Two and a half months have passed, and our hero training is almost complete after all the hard work, training, and days we have devoted to this new life we have chosen. Knowledge, theory, skills, our powers... we now possess all of these things.
In the mother ship, Elyra called out to us: "I see that you are progressing quickly, much faster than I thought. Keep it up, it will only be beneficial."
"Thank you, Elyra! It's nice to hear, it's almost over now."
"You're right, Aria, ever since the day we decided to dedicate our lives to heroism. This dream is finally coming true."
As Elyra turned back to Aria and Shinrei. "Careful, don't do that."
She didn't have time to finish her sentence before a loud noise echoed through the ship and the entire interior shook.
Kael asked Elyra. "Elyra! What's going on?!"
"I don't know yet, Kael. According to the sensors, something has hit us. I'm activating the cameras to get more information."
The activated cameras spotted a man on the ship. He was standing at the top, firing fireballs at the ship. It was these fireballs that were causing the shaking. If he continued, the ship would not hold and would crash into the earth. They had to get him off the ship as quickly as possible. The longer we took to react, the more altitude the ship lost, and we were heading straight for New York in the United States.
Elyra activated the ship's defense systems, but every time he fell due to the fire coming out of his limbs, it allowed him to fly and return on board.
We didn't know what to do on board. What's more, the ship wasn't equipped for combat, so it was unable to defeat enemies.
In all this chaos, Kael spoke up. "Elyra, we're going to fight! Let us fight him. The ship will never be able to neutralize him, and if we continue like this, it will be destroyed."
"I refuse. There's no way I'm sending you into battle. Besides, he looks experienced and in complete control of his abilities. You haven't finished your training, we won't be able to do anything against him."
"You're wrong, we all took our training very seriously. We trained on our own, and we've already completed the program you prepared."
"You did that?"
"Yes, you know what that means. Our training is complete, and we are now ready to be heroes. So please send us, before he destroys and causes more damage."
Elyra didn't say a word for a few moments. "Promise me you won't take any unnecessary risks. If I decide you can't do it, I'll teleport you back immediately. Is that clear?"
We agreed to Elyra's conditions; it was natural for her to worry about us. But now an unforeseen event had occurred that forced us to make quick decisions, even if it meant regretting them later.
The villain, ejected from the ship, flew back up. But a trapdoor opened, Kael was the first to jump into the void, and we all jumped after him. The five of us were now in free fall above the United States, hurtling towards the villain who was rushing towards us, using his fire to avoid us.
"Nozomi!" I grabbed Kael's hand to propel him onto the villain. Once in close combat, Kael grabbed his hands, immobilizing him to prevent any movement.
"Oh, you're the one coming at me first, you're taking the initiative. I must say, I don't dislike that."
Unfortunately, he broke free from Kael's grip and flew to the top of a 300-meter building.
Elyra contacted us. "Can you hear me? Hold on to those drones, they'll take you to the top of the building. Be careful, don't lose sight of your objectives, and don't forget what you've learned."
We all grabbed onto a drone each, which took us to the top of the building where the villain was. Once we arrived, he was there waiting for us calmly, the moment they saw us.
"You really came. I'm impressed. You claim to be superheroes who want to protect the weak and face those stronger than yourselves."
We remained silent in the face of these words and provocations. Despite his provocative manner, we could sense that this was not something to be taken lightly. Since it was our first time and he was far more experienced than us and had better control over his abilities, we were at a disadvantage even before we exchanged a single blow.
He spoke again. "Hey kids, I have a question: can you tell me where I can find Nova and Luna Yuutaka? I was supposed to find them here, but instead I ran into kids who think they're adults."
Those two names echoed in our heads. The man in front of us who had attacked us by surprise was after our parents. We didn't want to answer him, but Kael stepped forward to say, "The people you're looking for are our parents, but unfortunately for you, they died over ten years ago."
"What, they're dead?" He began to laugh loudly. "They're dead! Master, your revenge has already been accomplished. Those who took our freedom and rejected us have suffered the consequences of their actions. You five, if I understand correctly, are his descendants. So you are Yuukata.
"Indeed, we are Yuutaka's family. May I ask who you are?"
"My name will be of no use to you since I am going to kill you, but because you have given me valuable information and put me in a good mood, I will do you this favor. My name is Raven Rei, soldier under the command of His Majesty and His Greatness Hikarizuki Reimu."
"You want to kill us? You are awfully confident in yourself and your abilities."
He laughed again at Kael's words: "I should be the one saying that, since you're the one standing in front of me. I can easily see that you're weak."
Harris was angry. "What makes you say that? Your words are starting to annoy me!"
"Tell me, this is the first time you've faced an enemy, isn't it?"
We remained silent, surprised by Raven's words. We hadn't said a single word, but strangely, he had seen through us. He was now aware of his superiority, or rather, he knew of our inferiority and weakness. The fight already seemed complicated, but now it seemed almost impossible.
"You want to know how I know all this? It's simple. Your faces speak for you. What you think and feel betrays you."
Kael replied, "Despite that, we won't let you hurt anyone."
"You're going to stop me. You're just like the other heroes, imposing your definition of justice."
"Imposing it, you say? It's you who disobey, cause harm to others, bring sadness, and spread hatred. We're just stopping you in your madness."
"For someone so young, you're taking quite a bold stance. What do you know about villains, and even more so, what do you know about heroes? Your vision is more utopian than anything else. You want me to say, 'It's you heroes who are wrong.'"
"What are you talking about, our utopian vision? Us being wrong? Stop talking nonsense. If you think you can disrupt us, it won't work."
"Young man, I'm going to reveal the truth about the world around us. Heroes obey the leaders of the people, and villains go against the grain to change things."
"We just obey?"
"Indeed! Long ago, the world was in a state of total war. Different peoples fought to obtain land and expand their territory."
He told us about a distant past, the era of the advent of heroes. Long ago, peoples were at war. This war relied on heroes who represented the power of armies. After multiple battles, victories, and defeats, the peoples ceased the war after the appearance of a supreme being who possessed the power to instill fear of continuing the fighting for fear of annihilation among all the peoples of the universe. This being calls himself The Elementary Master.
But within the different peoples and lands, the leaders use the power of the heroes who obey them to enforce order and maintain peace in their territory. They enforce peace through fear. We, the bad guys, are just those who go against the order to usher in a new era.
"But do you know what they do? They invalidate us, cut off all means of speech, and even kill us in some cases. They have no mercy on us and are prepared to do the worst things if it gives them satisfaction. You are like all of them, you prevent us from expressing ourselves and imprison us. People who go against your principles are enemies to be destroyed in your eyes."
"Shut up!" Kael said with a serious look and a sharp tone. "I don't know what happened to you in the past or what you had to go through. I have to admit, I don't know anything about that, but one thing is certain: your intentions are anything but good. Your actions will cause tears and sadness. You think you're acting for others, but you're only acting out of hatred, and I can't let that happen."
"What are you going to do?"
"Are you serious? I thought you already understood. Whether I'm right or wrong, we'll follow our instincts and our emotions. We don't impose our vision on others, we only apply it to ourselves. So Raven, come on, we're waiting for you."