Hero Super

"Four of us, then?" Quinn giddily stood up, spreading her arms while gesturing towards Calvin, Ina, and Regina.

"Who decided that?" Regina spoke first, obvious indignation in her tone.

"What? Do you have any other friends here?" She grinned at her.

Regina glared at her, turning away with a harrumph. Her silence was the answer.

"Are you sure? Two of us are powerless." Ina pointed towards herself and Calvin.

"So what? It's probably just an ice breaker game anyway. Who cares?"

"We still need two more." Calvin reminded them.

"That's not a problem." Ina stood up, turning around into the group of people behind her.

Calvin looked to her walking away, turning back to Quinn and asking with his face what Ina's plan was.

"She'll drag two people here against their will, I believe. She has no friends and no shame." Regina explained instead.

"Hey! She has at least two friends." Quinn pouted, before offering a hand towards Calvin. "Right?"

"Right." He affirmed, taking her hand. She pulled him up easily enough despite the weight difference. "Can you really vibrate anything?"

"That's my power," she shrugged. "I know it isn't strong, I know. But I'll make it work."

"Didn't say it wasn't strong. I was going to ask if you could vibrate the floor or something like that. Or an entire building."

Quinn widened her eyes before giggling at his sincere curiosity. "Well, maybe in the future? It gets more tiring the bigger the object is."

"Ah," he nodded. "What about someone's brain? Or bones? They're not big."

"Uh, Manning Effect? Of course I can't. Maybe civilians, but why would I do that? I can just smack them with a super smack." She flexed her petite arm.

"Okay. Let's say I have no idea what the Manning Effect is, how would you explain it to me?"

"What?" She looked at him in shock again. "How could you not know what the Manning Effect is? They teach that in primary."

'Shit.' Calvin winced, "let's just assume I'm dumb and I don't remember."

"The Manning Effect is the tendency of abilities to have reduced effects when its point of origin overlaps with another super." Regina explained helpfully.

"Uh, so powers can't affect supers directly? That's why you can't just vibrate someone's skull?" He looked at Quinn.

"Not that I can't. It would take a lot out of me to do that. The stronger the target is, the more it would cost." She explained.

"Huh..." Calvin nodded, grateful for the explanation. "So, in the future?"

"In the future." She grinned.

Ina arrived to interrupt their conversation, dragging a couple of people by the wrist in each hand.

Calvin recognized the both of them from the power demonstration earlier. The brunette girl could summon a curtain of water with a simple wave of her hand and manipulate it with just her will. Of course, the caveat was it was still just a curtain of water; a floating thin blanket of liquid.

The other one she dragged in was the one that could summon cutlery. At first glance it seemed to be a ridiculous and weak power, until he said that the cutlery didn't disappear afterwards. Infinite materials. Factories would love to kidnap him. Although Calvin wasn't sure how that would work in being a superhero.

"Marrie. With two R's." She held up the girl's hand, then the boy's. "Lonnie."

"Yes, we can read their name tags. We have eyes." Regina rolled her eyes.

"Two R's?" Calvin muttered.

"Okay! So we have six people now." Quinn interrupted before the two clawed at each other. "Should we make a team name?"

"He didn't tell us to make a team name." Lonnie spoke, his voice sounding like ringing cutlery. High-pitched and annoying.

"Yeah, but why not? We have two minutes left." Quinn checked her holowatch. Calvin smiled, noticing the watch's theme was as pink as her hair. "Any suggestions?"

"Team One." Regina confidently offered.

Ina scoffed. "How imaginative."

"I don't hear you giving suggestions." Regina glared.

"Okay, Team One. Any other suggestions? Please?" Quinn interrupted again, turning to the girl Ina dragged. "Marrie?"

"I-uh-", she shrank from the attention. "I think Team One is okay."

Quinn's smile didn't falter, looking towards Calvin. Somehow, he could see her eyes pleading for help. 'Why don't you think of one yourself if you don't like that name?'

"Calvin?" She spoke, an invisible pressure in her tone.

"I don't know. Two-by-four?" He just blurted out whatever he could think of. "Because there's two of us and four of you?" He gestured towards Ina and himself as the two people without powers.

"Team One it is." Quinn sighed.

Allen clapped loudly, getting the attention of the newly formed teams in the gymnasium. He and his doppelganger looked around, gesturing for all of them to come closer once again.

"All right, four teams. You all got team names? Good." The other teams looked confusedly at each other while Quinn puffing her chest at her foresight. Of course, her mood was dampened immediately by the team name they had lined up.

"Here's the game I definitely didn't just pull out of my ass last week in a panic because I was wholly unprepared." He spoke with increasing speed before waving his hand on the ground in front of him. A pedestal appeared, half his height, with a large red button on top.

"The Super Trivia Bully Party: The Game." Allen proudly announced. "It's basically a Trivia game. But for supers."

"That name is horrible." Other Allen face-palmed.

"Shut up, me." Allen glared at himself before turning his attention back to the teams. "Anyway, other me will be giving you a tablet where you'll put your team names in. While he's doing that, I'll show you the rules."

Simply gesturing towards his side, a hologram appeared, humming a low buzz as it glowed a familiar green hue.

The Super Trivia Bully Party: The Game

Win Condition: Having the most points.

Lose condition: Not having the most points

Rule 1: No maiming or killing.

Rule 2: No looking up the answers on your holowatch.

Rule 3: No pressing the button before the host's signal.

Rule 4: No pressing the button using your powers

Rule 5: Wrong answers give points to other teams

Rule 6: Have F U N

"So, the rules are fairly obvious and expected for a trivia game. Here's how it's going to work: I'll ask a question, which will be displayed on a hologram that will appear in front of you all, and a representative will have to run towards the button and press it for their team to be able to answer. Simple as that." He smirked. "Representatives will have to rotate so everyone can have fun, not just the fast ones. A point per trivia, as per usual. Any questions?"

One of them raised a hand, and Allen gestured for them to speak. "What's with rule one?"

"You are a bunch of reckless, naïve, and impulsive youths. With powers. You do the math." He chuckled. "Just want to cover my bases and remind you all that it's just a game, hence the rule. Yes? Myscroft?"

"Is there a prize for the winner?" Regina asked.

"The only reward a hero should need is a job done well."

Him saying that brought a question in Calvin's mind, which he asked Ina in a whisper instead. "Do heroes get paid?"

"A lot." She answered promptly.

'Maybe I do want to be a hero.'

"No more questions? Okay, let's see here..." He flicked a finger and a screen went up above the rule-set.

Teams

Team 1: Alden Croftweld 0

Team 2: Superheroes 0

Team 3: Team One 0

Team 4: Menagerie 0

'Alden Croftweld? He really is a pompous ass.'

"Team 1, Alden Croftweld...", He raised a brow, glancing at the teen. "Okay, Superheroes, boring. Team One. Ha, that'll be confusing. And Menagerie, what's that mean?"

"A zoo." His assistant explained.

"Ah, okay. Right, get to your corners people. Just pick a corner, doesn't matter"

Four holographic circles materialized on the floor, each circle equidistant from the button in the middle. Each team picked a circle and stepped into it, its green glow shifting a shade lighter and displaying the team's name in the middle.

After the four teams got into position, Allen spoke from the side using a megaphone-like device. "All teams ready? Choose your representative and let them stand at the edge of the circle."

"Uh, so how do we do this?" Calvin asked.

"I'll go first." Ina said, going to the edge of the circle.

"Oh, sure." Calvin made way.

"Go Ina!" Quinn cheered.

"Let's go with something easy." Allen swiped his hand. "Remember rule number three!"

Trivia #1

What are the three generally accepted classification of powers?

Ina immediately ran to the button after glancing at the question. The rest of her team looked at her in surprise as she bolted out of the holographic circle. Except for Quinn, who was still vehemently cheering her on.

"Go Ina!" Quinn jumped like a cheerleader.

"Rule three!" Regina shouted to remind her but Ina just kept running.

Calvin looked at the other teams who were patiently waiting in their circles. Although one team seemed to be arguing with each other, gesturing angrily towards the holographic panel displaying the rules.

'Menagerie.' He read the arguing team's team name.

Meanwhile, Ina arrived in front of the button and stopped. She turned to Allen, patiently waiting for something while glancing briefly at the other teams.

Allen smirked before bellowing, "go!"

Before the three team representatives could run, she immediately pressed the button. A buzz rang out before she answered, "The three classifications are Physics, Mystics, and Gimmicks."

"Correct!" Allen announced, a holographic fanfare appeared behind Team One while their score on the scoreboard increased.

"That's not fair!" One of the representatives cried out. It was the one kid with telekinetic powers, "she broke the rules!"

"Read it again," Allen waved him off before turning back to Ina, "bonus question time."

Trivia #1: Bonus

Explain each category.

"Physics can enhance themselves, make themselves stronger, faster, better eyesight, et cetera. Mystics can affect their surroundings, make fireballs, telekinesis, powers like that. And Gimmicks are powers that have set rules and can include both Physics and Mystics." She answered.

"Well, kinda spotty, but I'll give it to you. Two points for Team One!" Allen clapped. "Remember, categories are loose, very loose. They're more of a spectrum than strict classifications we use. Powers don't care about that and will manifest in the way they want."

Allen waved and the screen disappeared. "Also, remember, the representative doesn't have to be the one to answer. Now go back to your teams and get ready."

Ina walked back, immediately getting hugged by Quinn as she entered the circle.

"Great job!" She grinned as she was pried off.

Ina smirked towards Regina who took it gracefully and complimented her, "Well done."

She tsked turning back to the team, "Who's next? Allen said we have to rotate."

"Me! Me!" Quinn raised her hand and offered.

"No one else is offering, so go." Ina gestured to the button. "Don't worry about answering, we can answer from here."

Quinn stood giddily at the edge of the circle.

"Pay attention to the rules next time, okay?" Allen spoke after seeing the indignant faces of the previous representatives. "Representatives ready? Good. Next question."

Trivia #2

What are Vanguard's three dogmas?

Quinn dashed, only to bump head first onto a stone wall. "Ow!"

"What the hell?" Calvin blurted out, seeing the stone wall rise to un-jumpable heights.

"It's team Superheroes." Lonnie, the cutlery boy, explained. "They have that girl that can make stone walls."

"That's cheating." Marrie meekly grumbled.

"It's not in the rules." Ina shook her head, crossing her arms in thought. "Ideas?"

"I can't summon a sledgehammer." Lonnie shrugged.

"Can we boost her?" Calvin asked, imagining a human pyramid of some sort.

"I'm wearing a skirt!" Quinn held her skirt down, looking at him like him accusingly.

Regina sighed, "we can just skip this one, they can only use this trick once every six questions."

They heard Allen give the signal and a bunch of noises outside. Grunts, shouts, and moving stones roared behind the wall before the button was pressed with a buzz.

"Hey kid, can you let down the walls." Allen's voice rang from the megaphone.

The walls crumbled to dust, letting the six of them see the aftermath of the scuffle. On the ground was the heckling creep from earlier, every limb elongated like some weird creepy monster. Standing above her was a girl with a red face, glaring down at the convulsing alien while holding her chest.

Calvin noticed a red imprint on the creep's face and his fetal position cradling a pair of very precious male organs, he could draw conclusions from there.

The girl that pressed the buzzer, the one next to the button with her legs transformed to a rabbit's, cleared her throat. "The three dogmas are Unity, Responsibility, and Sacrifice."

"Correct! Bonus question, go."

Trivia #2: Bonus

Recite the meaning of Vanguard's three dogmas.

"Uh..." She looked towards her team who had the same look as her.

"Well, that's okay. One point for Menagerie!" Allen clapped. "Unity in the face of adversity. Responsibility in the face of failure. And Sacrifice in the face of choice. That's the meaning of the dogmas, for those of you who didn't know. Anyway, back to your teams now."

"Aw, I wanted a go." Quinn deflated. "I could've punched that creep on the face."

"You can do that after the game." Ina patted her back. "Who wants to go next?"

"I can go next." Calvin volunteered, walking to the edge of the circle. "Might as well get it over with."

Allen didn't wait long before snapping his finger and making the next question appear.

Trivia #3

Who are the seven strongest Vanguard Heroes in Bastion?

Calvin walked out, looking towards the other teams to figure out who their representatives were.

'That's the pompous ass, the swapping guy, and the crocodile girl. Well, my pebble power won't be doing anything to them, not that I'd use it.' He thought while jogging to the button leisurely.

"Get away from that button, peasant." The pompous ass demanded while he walked elegantly.

"Did you really just say that?" Calvin heard crocodile girl snicker. He turned to her in pretend disbelief, "he really just said that, didn't he."

"He did." She chuckled.

"You dare laugh at a Croftweld." His voice grew dark as he started advancing towards her instead of the button.

"I'm not even here." Calvin muttered and rushed to the button.

"Hey!" He heard the girl behind him shout.

Calvin arrived at the button, waiting for Allen's signal, before his vision blurred and the scenery changed. In front of him was Team Superheroes with a smirk on their faces.

"Ah fuck, forgot about him." He groaned, sprinting back to the button that had the swapping guy standing beside it with an annoying smile.

The pompous ass flew back from crocodile girl who, true to the nickname Calvin gave her, had transformed into a beastman-like crocodile creature and pushed him away. She then flew backwards as well, from some invisible force hitting her chest multiple times, making her stumble repeatedly backwards until she reached the wall.

"Hey, man." Calvin said, arriving next to the button.

"Sup." Swapping guy nodded to him before he tried pushing him away.

Calvin sidestepped and threw him back, before his vision blurred again as he changed position with the swapper a second time. "That's really annoying."

"Thanks- ow!"

Pompous ass arrived and pushed away the swapper, repeating the pushing force until he was on the edge of the room.

"Ha, the button is mine, you fools." He raised his chin and struck a proud pose.

"Go!" Allen's voice rang out and reached towards the button, only to find himself on the edge of the room, pressing thin air.

"Ha!" Swapper laughed victoriously, slamming his hand down.

"Ow." Calvin spoke from behind him. "That's my hand, man."

Swapper looked down, his fist had slammed Calvin's hand down the button. Calvin had sneaked towards the pompous ass' ass and waited for the swapper to inevitably try to steal the button. Which he did.

Then it was a simple reach around his waist to press the button.

"How the fuck didn't I see you there?" Swapper grumbled.

"I have a very easy to forget face." Calvin shrugged.

"Ha, great job, kid." Allen laughed from the side. "Anyway, answer?"

Calvin looked at his team with a wry smile. He didn't actually expect to press the button.

"The seven strongest are, Destructoman, Megaton, Sky, Damsel, John Boe, Mason, and The Stylist." Ina answered in his stead.

"Correct!" Fanfare surrounded the team. "Bonus Question time."

Trivia #3: Bonus

What are their powers?

"I- I only know some of them." Ina answered, looking towards the rest of her team. Seeing their blank faces, she sighed, "Only Destructoman and Megaton."

"Unfortunately, no points for partial answers. That's okay, you guys are still in the lead." Allen clapped. "Although, it was a trick question anyway."

"Huh?" They turned to him with a questioning look.

"The specifics of their powers are classified. If you actually answered correctly, I'd have had to report you to the authorities," he spoke with a grin. "Back to your teams."

The trivia game continued on, each question letting Calvin know more and more about the world of superheroes than Sam had ever told him. It was also interesting to see people use their powers creatively to get an advantage.

Regina used her ink crows to blind the other representatives. Unfortunately she was beaten by a girl that could summon marble mirrors. Creatively, she made sunglasses for herself to block the ink as she rushed to the button.

Another one used his voice changing power to trick the Superheroes team to press the button by mimicking Allen's voice. They got deducted a point due to that, and the other teams gained one.

It was twelve pieces of trivia in total, along with twelve bonus questions.

Calvin glanced at the scoreboard as the game ended.

Teams

Team 1: Alden Croftweld 3

Team 2: Superheroes 2

Team 3: Team One 6

Team 4: Menagerie 6

"You know a lot, huh." Calvin remarked, looking towards Ina, the team's heavy-lifter in regards to answering questions.

"I just know some stuff." She said humbly, with a smile on her face betraying her aloofness.

"She's a hero nerd. I wouldn't be surprised if she gets a power that lets her memorize more facts about heroes. Ow!" Quinn recoiled as Ina flicked her forehead.

"Alright, game done, and we have a tie for the winners." Allen announced while clapping, then gesturing to remove the holographic circle on their feet. "Everyone gather, this megaphone is giving me a headache."

The four teams walked towards him in a tired shuffle. The adrenaline and excitement from earlier was now gone and demanding its cost in stamina.

"Snack break, everyone." Allen said, summoning a long table filled with food.

'Woah. How big is his pocket?' Calvin wondered, a bit envious that his pocket was only a shoe-box.

"Get some food and drink in all of you. I'll distribute the rewards while we eat." He said, walking towards the table he just summoned.

"Rewards?" A collective question was asked as all eyes in the room honed-in on him.

"Look at you all, like dogs smelling treats. Yes, there's a reward." Allen rolled his eyes, grabbing a cupcake from the table he summoned.

"But you said-"

"I said a good job is the only reward you all should expect. I didn't say it's the only reward you'll receive." He wagged his finger at them before taking a bit of the cupcake. "Ugh, so good."

"What's the reward?" Quinn asked, a bit too overeager.

Allen stared at her while eating his cupcake. Grunting, he waved his hand and out came twelve paper bags with an alpha symbol printed on them

Quinn quickly grabbed one of the bags and opened it, her smiling face freezing as she looked inside. Grown curious from her reaction, Calvin grabbed one of the bags himself and peered into it as well.

'Ah. That's why.' He thought, reaching inside and taking out a box with a commemorative mug inside of it. There was also a shirt and a few knick-knacks inside, stickers and pins and such.

"Anyway, good job everyone. I hope you all had fun, now you can relax. Eat or socialize. Or do like me, and go home. I'll see you all next week." He quickly grabbed and pocketed a few cupcakes, literally putting it inside his pocket instead of using the tinker tech, and walked out of the door.

Some of the others slowly trickled out of the room following Allen leaving, some even stealing cupcakes just as he did. Others stayed to socialize, chat with their peers while eating the snacks on the table.

"It's just a mug..." Quinn, deflated, slumped over to sit beside Ina.

"There's also a shirt." Calvin reasoned, only making her melt even more.

"She was probably expecting something super like some newly-invented tinker tech." Ina explained while she comforted her friend.

"Was there any chance of that happening?"

"No." She shook her head.

Calvin chuckled, looking around at the people staying behind. He spotted Regina at the corner of his vision, discreetly grabbing one of the paper bags and putting it inside her pocket. She looked around to see if anyone saw, pausing as she met eyes with Calvin.

He just stared at her with a flat face, while she wilted in embarrassment.

"You going home soon?" Ina asked him from the side.

"Huh? Ah, yeah. Just, resting a bit." Calvin nodded. He was actually planning to pilfer as much food as he can before going home. Sam couldn't cook for shit.

"Give me your holonum. I'll send you half of what I got from the bet." She raised her wrist, looking at him.

"Holonum?" He furrowed his brows before she pointed at her wrist. "Ah, no, I don't have a holowatch."

"What?" Quinn and Ina both asked, obvious bewilderment on their faces.

"I... don't have a holowatch?" He repeated.

Quinn squinted, judging him blatantly. "Are you one of those anti-tech purists?"

"No? I'm just poor." He admitted.

"But still, how do you not have one? How were you expecting my parents to pay you without an account?"

"By cash?"

"You're salaried. It has to go through the system." Ina shook her head.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Quinn grinned at Ina who just smiled wryly at the unstoppable girl. "Shopping time!"