roundhouse kicked me in the head, propelling me across the room. I snapped my jaw back into place, and massaged it. Jake said, "Sorry" and helped me up. I said to him, "How are you getting along? I see you got your suit." It was a tight, leather jumper, with a light blue top swirling into a white bottom. He had a mask that looked like a mouth scarf and ski goggles, covering all of his head except his hair. He said, "Yea, I, uh, even have a name. Freeze Breese."

I said, "Nice. So, do you like the place? Make any friends?" He answered, "Um, yea, I guess so. You see, there's this girl in my squad, really pretty." Even my quick mind had trouble deciphering what he said, but eventually I understood that the boy was having a crush. I laughed and said, "Good man, Jake. Good man."

I went back to fighting my brother. I tripped him, grabbed his arm, and flung him into a wall. He sunk half a foot into the super-spring foam, and got flung back into the room. I said, "That's for breaking my jaw," to which he answered, "It didn't make much difference, you healed five seconds later. You could have put me in an body cast with that throw."

I was walking to my bunkroom a few days later when Jamie stopped me. She said, "Tornado wants to meet with us all in the gym by fifteen hundred thirty today. That's thirty minutes from now. I hope you're not that sweaty." I laughed. It is a well known fact that my body doesn't need to sweat, since my body contains all of the heat it generates. "Alright, thirty minutes. I'll tell everyone in my bunkroom."

"They've already been told. They should be hitting the showers right about now."

"I'd better hit the showers, anyway, to get the dead skin-cells off. I've been sparring with enough guys to get sprayed by them."

I ran to my bunk, then grabbed my suit. I ran to the showers, and hurried through. I slipped into my suit, then set it to casual dress, a black, unbuttoned suit over a black button-up shirt and a black pair of slacks and black shoes and socks.

I ran to the gym, and saw everyone else in their hero suits. I switched my suit to super. I walked into the room. I walked to a seat next to Jamie and David. I sat down, and Tornado walked to the podium. He started to speak into the microphone. "I called this meeting to name the ones who will be the leaders of our army. Come up if you hear your name. Tornado." He walked to the head of the line. There was modest clapping.

He yelled, "Vortex!" Davidny stood up and walked to Tornado's right side. More clapping, and some whistles. "Firefairy!" Jamie stood up and flew to David's right. More clapping and whistles.

"Stone-Man!" The man with skin made out of stone stood up and walked to Jamie's side. "Scorpio Panther!" Stephen stood up and walked to Stone-Man's right. More clapping and whistles. "Berserk-Beast!" Leah stood up and walked to Stephen's side. Some started to yell while they clapped, and there was whistling again.

"Blade Cat!" Mike stood up and walked to Leah's side. More clapping, whistling and cheering. "Gamma-Bot!" George walked from his place at the wall to Mike's right side. More whistling, clapping and cheering.

"Drako Tygon!" I stood up, and everyone in the room stood up and started applauding and cheering. I saw many familiar faces. I had brought many, if not most, of them here. I guess I left an impression. I walked slowly towards the stage. People extended their hands to low-five mine. I felt more proud there than in my entire life, as I received their hands. I got to the podium, and Tornado gestured for me to stand between him and David.

I walked there, and I shook the open palms of the others in the line. Blade Cat whispered, "I'm honored." I hugged Leah. I took Jamie's hand when I got to her, and hugged her, like I had done with Leah, except tighter. I grabbed David under his arms and lifted him up. I think I popped his back. I shook Tornado's hand, and he moved aside for me to stand where he was. He said, "It's your show, Charles."

I took a step forward, and rested my hands on the podium. I raised a hand to silence the crowd. I said, "I have met many of you, not when I brought you from your homes, but when I first came here. They have been patient when I was acting the newbie that I was. They have congratulated me when I did good. They became the family that I lost. And the rest of you, you're like my brothers and sisters. I've only got two living relatives left in the world, and so I take my friends and make them as much a family as these two.

"But that also means that I should tell the truth. And so, I am compelled to tell you that I am the reason that you were rushed from your homes to this alien place. I ticked off the enemy, and we received troubling information that they're coming here, soon. So I must say that each and every one of you is more important than myself. Though I might lead men, I an less than the follower. Thank you for trusting me and my compatriots with your lives." Applause roared through the crowd after I stopped talking.

I stepped back to my spot. I saw that my friends were clapping as well. David said in my ear, "That was good, not saying that it was you who gave us that information." Tornado gestured to Gamma-Bot to lead us off the stage. He turned and walked off the stage, and we followed him off. We walked out of the gym. We watched the stage fold into the wall. People stood up and walked to the door, and the chairs started to fly around the room, putting themselves away. The people inside walked out of the gym, and we shook their hands as they left. We got congratulations from many of them, almost all of them.

I walked to my bunk, and got in to bed. Stephen got into the bunk below mine. I said to him, "Good day, huh?" He answered, "Ha, yea, good day." I fell asleep just after Dave got into the bunk above mine.

I woke up to the sound of an alarm in my ear, and Then after that, a mechanical voice said, "Work Out. Work out." I said, "Deactivate." I jumped down, and I ran to the gym. I kicked the punching bag a few times. I leaped, and kicked it across the room. I narrowly missed hitting Jamie in the face. I ran over there, and said, "Sorry, I thought I had the room to myself." She said, "No, it's alright, I like a little adrenaline in the morning." I picked up the punching bag and carried it back to it's spot. I punched it a few times, then ran to a wall, ran up and leapt from the wall, maneuvering through the aerial obstacle course.

I stopped in midair, letting myself hover where I was. Jamie flew to where I was. She touched my shoulder, saying, "What's the matter?" I said, exhaustedly, "I don't think I can do this. I mean, I'm just an average guy. You're the one with all the experience. I wasn't far wrong when I said that all of the new guys are better than I am. Maybe I don't belong here, maybe..."

Then she kicked me in the side of the head. I was propelled a few feet back. She said, "You were starting to sound depressed. You need to get your blood flowing." She flew to the other side of the obstacle course. I smiled, and said, "You're on."

I flew up, down, sideways, around, through, over, and under, flying towards her. Soon it became clear that she wasn't going to make this easy on me. She kept moving, and when I got to the place where she was, she was gone. I realized that this had become a game of two-person-tag.

I tried to track her heat signature and scent. It got to were I could almost see through the obstacles, so I knew where she was before she got there. Eventually, I ended up right in front of her, while she was looking behind herself.

She looked forward, and ran into me. I grabbed her before she could fall. She gasped in surprise, then she settled down some, and there she looked more beautiful than anything I'd ever seen. Her hair had a red, glowing streak in her pitch-black hair. Her eyes had a swirl of fire in the iris. Her skin glowed softly, as if there was a fire burning just beneath the surface, and it felt that way, too.

I looked at those hypnotic, fiery eyes. I fell into those eyes, into that soul. I felt like I was falling, though I knew I was still hovering in place up there. I kissed her, and she kissed me back. I wrapped my arms around her, and pressed her closer to me. The kiss stopped, and she looked at me, and I saw my reflection in her eyes. Her eyebrows were turned slightly up in amazement.

We slowly floated to the floor. I said to her, "That got my blood flowing." I let her go, and she just looked at me. I barely noticed Stephen coming into the gym. He said, "Whoa, what happened here?" I took a step backward, and I stuttered, "Um, uh, what do you, um, mean?" He just rolled his eyes and walked to the punching bag. I took another long look at Jamie, and I left. Before I got out the door, Jamie said, "Drako, you should put your wings away before you go." I said, "Um, yeah, thanks." I changed back to my human form as I walked out.