"Go!"
Almost everyone except Mykhail picked up a ball and began to throw them. "Aye, can we calm this down a bit?"
A ball narrowly missed his leg, his side, and one soared over his head. "Well, damn!"
Kaori effortlessly dodged a barrage of dodgeballs. "Stop standing there. Retaliate."
"That's what I was GOING to do, woman," he pointed out, picking up a ball of his own.
Mykhail prepared to throw his ball, but he had to block another dodgeball launched at him from Yasuda quickly.
"Hey!" Mykhail called out.
"Hahaha!"
Mykhail threw a dodgeball back at Yasuda, who easily ducked it and almost caught it, but Kaori knocked the ball out of his hand before he could.
"Oops!" Yasuda laughed. "I missed!"
Kaori caught about 4 balls, getting their wielders out, before glaring at Mykhail. "The hell are you doing?"
"The hell does it look like?" he replied. "Trying not to lose!"
Another ball narrowly missed his face.
"It doesn't look like it," Kaori remarked. "Get it together."
Kumiko rapidly threw a barrage of dodgeballs at Kaori, but she evaded them all before batting one away.
"Damn it, she's good!" Kumiko moaned.
Kurumi handed Kumiko another ball. "We don't have to hit her first, Kumiko! We can hit her after we get out the others! Try her!"
Kurumi pointed at Yumi, who wasn't focused on them.
"Great idea, Kurumi!" Kumiko agreed.
She took her ball and launched it full force at Yumi, hitting her in the face and knocking her to the ground. "Ow!"
"Out!" Coach Hayashi pointed.
"What?" Yumi protested. "That's so stupid! Come on, can't allow that! She almost broke my nose—-!"
"Yumi," Tomoe sighed. "Just go."
Yumi pouted and sat on the sidelines. Yasuda caught a ball from the opposing team, getting another out. "Yay!"
Kaori shook her head, groaning.
"Maybe I was wrong," she thought. "Whatever. It doesn't matter."
She caught a ball without even looking, getting another competitor out. "I'll handle this."
She launched a ball at Kurumi, who tried to duck but got tagged. "Aww, darn it!"
Kurumi was helped up by Kumiko. "Kurumi! You let them get you!"
Kurumi sighed. "It's okay, you guys got this!"
She went to stand by the sidelines while balls continued flying through the air. Kumiko snatched one and aimed for Mykhail.
"Mykhail, love you, but you've got to lose!" she declared.
"Hey, hey, wait!"
She zipped a dodgeball at his head as he jumped out of the way, causing a poor kid with glasses to take the brunt of the blow.
"Ow!"
"Ouch," Mykhail remarked. "That had to hurt."
Kaori threw a ball at Kumiko, but she easily blocked it out of the air. Yasuda took his dodgeball and fired it at Kaori, who evaded, causing it to hit Tomoe instead.
"Wow," she muttered. "How disappointing."
Kaori shook her head and used her powers, causing everyone to jump back as three shadowy entities sprang from her back, catching dodgeballs and throwing them back with double the force.
"Hey, hey!" Coach Hayashi exclaimed. "Kaori, stop!"
Kaori ignored him. One of her minions got Yasuda out with a dodgeball to the face. Kumiko stomped her feet.
"That's not fair! If we're playing dirty, so be it!"
Mykhail noticed a faint green glow in her eyes, and he immediately waved his hands and mouthed no to her. Just as she was about to transform…
"RING!"
The bell rang, causing Coach Hayashi to blow his whistle. "That's it, folks! Balls up! School's over!"
Kaori's minions disappeared and she turned away without a word. Mykhail sighed a sigh of relief.
"Phew," he thought. "Dodged a bullet."
Soon after, Mykhail, Kumiko, Kurumi, and Yasuda were walking outside, about to catch the bus.
"Well, how was your first day, Yasuda?" Kurumi asked.
"Awesome!" Yasuda replied.
Kumiko folded her arms. "Is he gonna be stuck with us?"
Mykhail rubbed his head. "Probably."
Kumiko collapsed into his arms. Kurumi tapped her chin. "If he's gonna be a part of the group, we should introduce him to Takehiro! Let's stop by his house!"
The bus rolled up, opening its doors.
"This is going to go so well," Mykhail muttered.
While they got on the bus, Kaori silently watched them from afar before turning away and walking in the other direction.
Later, at Takehiro's house…
Takehiro was sitting outside on the front porch of his house, clearly haunted.
"It can't be…it can't be…no…"
The bus stopped by his house, dropping off over a dozen kids. When he looked up he noticed his friends walking up to him, along with a boy he didn't recognize.
"Guys?" he questioned.
"Takehiro!" Kumiko greeted. "Hey!"
As Kumiko hugged him, he looked at Yasuda. "Who's that kid?"
Kumiko and Kurumi both gestured to Mykhail, who sighed. "He's one of mine. I call him my assistant. He assists."
"Hi!" Yasuda introduced. "I'm Yasuda!"
"Nice to meet you…" Takehiro shook his hand. "Kumiko, Kurumi, Mykhail, we need to talk."
He looked back at Yasuda. "Without…him."
Mykhail approached Yasuda. "So, we'll be right back, that means don't wander off, investigate, or experiment with anything until we get back, okay?"
"Yep!" Yasuda agreed. "None of those three actions will be attempted!"
"Good."
Mykhail followed Takehiro and the girls into his house. "I'm at least 92% sure that he's going to twist my words and get into trouble some other way, so please let's make this quick."
Takehiro sat down on his couch. "I got attacked today."
"What?" Kurumi exclaimed. "By who?"
"This criminal, he could shoot lightning," Takehiro explained. "He held me hostage. Killed a bunch of cops. And then I found out that this psycho girl in a costume saved him. Once I got home, I saw Justice on TV, with two new pals as his sidekicks!"
Kurumi just stared at him, confused. Kumiko and Mykhail shared a look.
"What is going on, guys?" Takehiro asked. "Really? I can't take this anymore! I have to watch out for superhumans in public, at school, now even in my daily life?"
Kumiko put a hand on his shoulder. "Poor Takehiro. Things could be much worse. You could be taken over by space aliens!"
"What?"
Mykhail nudged her. "Now is not the time."
Kurumi wrapped her arms around him. "I'm sorry, I wish we were there to support you! Even at school, there's these rude superhuman jerks who think they run the world and walk over everyone! Like Kaori, she's such a pain!"
"Kaori?" Takehiro wondered. "The same one from the fight club?"
Kumiko nodded. "She blasted us! Can you believe that?"
"She WHAT? Where is she now? I need to have a chat with her! No one blasts my friends!"
Mykhail put his hands on his shoulders. "Relax, man. If you pick a fight with her you'll only be adding physical pain to your mental one."
"You're right…."
"Now, time to grab this little kid."
Mykhail opened the door to find Yasuda missing. "Great."
He looked back at the group. "I'll be right back."
"Where are you going?" Kumiko asked.
"To find this kid before he kills someone."
Mykhail left the house. Right after he did, Takehiro collapsed into his chair. "Man, I miss when the days were good."
10 years ago…
"Who's this, Kiran?
A young Kiran was standing in front of a bench, where a young Kurumi and Takehiro were sitting. Mykhail was standing next to him, visibly uncomfortable.
"This…is Mykhail," Kiran introduced. "Kumiko and I met him a few days ago…she wanted him to meet you guys."
Kurumi jumped up and eagerly shook his hand. "Well, nice to meet ya, Mykhail! I'm Kurumi! Kurumi Sugiura! And this here is Takehiro Takayama! He's a year older than everyone, so he thinks he's the boss!"
"That's not it!" Takehiro corrected. "I just have to watch over you all! We're a family, after all!"
He extended a hand to Mykhail. "Welcome to the group!"
"He's just letting me in?" Mykhail wondered. "Without even knowing me at all?"
Mykhail looked at his hand. "Well, I do need more friends."
He shook it.
"Great!" Takehiro cheered. "Now, usually we help around the neighborhood, offer assistance to those who need it, perform community service, that type of stuff! Ready to get to work?"
Mykhail groaned. "That sounds like a hassle…"
"Awesome! Let's do it!"
"Wait, I never agreed—-!"
Kurumi and Takehiro pulled him away, while Kiran nervously stumbled after them.
3 years ago, inside a basketball arena…
"Come on, Mykhail! The premise is simple. You shoot the ball into the hoop, and whichever team makes the most shots wins."
Mykhail was shooting hoops with four other kids, including a now older Kiran, his hair longer and his demeanor more relaxed.
"So, we're not going against them?" Mykhail asked. "No duel or anything?"
"No, we are," Kiran remarked. "We have to outshoot the other team. Makes it fair to all the rest. Can't have the tall, athletic guys dominating us in some competitive match, can we?"
"I guess," Mykhail relented. "When you had me start playing basketball last year, I kinda expected something else."
Kiran patted him on the back. "It'll be fun. Watch!"
The referee on the sideline blew his whistle. "Ready…set…SHOOT!"
The team on the other court began shooting, missing more shots than they made. Mykhail's team drained their first 10 shots, which reflected on the scoreboard.
"Yes!" Kumiko cheered from the crowd, with Kurumi and Takehiro flanking her. "Go, Mykhail! Go, Kiran!"
Kiran quickly grabbed another ball and swished the shot, earning a lot of applause from the crowd. Mykhail turned around and noticed the score was 11-11.
"There's no way they made 11 shots that fast after missing everything they put up!"
Kiran didn't even look back before swishing another shot. "They automatically tie the score every 45 seconds. It's to make sure the competition is fair."
"That makes no sense!" Mykhail protested. "What's the point of even being good if they're gonna cheat for the opposition?"
Three of Mykhail's teammates all made their shots, while Mykhail got another pat on the shoulder from Kiran. "Keep shooting, we got nothing to worry about!"
After the 30 minutes were up, the score finished at 95 to 95. Mykhail collapsed to the floor.
"They only made four baskets…and it was a tie?"
Kiran laughed. "That was fun. We should do this again tomorrow."
"No. No, we shouldn't."
Takehiro, Kurumi, and Kumiko all rushed the court, embracing Kiran and Mykhail.
"You guys were awesome!" Kumiko cheered.
"I've never seen that many made shots in my life!" Kurumi added. "Amazing!"
"It was worth the ten-dollar ticket," Takehiro grinned. "You guys should play more!"
"Maybe next time, you guys will be joining us," Kiran inquired. "That'd be perfect!"
"Sounds like a plan!" Takehiro agreed. "Let's get some ice cream, I could use some sweets!"
The others agreed and headed for the exit, but Kiran stopped Mykhail before he could leave. "Mykhail, could I talk to you for a moment?"
"Yeah, what's up?"
"Let's head to the locker room real quick."
He led Mykhail to the locker room, where everyone else had already cleared out.
"So, what'd you need?"
Kiran looked down at the ground, almost as if he was worried. "Do you know that illness I've developed?"
"The one you said your dad was desperately trying to cure?" Mykhail recalled. "What about it?"
"Yeah, that. It's getting worse," Kiran admitted. "If it's not treated soon, I won't be alive much longer. Please don't tell the others."
"Wait, why would you keep this secret?" Mykhail asked. "Do you know how much the group needs you?"
"I know," Kiran said. "That's why you're the only one I can trust to keep this secret. I'll be gone for a while, my dad has a recovery plan for me."
"I've never met your dad," Mykhail realized. "Is he a doctor?"
Kiran shook his head. "Much bigger than that. In the next few months, he plans for me to come home to him, where he'll begin treating my sickness. I don't know how long it's going to take, or if it'll even work, so that's why I have to ask you, can you take my place in the group? Can you keep them grounded, for me?"
He gave Mykhail a pleading look.
"Alright, I'll do my best."
Kiran hugged Mykhail. "Thank you."
Months later, Mykhail and his friends all received a visit from Kiran's mom, Kikomu, who informed them her son was being treated for his illness, and wouldn't be back for a long time.
"What?" Kumiko blurted out. "But we need him!"
"How long are we talking?" Kurumi asked. "Please tell us he's going to be alright!"
Takehiro took a deep breath. "Is there anything we can do?"
Kikomu shook her head. "I'm sorry. The illness is in its advanced stage. For his and your own safety, he has to be quarantined and treated."
Mykhail sat in the corner, musing over the news. "Kiran…"
And then, his mom left.
Present Day, in Fuyushima…
Mr. Sato was in a laboratory, running tests with the blue vial he had acquired from Justice's sword. After a few moments, he paused.
"You can show yourself. I know you're there."
A figure dropped from the ceiling. "A keen awareness you have, Mr. Sato."
Mr. Sato gave a glance behind him. "The villainess known as Serratine. What business do you have here? This lab is of the utmost secrecy."
Serratine carefully approached him. "I would like to make an exchange with you, Director. We're in need of your help."
"Ahh, really? What possibly could you villains have that I want? I'm responsible for your creation, after all."
"I know, and we are very thankful. But, we can help you with the one thing you desire."
Mr. Sato lifted an eyebrow. "And what is that?"
She gestured to the vial in his hands. "We can bring back your son…"
"…Kiran Sato."
—-