章 35: "But That's..."
Gray has his 2nd stage eye active and a sad blue aura emitting from it.
Gray: "My 2nd 7:29am, after missing the last shuttle of the day to the student dorms, the gang went back to Daisuki's 2 bedroom apartment after Squad 40's first dinner together.
In Daisuki's bedroom the boys are passed out and snoring. Daisuki is on the floor on his back, in a weird sleeping contortion.
The two young men have their heads on opposite sides of the queen size bed.
Saku is on his stomach, a slight snore, his head in a small puddle of drool, facing to the left and his left arm hanging over the edge of the bed.
Katsu is sleeping silently on his back then turns to his left, scratches his butt, and without losing a wink of sleep, farts.
As soon as the clock turns to 7:30 Shelly slams the door open, clearly annoyed, with Friend behind her wagging its tail.
The slam wakes all three of the boys up and Katsu falls out of the bed.
Shelly(yelling): "ARE YOU FREAAKING KIDDING ME?!? NONE OF YOU WERE UP?!"
Saku(pillow over his head): "Shhadupp don't wake me up like that bitch!"
Shelly: "WE HAVE TO BE AT GRAYS OFFICE IN 30 MINUTES!!!...(looks at Daisuki) SENSEI?!?!"
Daisuki winces from his hangover pain.
Daisuki: "Uuhghhhh. Please darling, I got it we messed up, just please dear, don't yell anymore. I promise, we'll be like the minutemen...in 5 minutes.(holds back vomit) I've been to Gray's office, we can be there in 20 seconds after I start to open a portal."
Katsu finally gets upright and defends Daisuki while rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.
Katsu: "Yea Shell, Big Bro can open portals. As long as he's around, we can get anywhere quickly or last second. Hehe."
Shelly(not amused): "Depending on those eye powers isn't right Katsu!
Be a responsible human and depend on what still makes YOU, instead of using super powers to be lazy. Maybe the emo delinquent WAS right, maybe humans shouldn't have 'abilities' in the first place. They can easily make people lazy and dependent on them!"
A pillow is thrown in her direction and she catches it, from behind the pillow her 'demon face' is exposed and she is grinding her now sharp teeth.
Saku is fully awake and angry. He's clearly the one who returned pillow fire from the night before.
Saku: "ALRIGHT WE FREAKIN' GET IT! DO YOU WANT TO KEEP POINTING OUT HOW BROKEN WE ARE!? OR DO YOU WANT US TO GET READY!?"
Daisuki has his hands over his ears. Shelly takes a step forward but Daisuki's doorbell rings and all 4 of them stop the commotion.
Daisuki gets up and rubs his hungover temples on his way to the door.
The man opens his door to reveal nobody there. However, there are 4 bento lunch boxes(red, purple, black, and white) placed neatly at the door. A note is held down by the red one. Daisuki picks it up as the subordinates and the dog come to investigate.
Daisuki(reading note): "It says, 'Mina Daisuki', hey that's me... 'I hope these make up for today's inconvenience'...What does that mean?"
Katsu: "Did someone know that we were gonna be late and leave us some breakfast?"
Shelly opens up the white box and sniffs twice. She looks at the contents more thoroughly as if checking for poison.
Saku looks at her like she's weird.
Katsu: "Shelly, I think that ones mine."
Shelly(closes bento): "It's not breakfast, it's lunch food. I don't smell any poison but this whole scenario screams 'suspicious'. Who would anonymously leave us lunch and a note with no name of who left them? Sensei, do you have a secret admirer or something?"
Daisuki opens the red lunch box, eats a squid cut hot dog, and closes it back up.
Daisuki(while eating): "Mmmm. Well...I hope she doesn't stay a secret for long...I need me a woman here that can cook!".
{23 Minutes Later}
General Gray, sunglasses off and is sitting at his desk filling out paperwork. A knock is heard at his door and he puts down his pen and folds his hands.
Gray: "Enter!"
Squad 40 enters wearing their squad sweatshirts and black sweatpants. Daisuki first,
Daisuki: "Mornin' Gray!"
Shelly walks in second and Katsu, already eating the free lunch, is third to enter the office. Saku doesn't enter and stands outside, leering at the General from the doorway. Katsu turning back looks confused.
Katsu(mouth full of food): "Gohm on Shaguu, we-"
Saku(cuts him off): "I'm not going in there while HE'S in there. He's the reason I can't leave this mountain prison and he thinks he can restrain me from true freedom."
Katsu looks worried and looks forward towards Gray and Daisuki. All Daisuki can do is take a deep sigh.
Shelly gets a worried look.
Shelly:"Katsu, don't talk with your mouth full. You could choke."
Gray: "Only the squad's mentor is necessary for this excursion briefing, so if any of you want to come in and listen or sit out in the hall, you may choose to do so."
Daisuki shakes his head in defeat and motions Katsu to come in and not to bother arguing with his squadmate.
Saku leaves from the doorway before it closes. In a large hallway he sits against the wall with all their backpacks and their sheathed SunSwords. His dog comes over, sits right next to him and starts quietly whining.
Saku pets his dog and looks at Friend in his eyes.
After thinking about it, Saku takes a deep sigh and gets up.
Saku: "If you want to be in the same room as them fine, but don't make this a habit buddy, remember we have to get out of here."
From inside the office, the door opens and Katsu smiles as Saku and Friend walk in. Saku side eyes Gray and sits down in an open chair farthest away from him. The other three stand in front of his desk.
Daisuki: "Sorry we barely made it Gray...(thumb points backwards)...some of us needed a swift kick for a wake up call."
Shelly looks at her mentor in disbelief from his lie.
Daisuki: "So where's the other Squad? I thought the first excursion for these guys was supposed to be a double up?"
Gray waits a second before beginning.
Gray: "I wish you'd call me 'General' at least around the graduates Mina. As always, I want to thank you all for deciding to come here this morning...(gets Irritated)...unlike the squad that you were to be paired with. As of now they are officially late and disqualified from being one of the Top 5 Squads allowed to graduate."
Katsu raises his hand slowly. Gray looks at the young man and smiles.
Gray: "You look pretty familiar young man. Was your father perhaps a military man?"
Katsu thinking he was going to be the one asking a question is caught off guard.
Katsu: "I-My uhh. Dad was ranked C-Corporal. Sir."
Gray: "I see, so you're a soldier by blood, huh?"
Katsu doesn't answer or tell the General how his father actually taught him but Saku chuckles.
Saku: "He's not any type of fighter General 'Weigh'. Does this office come with that extra 30 pounds or did you get that from sitting around just doing paperwork?"
Shelly: "Shut up! Why are you trying to instigate the General of a military? What the hell are you trying to do? Do you not understand that Gray can disqualify us at any moment?(turns to Gray) I'm sorry General Gray, as Student Captain I'll make sure to reprimand him."
Saku: "Yea, sure you will. Do YOU not understand that I don't care about this academy or graduating in the first place?"
Gray ignores him and looks at Katsu.
Gray: "Ask what you were going to ask me before I rudely went on with my own question, son."
Katsu: "If you don't mind me asking General Gray sir, what squad were we supposed to be paired with today?"
Gray closes his eyes and rubs the bridge of his nose.
Gray: "It's a disappointment, I really thought when I put these squads together, your two squads would be a lock for Top 5 spots(He opens his eyes revealing his 2nd stage) From what I saw, Squads 20 and 40 had the highest probability of success out of all 70 squads."stage ability is a confusing one to explain. But if I look at a person or just a picture of them, with a mission or task I have in mind for them, a ranged percentage will appear above their heads relative to how likely they are to complete that task or mission that I'm in need to be done. If the probability of the task is realistically impossible or the person I'm looking at has no actual drive to do it, the percentage will say 0%. But when the probability is realistically possible, two numbers with a dash between them appear with a percentage sign on the end."
He deactivates his 2nd stage and Katsu and Shelly look at the general in disbelief not from his obscure power but because of the squad number he said was absent.
Shelly: "General Gray, sir, did you say Squad 20? But that's..."
Her instinct kicks in and she looks over at Katsu. He has already put down the bento box but the top is still off and he has immediately 'flipped that switch' once he realized a close friend was in trouble.
Daisuki feels it too, more than the night before during his "purpose" speech.
Saku has become immune to his "Hero Mode" but knows just by the way he talks that he's in it.
Katsu takes over Shelly's sentence.
Katsu: "That's Jays Squad...General Gray, please, I know someone on that squad, and he isn't someone who would miss out on something this important.
I'll admit he has minor amnesia but he is still one of the most dependable people that I've ever known! Something must have happened to him and his squad for them all not to be here. Please, General, if I get him here can you at least hear him out and let him explain why he didn't show up? I admit I don't even know where he could be, but us 'linking-up' for an excursion is just as good as being on a squad together! He would never have turned down this chance!"
Gray stares at the young man who has complete faith in his friends. He is also feeling the 'AoE' that Katsu's 'switch' emits. After a moment of silence and no response, Katsu gets on all fours then puts his forehead to the floor. Everyone in the room is paralyzed from Katsu's action.
Shelly: "Katsu w-what are you doing!?"
Katsu(forehead to the ground): "Please Sir! If what my friend tells you isn't a sufficient enough reason, then I will volunteer to disqualify myself alongside him!"
Shelly: "Katsu?!!"Saku(smirking): "I coulda guessed you'd say something like that, 'Voice of a dumbass Hero."
Daisuki is smiling in Gray's direction knowing his old friend is a sucker for a young man betting it all on a friend, but Gray doesn't show face. Instead he stands up and activates his 2nd stage now a slightly dull yellow aura, instead of the sorrowful blue from before.
Gray: "Katsu of Squad 40!"
Katsu stiffens up as the man shouts at him.
Gray: "Your 1st personal mission, given to you by me, the current sitting General of Humanity's Final Flame, is to bring your friend or anyone from squad 20, and find out what was more important than the survival of their own species. Accepting this mission includes your acknowledgment that with failure to complete this mission within the next 3 days is grounds for your HFF graduation disqualification for this year. Have I been absolutely clear with your mission and the repercussions of your possible failure, Katsu of Squad 40?"
Gray's 2nd stage eye gets wide, as if seeing something more impressive than anything he's ever seen in his 45+ years and the dull yellow turns a brighter yellow.
Katsu points his finger to the sky.
Katsu: "SIR YES SIR!"
Meanwhile, somewhere in a city further from the Sister Mountains than Hanabi City, on top of a 30 story high tech building with an empty helipad, Jay lays unconscious. His watch is on and his uniform is slightly torn as if from a struggle. He is lightly covered in snow and is in discomfort while he is knocked out. While he mumbles in his sleep the building starts shaking.
The top of a giant Iceman head goes by but it doesn't see the young man and continues on its way as it destroys a small store across the street.
Just before the Iceman kicks the wall in, a woman is running from the inside. A pack of smaller Icemen see her and chase. She's screaming for help but it's just drawing the attention of more Icemen to her.
Woman: "Pleeease! SOMEBODY HELP ME PLEHEHEASE!"
One of the Icemen grabs her long hair, slices up her spine with its knife-like appendage and pulls her down. The aliens pounce on her and from the top of the building her screams/pleads for help can be heard.
Woman: "Sto- NO! Ahh HELL-*sound of a throat being torn out* KUHHKhh"
The commotion wakes up Jay and the powdering of snow falls off him as he sits up. The women's screams are no longer heard once Jay fully wakes up and realizes the situation he is in. He looks around and gets up. He goes over to the edge of the building to see he is in "Hell", alone, without his weapons but he still has his watch on.
Jay(slightly panicking): "Wait what the hell is going on! OK think, did I get amnesia again? No. No N-No way, I walked into the room w-with 'Squad 20' on it and then... and then I woke up here. Why am I out of the Sister Mountains? Where is my squad?"
He takes a deep breath and looks up for the sun's position.
Jay: "So it's definitely morning, if that's east...(turns head left)....then North is that way. Aha!"
Off in the far, far, far distance the tops of 3 mountains can barely be seen from the top of the building he is on. He shields his eyes from the rising sun.
Jay: "I think I get what's going on now...The squad numbers were just a red herring and the actual qualifier is a battle royale with randomized starting areas based on our academic and combat rankings. The 15 graduates are probably the first 15 students to make it back to the mountains.
Damn, I really wanted to get one of those eyes though. Maybe I can find a set of used Anti-Iceman Gear. (remembers) Haha, I hope Katsu and Shelly didn't get split up or Katsu's screwed. If I find him I'll have to keep him safe until we find Shelly, hehe. But I owe everything to that lil dude."
After confidently assuring himself of the unknowingly wrong situation, he gets a huge smile that grows on his face and he punches his palm with a loud smack.
Jay: "If I can beat Shelly back to the mountains WITH Katsu then I'll HAVE to be considered one of the better of the "Beasts of Humanity's Final Flame Academy" and one of the best 15 students. Looks like I'm going to have to pull off a complete stealth mission as my first excursion...Ight bet."
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