The Practice Tournament Begins Part Four

Night One Hundred And Twenty Nine

Age 1991

Outside of the tower all the Enforcers watched it with frowns.

"Hey uh is it on fire?" Eins asked.

"I mean... We did put a guy with lava powers, and a girl with flames that always spread, in a wooden tower..." North nodded. "Maybe no the smartest idea..."

"Yeah but those are green flames?" Eins shrugged.

"Green flames." Jackson also frowned and looked back up. "That uh... That isn't good..."

"What's happening?" Dawson muttered. There was a loud crashing sound as the tower began to slowly fall over its pillars giving out as more flames poured out of it growing larger and larger... "Yeah that's not good... What the hell are those idiots doing..."

***

Meanwhile in the Tower that was falling apart...

Mystery flashed over fast than anyone could react as he threw his arm over Hero's shoulder and leaned down whispering something to the boy. Hero's eyes went wide with shock when he heard the words. Mystery pulled away and jumped back. "Goodbye. I'll see you all again." He said more mist seeping out of him. "You know... If you survive the tower collapsing." He announced as he sent out a massive blast out and the tower was blown to bits as it began to fall over.

"What did you mean by that!" Hero yelled staring at the man.

More cracks appeared on the man's helmet as he backed up. "You'll have to learn for yourself... Goodbye Row..." Green mist covered his body he seemed to simply disperse.

The tower shook again as it continued to fall over and the flames got brighter...

"What did he tell you!" Max yelled.

"I... It's not important... Let's go..." Hero said back.

Over with Shelly the pink haired girl ran over to a wall and reached out placing her hand on it as small flames covered her hands. "We got to get out of here!" Shelly yelled blasting the wall and blowing a hole through it. "Let's go! This place is falling apart!"

"Right!" The three other girls said as they all jumped out of the hole and into the air below.

In the tower though Hero turned to Max. "Come on!" He yelled.

"One second." Max bent down picking up a large metal flag. "Alright let's go."

"Seriously dude..."

"What? I wanna win?"

Him and Max jumped out of the hole making it outside and they realized that the tower was freaking huge and they were all currently falling to the ground. All six of them screamed out as they began to fall at fast speeds to the ground below. They were at least three thousand feet in the air quickly falling down at a fast speed.

Outside all the Enforcer Captains stared with wide eyes as the tower began to fall. "Typical Squad Six..." The First Vice Captain muttered.

"Oh don't even! We both know this has Squad One written all over it!" Katrina yelled.

"Hey our recruits are falling to their deaths..." Sif yawned. "Might want to do something about that."

"Squad One can save themselves." The Vice Captain nodded. "But if Katrina wants to try and save her own than she can."

"You're a horrible parent..." Katrina sighed crouching down and building up a ton of Kinetic force as she fired into the air trying to save at least one person.

Up in the air all six recruits were screaming as they fell. Well five were screaming, Lucy had a blank expression as she opened her suit case and a large bird monster flew out grabbing her, and Emma and saving them, but it only had enough spots for two people so everyone else was on their own.

Over with Ken and Shelly, Ken was waving her arms around wildly. "Even if I land on my feet it won't matter!" Ken cried. She wrapped her arms around Shelly as Shelly let out a sigh. "I don't wanna die! This fall might hurt my brain and kill me! Do something Shelly!"

"Well... I guess living was fun."

"Wait you can't slow our fall down?" Ken asked with wide eyes.

"Nope."

"You're useless! And now I gotta die in your arms!"

"Hey you're the one who wrapped your arms around me!" Shelly said hitting the girl over the head as they fell even faster. "And besides you can heal!"

"Dying hurts! And don't hit me you bully!"

"Well than let go of me! I don't want to die with you."

"What I'm not good enough! You wish you could die with me!"

"Ha in your dreams! You grabbed onto me remember!"

"Well you're not letting go!"

Over with Hero and Max both boys were falling with blank expressions on their face as they watched both girls who were still holding each other as they fell. "Are... Are they seriously fighting as we get closer, and closer to certain death?" Hero asked.

"Even in the face of death they're Tsundere's..." Max sighed shaking his head.

Before both girls could break out into another fight they crashed down into the arms of Katrina who was now in the air with them wrapping her arms around both girls she used her kinetic powers to slow the fall down. "Hey you boys are on your own. I can only hold two at a time." She called out.

"Well crap!" Hero said with wide eyes. "If I still had energy in my gun I could have used that... Damn this sucks!" Finally letting out a sigh, and still up in the air Max created another lava, surf board blasting out large lava as he slowed his fall grinding against the building as he did so. Hero let out a cry wrapping his arms around the board. "Oh thank God-"

"Squad One for the win!" Max said his foot flying out as he slammed a kick into Hero's head knocking him off the board and sending him falling once more. "I wanna win!" He announced waving the flag around.

"You asshole!" Hero yelled falling down faster.

'Well... Better say a prayer...'

"Good idea..."

'I was joking...'

"Hero!" Hero looked down seeing Dawson waving his arms. "I'll catch you!" He yelled. "Trust me!"

"Alright!" Hero yelled falling down faster.

"Trust!"

"Trust!"

"Trust!" They both yelled.

Katrina landed on the ground next to Dawson holding Ken, and Shelly. "Hey I got these two."

"Oh thank God we're on the ground!" Ken cried out.

"You can let go of me now..." Shelly said flatly.

"You arms are around me to? You let go first."

"No you."

"No you!"

"And their fighting again." Dawson dropped his arms and turned to Katrina. "Well... Still... I'm glad they're-" Hero slammed into the ground with a loud crash not falling in Dawson's arms. "Shit..." Dawson said with wide eyes realizing what he did. "I was totally gonna catch him to..."

Finally surfing down the building Max landed down in a cool pose as he slammed the flag down. "And Squad One wins..." He announced loudly.

"N... Not really a factor here kid..." Angel sighed shaking her head. Her wings came out igniting with a bright silver light. "As for the falling tower. Be gone." And in a bright flash millions of iron feathers blasted out at high speeds slashing the tower to ribbons and breaking it down to nothing more than a soft powder which splashed the ground. "There we go." She clapped.

"Wow... I knew the four beasts were strong but still..." Max muttered. "Also I win right? I have the flag so I won?"

"...S... Sure... Squad One wins..." Angel sighed shaking her head. "We're kind of worrying about other things though so-"

"Hey Vice Captain I won!" Max yelled waving the flag around.

"Good job! Now go get Shelly so we can leave! Being near these other Squads is making me feel weaker by the second!"

"My God I've never seen a Squad filled with so many assholes before..." Angel nodded.

Back over with Hero only his legs was sticking out of the ground, his upper half was quite literally in the ground from how hard he hit it. "S... Shit I am so sorry Hero..." Dawson hissed grabbing the boys ankle and awkwardly pulling him out of the ground.

"T... Trust..." Hero groaned slowly pulling his head out of the ground. He coughed out spitting up stone and dirt. "I... It's mostly fine..." Hero groaned. His belly looked bigger than normal. "When I hit the ground I managed to bite into it with my jaw and swallow most of the ground I was crashing down into." Hero was still being held up, upside down, by the red demon who had a large frown on his face.

"You ate the floor?"

"Yep-" Hero mouth opened as an ocean of dirt, and stone flowed out, covered in vomit and his stomach slowly shrunk back down to normal size. "Man... I feel a lot better now..."

"Gross..." Dawson let go dropping Hero in the puddle of stone, dirt, and vomit... Dawson crouched down patting the boy on the shoulder. "Hero..." Dawson said calmly.

"Y... Yeah?"

"You don't get an action figure."

"M... Man..."

'Damn... I would have looked good as a toy.'

'Shut up Row...'

Katrina reached out patting Hero on the shoulder. "Hero... What exactly happened in there?" She asked.

Hero was silent for a moment as he remembered the fight... And what the man had said. Those four words that messed with him and broke what he knew... "I uh... I'm not... Well..." Hero's frown only grew.

Ken let out a heavy sigh as she let go of Shelly and pulled out of the girl with twin tails hug as she stood up. "I can inform you Captain Katrina announced." She gave a small salute as she nodded her head.

Katrina let out a small hum. "I see..." She turned and gave a small nod to Shelly. "You should head back to your Squad girl..." She hummed.

"R... Right..." Shelly blushed slightly as she jumped back up to her feet also giving a salute. She began to walk away for a moment but stopped as she looked back at Ken for a second. She turned back to Katrina for a moment. "Um... Miss Captain Katrina your recruit is hurt. I can heal them if you want? A... As thanks for you saving me of course. I'm not doing it because I want to or anything... I just don't want to owe you one."

Katrina let out a hum. "Good idea." She picked Hero up tossing him over and causing him to crash down in front of Shelly. "You can heal Hero."

"O... Oh you wanted me to heal Hero... Right..." Shelly sighed and crouched down as she raised her hands and pressed them to Hero's back. That same red energy flowed over Hero as the snow haired boy let out a sigh. Ken and Katrina began to talk while Sif quickly got her recruits and left before anyone could decide about who had to do the paper work, and what not.

Hero didn't listen though as Ken gave a report, and Max talked to his Vice Captain and Shelly healed him. Rather he rested staring down at the ground.

'I don't understand why you are worried.' Row's voice said echoing through Hero's mind.

Hero's frown only grew larger. 'I do care.'

'Why. You never met the man... I did. If anything I should be the one that is worried.'

"I see..." Katrina nodded as Ken finished informing her of everything she knew of. "That is most unsettling. Dawson, Jackson... The two of you take Hero, and Ken back to our base... I'm going to talk to Master Storm and see what must be done..."

"Yes Ma'am..." Dawson nodded.

Hero stood up leaving Shelly's side. "Your body should be 92% healed." Shelly nodded. "The rest of the damage is very minor... It'll heal on its own."

"Thanks Shelly." Hero smiled patting the girls head and making her blush.

"I... I told you! I didn't do it to heal you! I only did it because your Captain saved me!" She said turning away. "I could care less about you. B... Besides! You owe me now! I healed you twice! The second time was repaying your Captains debt, but I still went out of my way to heal you the second day. So now you owe me! When the time comes I expect you to come and help me when I call for you!" She announced.

Hero let out a sigh rolling his eyes before he gave a small smile. "Sure. I owe you one."

"I'm serious!"

Hero turned his back on the pink haired girl giving a small wave as he walked over to where Ken, Jackson, and Dawson were. 'H... Hey Row...' Hero thought.

'What?'

'Do you think that man was telling the truth...'

'...I do... I know a liar when I hear them...'

'I see...' Hero's frown grew slightly as he thought back to the four words the man had said to him.

"Okami Otoko is alive..."