Tough Decision: Part 1

The kids were buzzing with excitement about starting their senior year at Vill City Senior High School.

"Wow! Can you believe how fast the days have flown by?" Rita exclaimed. "We're finally seniors! Isn't that something?"

"Dad, you won't be driving us to school anymore, right?" Mark asked, teasingly. "I mean, now that we're seniors, maybe we deserve our own rides."

Mason glanced at Jenna, who caught his reaction and smiled as Mason playfully touched Mark's cheek. "It's up to you guys now to decide, and just as Mark said, it's time you consider getting part-time jobs."

"What?!" the kids exclaimed, except for Rita, who was completely confident in herself.

"Why aren't you bothered by Dad's suggestion, Rita?" Peter asked.

"Don't you guys know?" Jenna chimed in. "Debbie and Rita are popular social media influencers, and they earn quite a lot."

"Come on, that's not fair. Debbie doesn't need that; she's super rich, hence the name," Mark remarked.

"Our parents are wealthy too!" Sophie interjected. "Besides, there are plenty of job opportunities here in Vill City and at Vill City High. It shouldn't be too difficult to find one."

"You see, always stay positive like Sophie," Mason said with a smile, while Jenna chuckled.

"Let me guess, you also have a secret job we don't know about," Mark joked.

"No, silly!" Sophie replied, chuckling. "I'm still figuring out my skills, you know? I'm not sure which passion to pursue yet."

"One disadvantage of being good at everything," Mark teased, giving Peter a high-five.

"It's an advantage, genius," Sophie retorted.

"Maybe you could lend me a hand at work sometimes, Sophie," Jenna suggested. "Everyone loves you at my workplace."

"Peter and Mark, you could also come along to my workplace," Mason added. "Think about it. It's a way to earn some paychecks and gain valuable experience. It's a stepping stone toward building your own future." He smiled at them.

"I'll think about it, Dad," Peter replied.

"Uh!" Mark groaned.

"It's a tough decision," Mark admitted.

"Not when you actually consider it," Mason replied.

"I guess we'll just have to let you drive us to school on our first day, for now," Mark said.

"Nah, not today for me," Rita interjected. "Debbie's already here waiting for me. See you guys at school. Genius." 

"Wanna come along, Sophie?" Rita asked.

"Heck yeah!" Sophie replied. "I don't want to miss her sweet ride. Bye, boys! Girl's trip only." She gave Rita a high-five as they left.

Rita and Sophie drove with Debbie to school, while Mason drove Peter and Mark. They all arrived at Vill City Senior High School, with the girls arriving earlier than the boys and waiting for them at the main entrance hall.

"Took you long enough!" Debbie teased.

"Daddy had to give them a ride," Sophie explained.

"Haha!" Mark laughed sarcastically. "Very funny."

Debbie and Peter shared a romantic smooch and exchanged pleasantries before going their separate ways.

Already, onlookers had started admiring them the moment the girls arrived before the boys. As they entered the main hallways, more people couldn't help but admire them, especially Debbie and Rita. They noticed the beautiful smiles and heard the positive comments whispered about them and their stunning outfits. Suddenly, a group of boys and girls, including some seniors, approached Debbie and Rita, eager to get their autographs, have pictures signed, and take photos with them. These students were fans of their social media influence.

"Oh my god!" exclaimed a random senior girl. "It's Debbie and Rita!"

"They're here! They're actually here!" chanted a group of girls, screaming with admiration for Debbie and Rita.

"Oh my god! I'm such a huge fan of your platform," said another student. "You girls are the best. You're an inspiration to me and my friends."

Comments praising Debbie and Rita's greatness filled the air. People saw them as the perfect BFFs, ideal role models, and mentors. The admiration and awe-inspiring words continued to flow.

Peter and Mark were astonished to see the huge crowd around Debbie and Rita. "Wow! I never realized they had so many fans everywhere they went," Peter remarked. "Even on our first day of school, they're already popular."

"Girls are lucky," added Mark, earning an eye-roll from Sophie. Peter and Mark watched as Debbie and Rita graciously attended to their fans before heading to class.

On the other side, a group of jealous guys had gone through Debbie's social media profiles and discovered that she was in a relationship with Peter.

"I can't believe that beautiful girl is dating a loser like him. How unfortunate," said Jacob.

"He doesn't look tough," added Samson. They approached Peter after Mark had left to locate his locker. Jacob and Samson intended to intimidate him, as they were known bullies. However, Peter, oblivious to their intentions, assumed they wanted his autograph because they knew he was in a relationship with Debbie.

"So, you're the guy dating the hottest chick in town, huh?" Jacob said.

"Lucky guy. I hope you have what it takes to keep her safe," Samson added.

Confused, Peter replied with a simple "Uh!" He thought they wanted his autograph and misunderstood their words as flattery. Peter lightly patted Jacob's and Samson's shoulders and said, "No autographs today, guys. It's not my thing, and besides, we're guys. We don't do girls' stuff." With a smile on his face, he walked away, leaving Jacob and Samson stunned and confused.

Meanwhile, Mark finally located his locker and accidentally bumped into a beautiful girl whose locker was nearby. Mark's artistic work scattered on the floor after the collision, but the girl kindly helped him pick up his paper artwork and fell in love with it.

"Mark McCoy!" she called out to him, her voice filled with beauty.

"Uh, yeah!" Mark stammered, momentarily flustered by Felicity's beauty. "How did you..." He tried to figure out how she knew his name when she revealed that she assumed his art signature to be his name. Mark was astonished and flattered at the same time. Felicity then introduced herself as Felicity Valmond, but she preferred to be called V for short.

"Wow! Nice... I mean, it's nice to meet you, V," Mark replied, slightly regaining his composure.

"Uh, I like that," Felicity responded with a smile.

As they continued their friendly chat, Mark noticed something about Felicity when she opened her locker. It turned out she was also into art. Felicity explained that she found passion and joy in drawing, painting, and reading comics, mangas, and manhwas. Mark and Felicity discovered they shared the same interests and passion.

"I see you're into speedsters," Mark remarked, noticing symbols of speed logos like thunderbolts and lightning in her locker.

"Yeah!" Felicity cheerfully replied. "I've always loved speedsters. They experience the world at a slower pace while running at incredible speeds, breaking sound barriers or even the speed of light."

"Awesome," Mark exclaimed, amazed by Felicity's enthusiasm.

They went on to discuss their favorite characters and speedsters from comics and mangas. Felicity mentioned speedsters like the Blue Blurr and the Scarlet Speedsters.

"So, are you heading to the art department?" Felicity asked Mark.

"Yeah!" Mark replied, and they went to their department together. Debbie and Rita, who had tagged along, also learned where their department was.

Meanwhile, Sophie noticed that Peter seemed a bit down, seeing most of his friends heading to the art department. Sophie took Peter by the hand and dragged him along to their science department.

"Come on, Peter! You're with me. Our department is this way," Sophie said with a playful grin.

They all had a great time attending classes, making new friends, and becoming familiar with their school environment. Vill City Senior High School was more spacious than the junior high school, providing ample room for the students to explore and learn.

Days passed, and the teenagers became familiar with every aspect of their school. Mark and Felicity Valmond became study partners and best friends.

Unbeknownst to them, the villains who had been freed by Mayor Lyrecius were now masquerading as heroes, believing they had turned the minds of the citizens against the Ultra Family. However, they were unaware that not all citizens had bought into the ideas of the Ultra imitators, and the real Ultra Family still had supporters among the people.

Mayor Lyrecius, in collaboration with the wannabe superheroes, devised a plan to defend the Earth against their own evil inventions, which were attempting to take over the world. They aimed to prove that people only see what they want to believe.

On a fateful day, a genuine threat of alien invasion descended upon Vill City, posing a grave danger to everything in its path. The wannabe heroes gathered together to protect the city, but their combined efforts resulted in significant collateral damage. Tetraman, in his rage, nearly decimated an entire city.

Amidst the ongoing crisis, the wannabe heroes began to argue fiercely among themselves, lacking strategic teamwork and boasting about their individual capabilities instead of functioning as a cohesive unit. However, an extraordinary event unfolded during their argument as they battled to save the city and repel the alien invasion.

In the blink of an eye, a mysterious speedster appeared, effortlessly defeating the entire alien invasion with blinding speed. This speedster swiftly repaired all the collateral damage caused by the wannabe heroes and the alien invaders. Additionally, the speedster single-handedly brought down Tetraman, surprising even him with his superior tetra vision. In a flash, the speedster neutralized the wannabe heroes by placing power cuff neutralizers on each of them, while also seizing the Artist's art brush. The speedster left behind traces of quicksand on their hands as a symbolic gesture.

"What's happening?" Musical Girl asked, perplexed, as they all observed the quicksand slowly slipping through their fingers.

"Is this quicksand?" Everlasting Man queried, his curiosity piqued. The mysterious speedster revealed himself to be a male speedster and introduced himself as Quick Sand.

"Who the hell are you?" The Artist demanded, demanding the return of his artistic brush and powers in an instant. "Give me back my brush and powers," he commanded.

"Mr. Lyrecius should have never sent mortals to do a god's job," Quick Sand replied, addressing the villains playing wannabe heroes. "I am Quick Sand," he declared, finally unveiling his code name.

"You, of all people, should understand that, Tetraman," Quick Sand added, amending his earlier statement about mortals doing a god's job. He implied that he and Tetraman were like gods to the super villains, regardless of the powers they possessed.