Chapter Text
"Get up, you lazy ass."
Yoongi wants to pretend that this is part of his dream and not his annoying roommate, close friend and Destroyer of All Things Namjoon telling him to wake up. That would mean he's back to reality and the challenge that is his student life.
"Five minutes." He grumbles back, throwing his blanket over his face.
"Nope," Namjoon walks over to Yoongi's side of their shared dorm room and rips the blanket off of him. "If you're late, I'm late. And I'm not letting that happen on first day of classes."
Yoongi curses the stupid "buddy system" their school imposes on them. Why do roommates have to be marked late if the other is? What kind of educational system supported this stupid policy?
Apparently Heroes Academy did. Known as the most prestigious Super Hero Institution in the nation, only the most capable and able-bodied were to be recruited and even then, they had to pass an admission test to secure a spot in the Academy. Located in the highest mountains, near the peak and within the levels of the clouds, they were well hidden from any normal human view.
Yoongi had been recruited back in his hometown while walking home from school; he had conjured up a small ball of flames to keep him warm from the winter chill, thinking no one was watching. He still remembers the Recruiter's first words to him as she approached Yoongi:
"You have a Power, and with it comes great responsibility."
He thought it was a joke. What kind of line was that? Straight from some Matrix movie or some shit, he thought. But no, the woman had gone on to explain the real consequences that those with Powers faced if they didn't learn to control them.
"I'd like to invite you to come to the Open House," She had said. "You will find all you need to know about our Academy. If you accept, we will retrieve you at precisely 1800 hours in seven days."
Yoongi had no idea what to think at the time. But he was definitely intrigued; he knew none of his friends had Powers like his and wanted to meet others who did. The aspect of not having to hide it from everyone else also appealed to him.
He took the card the woman had handed to him. It was light blue with white letters and only had two lines on it:
"Heroes Academy. Super Hero Institution, Certified Divison A
Contact us: 837 928 7339"
He hadn't recognized the area code. When he looked up to ask the woman where the heck in South Korea this place was located at, she was gone.
"I'm giving you five seconds to get the fuck up, or else." Namjoon warns him.
"Or else what," Yoongi scoffs. "You're gonna read my mind to death?"
"Really? You wanna go there?" Namjoon is looking down at him with narrow eyes.
"Okay, okay, okay." Yoongi reluctantly gets up and stretches. He didn't need his friend digging into his thoughts early in the morning. "Give me five minutes to get ready."
"Three minutes." Namjoon replies, looking at his watch. "Or else we're going to be late for Combat Training."
Not going to lie, Yoongi had been looking forward to that class since the end of last year. Combat Training was the one class he got to kick ass for a credit.
Namjoon was in Year 3 and himself in Year 4, and both looked forward to their Combat matches like it was the highlight of that week. Well, he supposes they were; everyone in the Academy talked about the matches and the aftermath daily. It was a topic on everyone's minds, everyday, and one that determined where you stood among your peers.
The Academy liked to have Years 2 and 3, and Years 3 and 4 and so on, face each other for 'more variation and realistic situations'. The assumption was that facing others who weren't in your year gave the matches an 'element of surprise'. Or something like that (Yoongi hadn't really paid close attention during that lesson).
Not that they would be facing each other since Yoongi's power fell within the Elemental Division while Namjoon's fell in Extrasensory Perception. Some Divisions weren't ever matched against one another for the possibility of one having an advantage over the other. Yoongi thought that went against the whole 'element of surprise' thing the Academy promoted. But he wasn't complaining.
"Who are you facing?" Yoongi asks as he pulls on his uniform black pants.
Namjoon gives him a shit-eating grin. "Guess."
Yoongi's buttoning up his crisp white shirt with the emblem of the Academy pinned to his chest. "You're finally facing Hoseok?"
"No, even better." Namjoon is grinning so wide, Yoongi can see his dimples. "Our pretty Seokjin."
"No fucking way." Yoongi laughs, putting on his navy blazer now. "Seokjin hyung? That'll be fun to see."
Namjoon grabs his bag and slings it over one shoulder. "How about you, who are you up against?"
"I forgot to check." Yoongi was going to get to it, but more important matters (aka sleep) had come up. "Let's go find out."
-
Taehyung enters the busy cafeteria with his roommate, best bro and partner in crime Jimin beside him. They're known among the Academy as the two most troublesome Year 2 students and were well aware of their reputation. They even took pride in it a little, but they weren't exactly going around looking for trouble. They just had a knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Also, the fact that Taehyung could turn invisible at will didn't help matters at all.
Jimin takes one look at the line up and sighs. "We should've come earlier, Tae."
Taehyung thinks the line will probably take 20 minutes for them to get to the front. 20 minutes was way too long for his state of hunger.
"Hey," He turns to Jimin and grins. "It wouldn't be too much trouble to go... missing for a bit, right?"
Jimin laughs, knowing full well the implications of that statement. "No, I think it's the perfect time to... disappear for a bit."
"You know the drill." Taehyung says happily and Jimin nods. Taehyung vanishes right before his eyes.
Okay, yeah, there were rules against using your powers within the halls and classrooms of the Academy, but it's not like they were being monitored and they were really hungry! A well-fed student is a well-kept mind, right? Taehyung tells himself so and walks to the front of the line, unseen by those standing behind him.
He comes up right beside the student at the front of the line, close enough that if he breathed, the student would feel it on his neck. He does just that, which startles the poor guy and in that second Taehyung reaches out two invisible hands and shoves, causing him to falter and bump into the girl behind him.
"Watch where you're going!" She shouts at him.
"S-Sorry," The boy is apologizing, looking around him bewildered. "Something just pushed me!"
And before the boy can gather himself, Taehyung quickly grabs his tray of food along with the girls and tosses them into the air. Jimin, with his superhuman agility, catches both in mid-air and then is gone in a blink. All of this happens so fast that to anyone else, it would have looked like the trays had just poofed out of thin air.
"Thanks, and sorry about the trouble." Taehyung whispers, and he watches in amusement as the boy's eyes widen in shock at hearing a voice without a face to put it to.
Taehyung laughs and runs over to where Jimin is sitting at the back of the cafeteria, the two trays brimming with food and awaiting.
He sits down beside his friend, picking up a fork. "Ooh, hash browns. My favorite."
-
Jeongguk has never seen this many people with Powers gathered in one room before. He's sitting in a huge auditorium along with 99 others when the President of the Academy walks up the stairs to the stage and proceeds to look at them with an intensity that could cause the bravest soul to wither under. The President, known among the students as Universo, is a tall man with sharp features.
He meets Jeongguk's eyes and they hold each other's gazes for a fraction of second. Jeongguk has a sudden uneasy feeling; a prickling underneath his skin and feels his Shadow bristling. He stares at the President.
"Incoming class of Heroes Academy, welcome!" He booms into the microphone. His loud and deep voice exuded authority, commanded obedience and Jeongguk found himself listening intently to every word.
"As the President of this fine Academy, I welcome you all to call this institution your home for the next six years. Within its walls you will be educated by the finest teachers and trainers of the nation. You will learn to harness and control your Powers. You will become the greatest version of yourselves, and receive the best training available.
Those of you who graduate at the top of your classes will receive the prestigious Order of First Class. Then you will go through more training to become a Super Hero, the greatest honour one can achieve after training here in Heroes Academy. The rest, of course, will lead normal lives under the guidance and supervision of The Bureau."
Jeongguk wonders what 'normal lives' meant. And what was The Bureau?
"I hope that you all try your hardest to master the Powers you have all been gifted with. With Power comes great responsibility." The President says the school's motto with emphasis. Hepauses to look at them all, sweeping the audience with a stern glance. "A warning to all of you; these next six years will not be easy. You will have to prove yourselves, time and time again. There will be sweat, tears and blood involved and you will put in one hundred and ten percent of your efforts. Give less, and you will achieve nothing."
Jeongguk blinks. Did he really say blood?
"On a brighter note," The President continues. "As a welcoming gesture, our Academy invites you all to attend this morning's Combat Training class to see for yourselves what our Upperclass students have achieved under the institution's guidance. Watch the mastery of their Powers, how they become one with it and control it with finesse, with certainty and precision."
Here, the President pauses, and an excited murmur erupts among the Year 1 students. Jeongguk sits quietly, watching the tall man on stage with curiosity. He was excited to see this Combat Training. He wanted to see what other Powers existed apart from his own.
"So again, welcome to Heroes Academy! Please follow our Year 6 Prefects, they will be taking you directly to the Combat Training Dome."
And with that, the President ends his speech. Jeongguk turns around to see one of the Prefects beckoning him.
"You there," This Prefect is strikingly handsome, and Jeongguk wonders if that's a requirement to become a Prefect or not. "I'm Seokjin, Year 6 Prefect for Class A. Follow me."
Jeongguk gets up from his seat and wordlessly follows Seokjin, his Shadow trailing behind him. He can sense the excitement from his Shadow and smiles. Shadow had always been hard to get excited.
-
Taehyung and Jimin are sitting in the cafeteria, almost done with their stolen (or 'borrowed' - as Taehyung liked put it) meals. Taehyung is going through the new semester's timetable on his tablet, trying to memorize his schedule for the day.
"Hey," he turns to look at Jimin. "You got Combat in period 1 too?"
"Yep," Jimin replies, looking excited. "First match of the day. I'm going up against a Year 4."
"Really?" Taehyung looks at him in surprise. "Already? I thought we were usually matched with other Year 2 or 3s."
"That's what I thought." Jimin shrugs. "But it shouldn't be too bad. I looked up who I'm up against. He's got Fire Manip." Jimin had spent an hour last night searching up all he could about Elemental powers and how Fire was used in battles. The images of the burns he saw weren't pretty, and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't worried.
"Ooh, that's hot." Taehyung pats his friend's back. "If you lose tragically, I'll still be your friend."
"That's very reassuring. Thanks." Jimin replies dryly, shaking his head. But he knew Taehyung would be cheering him on from the stands, chanting some lame chant in that surprisingly deep voice of his.
Taehyung gives him a thumbs up. "If anything, just stop, drop and roll."
-
The Upperclassman are trickling into the Combat Training Dome, a huge structure made with walls of a special transparent material that kept wind, rain and snow out but looked invisible to the untrained eye. It was designed to allow the students to feel as if they were fighting under any weather or condition.
There are numerous rectangular battlefields located within the Dome and Yoongi recalls the first time he had seen them; he had been reminded of the Pokemon Gym battles he had played on his DS as a kid. Each student stood on opposite sides at the start of the match, a referee watching from the side. The boundaries were marked in white in the dirt, and each foot or body part that touched outside of the lines was a point deducted.
Overall, each competitor were scored based on three criteria during the matches: creative use of Power, reaction speed, and damage.
"You guys feeling ready?" Hoseok asks Yoongi and Namjoon. They're warming up in the Preparation Area, a training room of sorts, waiting for the matches to start.
"Bro," Namjoon is stretching beside him. "I was born ready."
"You're up against Seokjin hyung, right?" Hoseok says, grinning. "Be careful. You'd be surprised; he's Prefect for a reason."
"We'll see." Namjoon runs a hand through his grey hair, looking excited, and Hoseok shakes his head, knowing his warnings were going in one ear and out the other.
"How about you, hyung?"
Yoongi's practicing his fire abilities, conjuring up a small ball of flame and tossing it between his hands. "I'm facing a Year 2, I don't think I need to worry." He had checked who his opponent was as soon as he had entered the Preparation Area earlier. Some young-looking Year 2 with Superhuman Agility. He had never faced someone with super speed but he had learned how to combat them in theory. Putting it into aciton would be interesting.
"Well, good luck to both you losers." Hoseok grins.
"What, you're not in combat today?" Namjoon asks.
"Nope. I'll be recording for both of you so," He gives them a V sign. "smile for the camera later."
Students at the Academy normally recorded their matches so they could watch afterwards and learn from their mistakes. Yoongi remembers one time he was beaten pretty badly; he had gone against a Year 5 with Wind Manipulation. Watching himself lose on video again had not been a fun experience.
But these matches - despite the anxiety and stress they caused - were one of the students' favorite parts of their school year.
-
Seokjin leads the group of Year 1s to the inside of the Dome. He explains the significance of the building and what goes on inside.
"These battlefields are used for Combat Training classes. You will be entering them in Year 2, where you will most likely face other Year 2 students along with some Year 3s. The purpose of these matches are to further train you in controlling and harnessing your Powers. They are friendly battles, not matches to the death."
He hopes he doesn't sound too rushed but he can't help speed up the memorized speech; he wants to make it on time to see Yoongi's match.
"Alright, and now please take a seat in the stands overlooking the battlefields." He tells them. "Any questions?"
A boy with round eyes and a dark expression raises a hand.
"Yes?"
"What's the consequence for the loser of the battle?" He asks, his face unreadable. Seokjin notices that the boy's shadows are moving on its own accord. A Shadow Manipulator? He's never met one before, until now. They were a rare category of Power, and one with a bad reputation.
"Depends on the score. If they lose by more than 10 points, the consequences are greater than say, for example, losing by just 3 points." He's got only 8 minutes left now. He had to hurry.
"Okay, any more questions - please direct them to another Prefect!"
He smiles at the young crowd, and mutters an apology to one of his fellow Prefects, Hyosang, before bolting it out of there.
-
Jimin and Taehyung follow the throng of Years 2s into the Dome, the transparent glass entrance doors sliding open to let them in.
"Welcome to the Combat Training Dome." The cool automated female voice tells them. "Match 1 to begin in ten minutes on Battlefield 3."
Taehyung turns to look at his friend. "How sick is this?" This is their first time stepping into the Dome, and they were amazed at the sheer size of it.
Jimin is looking pale as a ghost. "Yeah," he says, looking around the Dome in amazement. The space was huge; easily twice size of a football stadium and there an enormous screen floating in the middle. Audience seats went around the peripheral of the Dome and he could see the excited Year 1s watching from them as they walked in.
Taehyung looks around the young faces. His childhood friend was supposed to be among them. Jeongguk had texted him earlier in the summer about being accepted to the Academy, and Taehyung had been excited for him. He was looking forward to seeing him for the first time in years. Jeongguk had always been on the quiet side back when they were little, but Taehyung was going to make sure things were a little more eventful for Jeongguk now that he was here.
"This is..." Jimin breathes, not sure how to describe it.
"Fuckin' awesome?" Taehyung offers.
Jimin nods.
"You're Match 1, right?" Taehyung asks, looking at the giant screen above them.
Jimin follows his gaze. On the screen is a picture of himself with the caption "Year 2: Jimin. Superhuman Agility" underneath. A picture of his opponent is beside it. "Year 4: Yoongi. Fire Manipulation".
"Yoongi... I've heard of him before." Taehyung says. "He's got a reputation for being a hot head."
He tries to commit Yoongi's picture to memory; this was the face of his first ever opponent in the Dome. And he was determined to make him his first defeat.
"Be careful, Jimin." Taehyung warns him. "He doesn't go easy, from what I hear."
"You worry too much." Jimin tells him as they make their way to the Perparation Area. "Just don't mess up the recording, okay?"
-
"Year 2 Class A against Year 4 Class A: Match 1." The computerized female voice announces, the words appearing on the huge screen floating high in the middle of the dome.
"Student 951 Jimin, Physical Power Division vs. Student 190 Yoongi, Elemental Division." A picture of each of them appears on the screen. "Opponents, please proceed to Battlefield 3."
Jimin slowly breathes in and out, in and out. This is his first match and he's feeling nervous but excited at the same time. He stands on one end of the battlefield. He looks over to the opposite end where the Year 4 student is standing. He looks about his height, and he wonders if his light orange hair is natural or a side effect of his Power. It suits him, he thinks.
Yoongi is mentally preparing himself and going through all he knew about Superhuman Agility. The biggest challenge was being able to predict their next move since they moved so damn fast. But he had a near perfect record with these matches and he was quick to think on his feet. He feels pretty confident.
"You better be ready, kid." He grins, knowing this wasn't going to take long.
"Opponents, please select your weapon of choice."
For the matches, students were given the option to choose one hand-held weapon of their choice. People usually chose ones that matched their Powers; ones that enhanced their capabilities so to speak.
Options included: daggers, bow and arrow, ninja stars, bamboo sticks, rods, etc. The weapons were not a joke; they could potentially kill either of the opponents.
Not that any student has died on the battlefield before. The referees were trained to step in before anyone got seriously hurt, but either party almost always came out with one kind of injury or another.
These matches were - for all intents and purposes - a part of their required training, but they also had a social aspect to them, unrelated to academics.
These matches determined social hierarchy among the students. The winners emerged with pride, high scores, and a higher reputation than when they had gone in.
So there was more than just your grade riding on these matches, and if you were the one to lose you suffered a loss of pride more than anything.
Yoongi selects a lighter from the hologram screen presented in front of him. A second later, it appears out of thin air before him and he grabs it, feeling the cool metal against his palm.
Jimin chooses a simple dagger, and tucks it under his belt.
"Weapons selected." The automated voice announces. An image of their chosen weapons appear on the huge floating screen above them. "Round 1, to begin in ten seconds. Referee, please proceed."
The screen starts to counts down from 10.
The referee in his all-black uniform walks to the middle of the battlefield and beckons the two of them to come stand on either side of him.
9.
They walk over to where the ref is standing.
8.
"Opponents, please shake hands."
7.
Yoongi offers his hand. "Watch out, kid." He says in a low voice.
6.
Jimin stares at the older boy before shaking his hand. He's got a handsome face to match those orange curls.
5.
"Walk to your ends." The ref tells them. They break apart and head back to their positions.
4.
The Dome is dead silent, all eyes on them.
3.
Jimin bends his knees.
2.
Yoongi closes his eyes and takes a deep breath.
1.
And they're off.