The morning air was heavy, thick with anticipation as if the world itself held its breath.
Arthur, Gwin, and Miles stood in their dorm room, suited up in their hero suits.
None of them said it, but the tension was electric. Today marked the final exam: the combat portion.
"You guys ready?" Arthur asked, adjusting his gloves with a steady hand.
Gwin rolled her shoulders, her eyes burning with a competitive fire, "Born ready. Try not to cry when I put you down in front of everyone."
"Not a chance," Arthur smirked.
Miles fixed his cape, the fabric fluttering slightly, "As long as no one holds back, I'll be satisfied. Win or lose, I'm glad we got this far."
A knock interrupted their moment. The door creaked open to reveal a familiar figure in an instructor uniform, his grin wide.
"Morning," Bruce said, his voice warm.
"Bruce?" Arthur blinked in surprise, his brows lifting. "Well, damn, why are you here?"
"Mom asked me to transport everyone to save time," Bruce replied, stepping inside with a casual stride, "Duke and Annie were pissed off because they wanted to see their little brother again."
Arthur approached, arms crossed but with a grin tugging at his lips, "How's Annie and Duke?"
Bruce gave a gentle smile, "They're here. Sitting up in the stands. Annie's got her tablet out already, betting on you coming first. Duke, on the other hand, is waiting for the fights to start."
Arthur chuckled, "If Annie starts betting again and loses, I'll never hear the end of it."
Bruce turned to Gwin and Miles, "You two must be Arthur's new friends. I know he doesn't show much emotion and can be hard to read sometimes, but I'm glad he found people who are comfortable with him."
Miles gave a small nod, "You'll be surprised by how much he smiles and laughs around us. A bit of a perv, but a chill guy."
"Oh, I'm painfully aware. There was a time he and Duke had—" Before Bruce could finish, Arthur, without warning, furiously ruffled Bruce's hair.
"I'm sorry, were you about to say something?" Arthur teased, his grin widening.
"HEY!" Bruce swatted his hand away, frowning through a smile, "Okay, enough bonding. Everyone hold hands."
They all linked hands—Arthur on one end, Gwin in the middle, and Miles on the other end.
Bruce closed his eyes, and then—whoosh—the world blurred.
They arrived in the waiting chamber.
The rest of the finalists were already assembled—some stretching, others meditating, some sizing each other up.
Flamestar stood by the central monitor, dressed in her superhero uniform, arms crossed with authority. The screen behind her flickered, then came alive with a bright flash.
"Good morning, all of you," she said, her voice carrying over the room, "This is it. Your final test to determine your official rank as Heroes under the Hero Association."
She pressed a button, and the screen flashed with the bracket:
Final Bracket – Hero Combat Exam
Nameless (Arthur Star) vs. Scarlet Marionette (Gwin Scarlet)
LightningEdge (Jackie James) vs. Motherhive (Mary Steel)
Hope (Joseph Martin) vs. BubbleStar (Zack Creed)
Shadowbearer (Miles Thomas) vs. Future (Joshua Gram)
A murmur passed through the room.
Arthur and Gwin locked eyes across the space.
She smirked, "Well… guess one of us isn't making it to the finals after all."
Arthur chuckled, "Good. I wouldn't want it any other way."
Flamestar added, her tone firm, "And of course… we're streaming live to all national networks. Can everyone please stand together and hold someone's shoulder? We're going to say hello to the audience. Also, I need everyone to salute in a straight line. Because I will perform a little song for everyone."
As everyone held each other's shoulders, Bruce teleported them with another whoosh, and they arrived in the arena, met with loud cheers that shook the stands.
Each contestant stood in a line and saluted, their postures rigid, as Flamestar addressed the audience, "Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce the next generation of heroes."
The crowd erupted in cheers, a tidal wave of excitement.
Flamestar began to float in the air, "Alright, can we have a moment of silence? I would like to sing a song for this moment. It's 'A Hero Never Dies.'"
As Flamestar began singing, her voice was melody that made each contestant remembered their journey—the trials, the losses, the moments that had shaped them into who they were today.