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It was a sunny fall day, light cloud cover drifting through an azure sky as the bus trundled along, puttering as it went. Traveling from the hotel in the middle of New York farm country where orientation was held, the automobile had made it's long journey to finally grow closer to the Hands-On HQ. According to the speakers at orientation, it was a short drive to the high-tech, newly minted base where they would begin their journey to become Heroes.

The sense of tension in the air was palpable, but the Apprentices were still acting their age. A few had already clustered together, some sat alone, but all could feel the sense of nervous excitement in the air. Yesterday, a fight had broken out between two of them, apparently all in good spirits. None of them had met their mentors yet, but rumors were still flying around the country. Some said they would have intensive combat courses, others said that they would drop the lowest ranked team from the program at the end of the year, still others said that they would be taught by government employees, not heroes. Regardless of what happened, right now the bus was moving steadily towards the shining city glimmering in the distance, all glass and steel. It was going to be an eventful day.

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The trip to America was an exciting one for Samada, who always wanted to visit overseas and thanks to this apprentice program he would be staying there for a couple years from what the scout told him. His mother had been extremely reluctant to let him go, though he understood why, what with his quirk and body condition and worried he might forget to properly eat, taking lots of convincing from Samada and his until she finally caved. Of course he would come to miss them and so made sure to bring a picture of them; placed in the bear shaped locket that currently dangled against his chest.

After much tearful goodbyes from the mother and promises to be safe and to maintain his body care; a large, overly stuffed backpack and he was off.

Eventually leading to being on the bus alongside the other apprentices; finding it exhilarating to see more of them than he thought and could practically feel the excitement buzzing in the air. So much so that a small fight had broken out two days ago. A good sign things were only going to get even more hectic and crazy once they arrived at this HQ.

For the time being, Samada chose to sit near the back as he didn't know any of the others yet, moreso his huge pack needing to be placed on the seat next to him. So there he sat or at least not bouncing around with all the fidgeting he did.

A young male of fifteen giving off the look of a puny wimp with how slim he was compared to most boy his age. Something he couldn't help, what with his quirk greatly increasing his metabolism so he couldn't gain weight even if he tried, though also came with the need to eat three times more than normal to prevent his body from eating itself and burning out. This being the reason for having a backpack filled with lots of bento boxes, sandwiches and other varying healthy food and snacks as he currently munched on a mixed berry granola bar.

Adding to the slim build were an assortment of bandages over his arms, hands and one on his cheek as his legs likely had several. Clearly showing this boy was somewhat of a klutz, but it didn't bother him and in fact found each of them a fun story to tell.

Other than his sort of odd way of dressing, the one thing that really stood out about him were the vents in his back which had been there since birth. Thankful that a shirt could cover them up, but the random spurts of venting he sadly had no control of and hoped to avoid filling the bus with smoke, again thankful the gas itself had no smell and more a minor annoyance if anything. A simple open window to take care of that, he hoped

He gazed out through the window, taking a bite of his granola; intrigued at seeing all that open farmland. A good distraction for thinking about heroes and the apprentice would get him excited all over again. His hand gripped the bar tightly, nearly crushing it as he wished they would arrive already.

Heterochromic eyes gazed lazily out the window of the bus, as the familiar yet unfamiliar backgrounds they drove by passed without much of a second thought. Tempest leaned back in his seat as he couldn't help but feel nervous. They were slowly but surely getting close to the Heroes HQ, a place he couldn't even dream about going to until he oh so suddenly got invited. Fortunately the blonde managed to acquaint to some of the other apprentices following the same path as him.

The was one girl in particular he had been sitting next to, her name was Flint, who he had managed to talk to for a little bit despite their polar opposite personalities. Meeting her and the other apprentices helped ease his nerves and help him feel a little bit at home. None of them were particularly rude to him, nor did they bring up his bruised and bandaged appearance. But some on them were violent, even fighting the day before.

However, there were a few people who stayed away and sat alone. One of them had crazy pink hair that stuck up in various directions. He was pretty lanky from what Temperance could see and was covered in bandages much like him. Despite his slim build, he was carrying a large bag which put Tempest's little backpack to shame.

Just as he was about to look away from the loner, the sight of him pulling out a granola bar caught his attention. To hungry to care, Tempest stared at the pink haired boy as he chewed on his granola bar, his expression wanting and his mouth drooling a little.

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The back of the bus was noisy as usual. Nothing different from your typical field trip.

A young man sat near the bus windows, glancing at the scenery that the trip provided him with. The neighborhood seemed very peaceful and orderly, unlike the dilapidated slum that he grew up in. The air was fresh, and people would trot by, only minding their own businesses. Traffic was not as evident, for the bus cruised down the street unhindered. The young man felt serene and inspired by the scenery.

Still, he did miss his homeland. His town had it's own charm. Elpoy was badly in need for some neatly-cooked fishballs.

The young man went by the name of Elpoy Diaz. He was a migrant from the Asian archipelago commonly called the Philippines, and he did not expect that much from America. Usually, people from his country would always take time to buy a jacket and a scarf before heading off to other countries. Elpoy wore just that. His backpack sat between his feet, subtly mirroring his thrifty nature.

During orientation, Elpoy had made some friends. Of course, they were wary of Elpoy's grammar. Incidents like this were common:

"It's pronounced as pit-za, but it's spelled as pizza. P-I-Z-Z-A. You get it?"

"Why is English like this?"

And then there would be this:

"Why is it spelled like that? Isn't it pronounced as boff-ey?"

"Go get a dictionary of your own."

While we were snickering at Elpoy's shenanigans, he had already pulled out his own smartphone. Smartphones were getting cheaper as the years passed, and our young man had managed to get his hands on a decent one. He began playing some obscure FPS game.

Yes, he was very good at those.

"Boom! Headshot!"

@ChickenTeriyaki

"Whatcha playin'?" Shakti asked Elpoy looking over his shoulder, having seemingly crawled out of nowhere. This conversation was not struck up at random. Shakti had seen first hand how ridicule of one's difficulty with a language could make someone close in on them self; after all, both his parents had been mocked for their Indian accents. Shakti had seen and heard some of that ridicule being thrown Elpoy's way the previous day, so had decided to just be a comforting, nonjudgmental presence. Shakti's halo was glowing brightly and tilted backwards, a sign that he was in a good mood, and ready to be open and friendly. He brushed back a long strand of golden hair behind his ear. The hair and the halo were pretty clear signs from a young age that he would develop a quirk, since many quirks had physical symptoms.

Shakti was super excited for their hands-on hero experience, and just as excited to see New York City. Although Shakti was born and raised in the heart of Silicon Valley, the Big Apple, from what he'd heard, was a different beast. He wondered what mentors they would have, as well as what team he'd be put in. He scanned around the bus, wondering what everyone's quirks were.

Mark sat pretty close to the front of the bus because he liked being close to the engine. Working on all sorts of vehicles with his father made him appreciate the sheer power the bus's engine had. Sure the bus sputtered a few times and the driver seemed to have some issues with the clutch and gear shift, but he figured the bus was old and had thousands, if not millions of miles put into it. However, even though he seemed comfortable and relaxed. He was both nervous and excited.

He was going to be part of the Apprentice Program and learn to be a superhero. It was still all so overwhelming. He’d watched the superhero movies and cartoons as a kid, but never once did he imagine he could be a hero like them. It was exciting to see what his Quark could do when he mastered it, but also nerve-wracking to think of all the danger he'd probably be part of. Because of the two emotions collided with one another. Mark's right leg bounced up and down frantically as he thought more about it. However, he did come prepared should his nerves and excitement overwhelm him. He had his music player on and his right headphone over his ear while the left rested against his neck in case another person sat next to him. He didn’t want to look standoffish and liked company to talk with now and again. In his right hand was a combination ruby red wrench that he would fiddle with now and again. He’d place his finger through the box end and let it swing like a pendulum. He’d do this at home when he was nervous, excited, or just board.

The wrench in question wasn’t made of his Liquid Metal. Instead, it was a normal combination wrench. Well normal to everyone else, but to Mark it was special. His father bought him his very first tool kit and inside was the wrench. It was the one tool he’d used so many times and because of that, it had dents, scratches, and the bottom part of the open-ended side of the wrench was broken off. However, even though he’d replaced it with a new combination wrench. He hadn’t thrown this wrench away. It was too special to him and wanted to keep it no matter how many pieces broke off. The bus bounced and he felt himself bounce up a few inches before coming back down on the seat. He heard the bus sputter as the driver shifted gears.

“Gonna need to fix the transmission soon,” Mark said to himself. His leg that had been frantically bouncing up and down now seemed to bounce to the music as he let out a sigh, “Not long now I hope.” and went back to watch the wrench swung back and forth to calm his nerves.

He couldn't believe that he had done this. Here he was, in a foreign country, surrounded by other people his age who all wanted to become heroes. He wasn't even sure if he was in the same boat. But when you have a famous hero for a sister who supported you enough to get you an apprenticeship, you didn't want to let them down. Everyone else thought that Ryoma's Quirk was useless, but not her.

Ryoma had been lucky enough to get a window seat on the bus and been staring out wide eyed at the city. New York was so different from Kyoto, it was all more than a little overwhelming. He had been so focused on watching the outside world that he hadn't even seen who was sitting next to him, if anybody. There was some chatter on the bus and Ryoma tried to follow it the best that he could. While he could speak English well enough, he hadn't exactly had much practice actually using it. Especially when everyone was talking so fast, it was as if all their words were mashed together into one. Out of every struggle he was sure to come across, the language barrier would have to be the most difficult. It was hard to learn when you didn't always understand what was being said.

---

Lucy found herself in the same position that she usually did when on a bus. Sitting alone, swinging her legs because she couldn't sit still, listening to music. She was one of those dorks who didn't like earbuds, so she had a big pair of headphones covering her ears, drowning out the noise of the bus around her. People tended to find her none stop movement annoying, but it also meant she got an entire seat to herself instead of having to share, so it had it's benefits.

She was the most excited she had ever been in her entire life. She was all the way across the States in New York, riding on a bus so that she could train to be a hero. She had been a fan of heroes her entire life, and now she had the chance to become one. She would work hard and maybe one day she could use her Quirk for good. If she could ever learn how to control it. It had been a couple years since she had discovered Burst Impact, and she still didn't know much about it. Every once in a while she still accidentally launched her brothers a few feet in the air.

The thought of her brothers made her sad. She had never been away for them for very long before, and it would be a while before she saw them again. Part of her already felt home sick, longing to be on the beach with them, but the rest of her was still incredibly excited. Lucy took her phone out of her jeans pocket and switched the song on her phone to the next one. Unintentionally swinging her legs to the music, it took a lot of effort to not start singing as well.

A nosebleed. How embarrassing.

Maksim quickly retrieved a tissue buried in his pocket, flicking it out with murderous intent. He stifled the bleeding, taking a look to see how heavily it was bleeding. A patch of wide-eyed, grinning redness stared at him on the paper. It almost soaked through.

If there was one thing he learnt from his time in New York, it's that the tissues are cheap. And overpriced. Here, at the heart of the country, sat a man with a heart trying to explode from his chest. Maksim was incredibly out of his depth; at least, that's what he thought. Around him were a smorgasbord of upcoming heroes, each with bright futures ahead of them. They had been dealt a favourable hand by God, and Maksim had a feeling that his card was either a joker or an ace. He still knew so little about his place in the world, barely old enough to walk and function, yet here he was, being scooped away in the arms of the most funded in the country.

Growing up in the pan-handle state of Oklahoma, everything was ordinary. There was so much space for a human being, and they certainly made good use of it, with each person occupying as much space as they could, but on this bus everyone was . . . a bit cramped.

If he failed? His life would be a disaster. He would have failed everyone that cared about him and he would spend the rest of life biting his tongue, both literally and metaphorically, to wish he had tried harder or been born differently. Maybe things would be easier that way.

And if he succeeded? He would be a hero.

And for that reason, he would give himself a chance.

A chance to feel the warmth of the sky radiate through the windows, a chance to feel the pressure exerted by everyone on the bus, and a chance to breathe. One breath at a time.

@Stern Algorithm

"...a game"

Elpoy had no idea how to deal with girls. He never had time to do so in his youth. He could have tried to pull off some romantic shenanigans on the girl, but he already knew he was terrible at those.

He felt like he needed to. His classmates in grade school would always do such things.

But he couldn't. He just couldn't. Maybe he should just stay put?

EDIT: Sorry for breaking the rules with the original post

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Sasha had never been one to sit still, yet today even her usual restlessness seemed to go overboard. She had been down in the garage since before breakfast and been taking apart a motorcycle and put it back together again at least three times. For those that knew her well, they could probably tell that she was actually quite nervous, they would soon be taking on new apprentices, new faces, and new lives that they would be responsible for. It was a bit of pressure to take in and Sasha didn't want to mess up or do something too embarrassing. When the call came that the bus had finally left the hotel she couldn't sit still any longer.

She headed to the stairs and threw off grimy clothes when she came up. She headed past the living quarters and towards her private ones "Hey Marcus, you Giant Teddy bear!. I'm heading out to check on the bus, I'll be back in twelve. " she called out while going to her room to put on a clean jumpsuit before heading to the armory. She headed inside and looked to her flight suit while putting on her headset "Saturnia taking wing. How's the weather?" she called in the microphone. She got her response while strapping on her gear. "Rodger that Saturnia: There's a Mild autumn breeze to the east, fair winds, and clear skies. Traffic's near nonexistent, have a safe flight" they responded from the ground control.

She stepped up on the ramp and took a deep breath. "Highway to the sky..."she said as the roof opened up and the ramp launched her up in the air like a catapult. At the peak of her launch, she activated the thrusters and shot away like a tomahawk missile. An unmistakable sonic boom was later heard when she reached enough height.

---

To the observant, they would probably spot a dot in the distance blast by near the highway, then said dot made a U.turn heading along traffic lines before getting closer and closer. It did not take Saturnia long to catch up to the bus once she found the right one, and then she quickly adjusted her speed to fly alongside it while the conditions allowed it passing over a few cars on the way. She scanned the faces of all the visible students as she flew near the window and then increased her speed to pass the bus slowly. Once she finished she dropped speed, however, letting the bus pass her once more, then she grinned slightly as she latched onto the rear of the bus and gave the students a bit of a surprise when they were suddenly pushed back in their seats as she gave it a Jet boost. Yet it was but for a few moments, before Saturnia let go again, she knew she didn't have the energy or strength to push the large vehicle all the way even if she wanted too. She flew up next to the bus once more and saluted the students before speeding up fast enough to pass it in a blink of an eye. The ones in the very front would see her vanish in the distance before flying up in the air and vanish in another sonic boom.

---

Saturnia had been gone for just about twelve minutes precisely when she returned. And as she landed on the ramp she let out a sigh "Phew, talk about burning calories"she said wiping of the sweat from her brow as the ramp lowered her safely to the armory once more. After putting her Suit back where it rested between missions she headed back to her room to hit the shower and she would stay there until the students finally arrived.

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Isinui, Samada

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The others were likely bored from having to sit on this bus; all wishing they would just arrive already, but he was content with enjoying the scenery passing by outside. Munching on the granola bar, trying not to be noisy with his bites.

All the zooming was starting to make his eyes hurt though and so looked away while blinking. Taking this chance to look around the bus and glance at the fellow apprentices, who were all probably brimming with excitement at what awaited them. His gaze eventually came to rest on a boy that also sported bandages and couldn't help but think he was staring at him and wasn't sure what to do and thought it best to be friendly by giving him a friendly smile and wave of his hand.

His attention was then taken by the low whoosh passing by the bus, which made him press his face against the window. In doing so had caught a brief sight of a human sized flying object and his eyes went wide with awe.'Whoa!! is that a hero?! 'He exclaimed just before the bus got propelled forward like a rocket and had his body forced against the bus seat and left pinned there. When the pressure died down did he throw up his arms.'Whooo!..that..was..awesome!!'Laughing with renewed excitement as what just occurred an example of what's to come.

Temperance blinked as the mouth that was munching on the granola bar was now smiling at him and the boy himself was waving. Realizing probably how weird he was being, the blonde waved back. The other guy seemed nice enough, but he was sitting all by himself. Ultimately deciding to venture over, Tempest placed his hands on the back of his seat and tried to slide out of his seat. Just as he was about to do so, however, his entire body was pushed back into the seat by a strong force. Groaning as his quirk activated on its own, Tempest let out a heavy sigh, trying to relax his muscles and the energy was unintentionally forced into them before standing up on the moving bus and scurrying over to the seat in front of the pink haired boy's own, just as said boy was shouting about how awesome something was.

"...A-Awesome?" Tempest croaked, his raspy voice being only barely louder than the noises that came from the bus. After a bit of thinking, the only thing the other would be so excited about was the bus' sudden movement, in which Temperance nodded in slight agreement. "O-Oh...y-yeah. I hope w-we'll be able t-to do cool st-stuff like that when we b-become heroes..." The blonde added on as he faced the other boy, his knees on the seat and his stomach pressed against the back of his new seat. "A-Ah, where a-are my manners..." He trailed off as he extended a shaky bandaged hand to the other. "M-My name is Tempest...nice to meet you M-Mister..." Tempest smiled as best he could.

---

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Mixed among the sounds of quiet chatter and sputtering engines was a constant, steady flickering of metal. Flint opened, ignited and closed the lighter she held in her fist, repeating the three step process over and over. The Zippo brand igniter was among her favorites. It was bright steel, with one side featuring the Great Seal of the United States while the words "Do or Die" were printed on the opposite side. Supposedly, the lighter used to belong to a pilot back in the Second World War. Judging by the pricing, however, Flint could guess that was bullshit made up to sell it. Whatever, that didn't matter; O'Brien thought it looked cool. She'd bought it online a few years back and hadn't regretted the purchase for a moment.

Flint's gaze was locked firmly on the roof of the bus, her mind in another place. She was mentally going over the events that had taken place so far. The hero organization had their orientation held in the middle of nowhere, and had the apprentices stay in a grimy, second rate hotel before and after the event. Flint was used to such conditions, but she hadn't expected it from the way the recruiter spoke. O'Brien had kept to herself throughout the trip for the most part. The majority of her peers were plucky, incompetent doofuses that were all heart and no muscle. They wouldn't last a second in the real world. No amount of desire to be a hero could overcome a total lack of skill or natural ability. Orientation was mostly bog standard. She didn't learn much about what she'd be doing aside from the bare basics of it all. It would've been painfully boring, if not for the fight that broke out between two of the tougher looking wannabe sidekicks. They kept the whole thing from being a complete snorefest, thankfully.

The boy sitting next to her was among the individuals Flint didn't think would last. Tempest, she believed his name was, was about as tough as a kitten and looked like his bones were made of glass. They briefly spoke earlier, but O'Brien found it difficult to remain cordial, so she dropped the conversation to avoid damaging glass boy's feelings. Flint had never been a people person. People let her down, made fun of her and abused her for being different- people sucked ass, generally speaking. The only person O'Brien could ever rely on was herself. Now that she was going to be a superhero, Flint probably needed to curb the cynicism. Heart and morality and all that crap were important to heroes. She'd need to cut down on fighting people, too. Beating up other apprentices for being dumbasses would be a good way to get kicked off the program for good.

It was then that Tempest started to stir. Flint eyed him suspiciously, wondering what the boy was doing when he stood up and tried to shuffle past her. 'Where are you goin'?' She wondered to herself, not bothering to ask him aloud- that required speaking to him again. Without any prior warning, the bus lurched forward. The vehicle rapidly gained speed, forcing Flint back into her seat and knocking Tempest back into his. "Shit-" She grunted, turning her gaze toward the back of the bus to see what was causing the strange burst in velocity. Lo and behold, O'Brien's eyes fell on an armor-wearing woman pressing against the back. Flint blinked, her eyes widening in surprise. "The hell?" She muttered beneath her breath. The mechanized flying hero let go of the bus, causing them to violently lurch and bounce a second time. Flint followed the strange woman until she came up along side them. She saluted the students in the bus before flying off at mach twelve billion.

Flint tightened her gaze as Tempest once more slid past her and clambered over to a different seat, likely so he could speak to the boy he'd been staring at for way too long. Maybe he was gay. That would explain...a couple of different things, in Flint's narrow mind. She turned her attention away from the boy, deciding to slid into his window seat to get a look at the countryside. New York was a gorgeous state. It sucked that most people only cared about the Big Apple when there was so much more to see outside of it. Maybe it was because she grew up there, but Flint never saw what made it so special. She'd rather live out here, in the rolling green hills, than stuffed inside a tiny, rundown apartment in Harlem.

Mark sat on the bus listening to both his music with one ear and the bus driver cures while also swinging his wrench back and forth like a pendulum. It seemed his nervousness and excitement were slowly disappearing. He looked up from his swinging wrench to see everyone in the bus gawk as something. He turned to see someone fly by the bus before flying off with a sonic boom. Mark watched in utter awe as he saw the hero seem to scan the bus before flying off. Because of this, he didn’t feel the wrench slip from his finger and fall to the floor. The metal clang it made when it collided with the floor snapped Mark out of his trance and winced as the wrench bounced and made another metal clang before it rested on the floor.

“Sorry about that,” Mark said, even though he didn’t know if anyone actually heard the wrench. He quickly grabbed the wrench and stuffed it into his duffle bag. When he stuffed it inside the bag, there came more metal clangs like there were more tools inside the duffle bag. He let out a sigh and sat back into his seat before he began to listen to his music again. He placed the right earphone that rested on his neck over his ear so he could fully listen to his music. He sat like that for several seconds before he began bobbing his head to the music before he began to mouth the words to the song. He knew he was tone deaf and couldn’t carry a tune to save his life. So he did the next best thing. Lip sync to the song.

After a while, he took out his music player and began to scan through his library of music before he found the next song to listen to. His music player was in a case that had a picture of a car’s engine on the back. When he found the song, he sat back and listened to the new song until he began lip-syncing with the song.

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Marcus paced back and forth, nervously watching the empty road before him. He had driven it many times, and he knew all too well how... disappointing it was. Originally they had been promised so much more. A high tech facility, the middle of New York City, trainers directly from the military's finest special forces... now they had a worn down factory, the hotel across from it, what used to be a small, 50's style diner, and the soon-to-be crumbled hopes of the students weighing heavily on Marcus's busy mind. Sasha had acquired her garage, but he would really, really have preferred to speak with Ichabod about all of this, had he the time.

The demon-man stood in the road in front of the facility, his usual garb exchanged for the closest he could come to a well-tailored suit, obviously uncomfortable in the starched fabric and limelight. A few news stations had been asking for the location of their quarters, and the program had been lucky enough to keep that information away from the vultures for now. But as things stood, it would only be a matter of time before the nation knew how little its government trusted the heroes. It would be up to them, however, to see if that would help their image or cripple the program.

The Apprentices would need to be taught. They would be relying on their mentors for protection, guidance, experience... But little did they know, their teachers would need them to form the backbone of their appearance. If the students didn't show promise, this little experiment was over.

It wasn't all bad; far from it. HQ was actually in a wonderful part of the country, with the rolling fields of New York and surrounding farmlands holding a few Hero fans. If a few strings were pulled, they would most likely be able to use the region surrounding the facilities for training exercises, capture the flag, maybe a bonfire or two. After all, the Apprentices were still kids. They would need free time too. More importantly, the locals were willing to keep a secret or two. Small blessings.

The bus was pulling in. The other Mentors were nowhere to be seen yet despite his messages, the only company the government officials on the bus with the children. Marcus put on his most winning smile, and prayed none of the apprentices would notice as sweat trickled down his craggy brow. Somewhere inside the warehouse, he heard something heavy and metal fall with a cacophonous crash. Probably broken. Marcus didn't move; it was going to be a fun day.

While the unexpected acceleration of the bus startled Maksim, he was more than startled by the deceleration of the vehicle. The ride had been forever, he had mentally traveled to half the world and back, but none of it prepared him for what was beyond the door. A bustling metropolis of talent and talented individuals, waiting to be seized for the good of humanity. He could barely find his footing. On second thought, it was a wonder to Maksim why the bus seemed to be travelling over gravel. Maybe this was a slight detour from the numerous onlookers of this momentous occasion, maybe leaving the public eye. It would have to be secluded, so they could demonstrate the full efficiency of their powers, but the gravel didn't seem to stop.

When Sasha had grabbed the bus, Maksim felt a shot of adrenaline run through him. He had been on edge for the whole ride. Not willing to question the sparks of fire to his left rising to the top of the bus, or the large clang of a dropped metal tool, the thrill of being surrounded by the powerful had been binding inside of him as a stretched elastic band. The sudden speed made him fear for his life, and he wondered if he could use his power. It would be painful, but he's always known that's what it would take. Pain.

Maksim didn't use his power, but just gripped the edge of the seat. Kidnapped? The possibilities flashed in his mind like a flock of birds soaring from a troubled tree. A figure passed the window, but it didn't seem evil or malign; she had a smile on her face. Maksim was dumbstruck. He sat in the corner in shame for the rest of the trip.

At least, he thought, the new Hands-On experience would be welcoming. The very best of government funding, a pooling of resources to aid the next generation and protect the future. It would stretch into the sky and be a beacon of hope. Everything he could have dreamed would be about to greet him. A new home, new friends, new mentors. And as the bus rolled up on the endless gravel, Maksim glued his face to the window to see this majestic structure.

"Oh."

"...a game"

Shakti smiled gently, he could see that the boy was shy, and decided to respect his distance. Although that didn't stop Shakti from looking over Elpoy's shoulder and calling out, "Boom! Headshot!" when Elpoy scored one in his sniping game.

The bus suddenly lurched forward, prompting Shakti to shout, "WHOOOO! Gun it, Mr. Bus driver man!" before noticing that the bus driver had nothing to do with it. "That's the Mach Valkyrie!" Shakti said to no one in particular, noticing the jet hero fly past the bus. Full of admiration, Shakti was now super excited to have such a high-profile hero as one of their mentors. At least, he assumed Saturnia would be one of their mentors; it otherwise didn't make sense for her to playfully push their bus.

As they approached their destination, something nagged at Shakti. He didn't really notice, but there were more trees than he would have expected near the vicinity of New York City. When they stopped, something was definitely off; they were clearly out in the middle of nowhere. But Shakti didn't let this get him down, he'll treat it like an extended summer camp. Exiting the bus, Shakti sees the monstrous form of another of their mentors. "It's Saint!" Shakti called out in amazement. He had always looked up to Saint for fighting against the stigma associated with his physical appearance. In a similar fashion, Shakti wanted to become a hero despite what people may think of his lifestyle choices and means of self-expression.

---

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Isinui, Samada

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---

Still feeling the rush from the bus being propelled and lurching forward and was laughing, his hands up in the air clapping like an excited kid. His cheering nearly drowned out the voice of the boy who had wandered over and took the metallic clang that rang near the front to snap him out of it to notice Tempest. A wide grin formed on his face upon seeing him.'Tempest?! that's a cool name!'He spoke faster than most and louder as well, unable to help himself due to brimming with excitement and energy.

Noticing the offered hand and clapped his own onto Tempest, giving a small laugh.'Nice to meetcha! The name's sama-'Cut off by the familiar faint whir like that of a low setting fan; a warning his body gave before spewing a small cloud of harmless smoke from the vents on his back which thankfully had holes in the shirt around to let the smoke out unhindered. He had tilted his head to the side with an exasperated sigh and rubbed at the back of his head.' Haaaa..sorry about that...'A nervous laugh and waved his free hand to brush the smoke away, being pulled out through the rushing window allowing it to clear up quickly.'My dang quirk! can't help it but yeah..the name's Samada.'Having kept a firm grip on Tempest hand and gave it a rapid shake before finally letting go.

Jumping up to his feet, no longer content with sitting in the sat.'You saw that too right?! that was uh... "That's the Mach Valkyrie!" oh yeah mach Valkryie, thanks!'Not sure who shouted it, but was glad for the reminder, having read about her before and this meant she was going to be there.'Can you feel the hype?'Pushing out of the seat to stand in the walkway with Tempest and looked to the front to see their destination right up ahead.'ALRIGHT..WE'RE HEEEEEERE!'Grabbing Tempest by the shoulders and shaking him in his fit of pure excitement.

Without waiting, the scrawny boy, dressed in a ragtag manner tugged and pulled at the heavy backpack. It seemed at first impossible that he could possibly do so, but with some straining and plenty of pulling had swung it onto his back, nearly knocking the quiet boy over in the process and the weight making his body stumble back as if about to fall and barely got his balance back.'Watch out cause the hero train is departing!'His arms clutching the straps and after a brief jog in place to wind up had charge forth.

Any unlucky enough to get up would only get pushed back onto their seat by the pink haired male's bloated backpack in his bum rush to get off the bus.

He reached the door only for his backpack to get stuck leaving his legs flailing at the air.'Come on come come on come on!'Gritting his teeth as he pulled with all his might and eventually got free, though in his haste had failed to notice the person who had gotten off ahead of him.' Aah WATCH OUT!?'Too late as he slammed into Shakti knocking both of them on the ground with Samada on top of him and his backpack smushing both.'owowowowow...huh?'Blinking after realizing what happened and flailed his arms in a panic.'Gah! sorry about that!'Nudging the backpack off to the side then hopped up while bowing his head, giving multiple rapid apologies.'Sorry so sorry!'He rambled out while trying to help and brush dust and dirt off him.

Mark listened to the patrons on the bus as they marveled at the hero that Flew by earlier. Mach Valkyrie huh? Sounds awesome! Mark thought before he felt the bus turn and start down a dirt road. The shocks on the bus seemed to be doing ok, but Mark could feel that this bus wasn’t built for this Off-road adventure. He heard the stones hitting the side of the bus and again heard the gears grind as the drive shifted it into gear.

“Probably should check under the hood before heading off. This old girl seems to be on her last leg,” Mark said to himself as he patted the empty seat next to him like it was a pet. There was more commotion and Mark shifted his gaze up towards the front as someone yelled, “it's Saint!” Mark’s jaw dropped at the sheer size of the man standing outside waiting for them. Holy shit he huge! Mark cursed in his mind before he looked at the structure behind him.

“Whoa,” Mark said before he blurted out, “Oh now that’s fucking awesome!” the building behind Saint looked like a very old scrapyard. It reminded him of all the times he and his dad went to find metal and car parts to fix up old cars or rebuild a car from the ground up.

“I bet you could find all sorts of cool stuff there,” Mark marveled. The bus started to slow down and as it came to a stop Mark grabbed his bag but didn’t head for the door. Instead, he walked up to the bus driver and asked, “Mind if I check the engine? It seems this old girl has a few problems that might need to get addressed. Otherwise, she’ll be in pain for a while before she dies.” Mark acted like the bus was some kind of animal that was in distress, but that’s how he always treated vehicles. His father acted the same way and he figured he got that little trait from him.

Ryoma was staring out the window of the bus when he was suddenly slammed back into his seat. The impact didn't bother him, but he couldn't help but wonder why it had happened. That's when he saw the hero outside the window. He heard the other kids on the bus calling her Mach Valkyrie. He recognized the name but had never had the chance to meet her in person before. He had however, met Saint before. Makoto had taken him to superhero events before where he had gotten the chance to meet and talk to various heroes. He had also been 'recruited' by a few of them for his Quirk, so that they could pull pranks on their fellow heroes without getting caught. It had been fun.

Ryoma wasn't grinning or bouncing up and down with excitement like some of the other students. Having met some before, he knew that heroes were simply people, really cool people, but people nonetheless. He was more interested in looking at the facility they would be staying at. The normal side of him thought that it was rather disappointing looking, and not at all like he imagined it would be. But the parkourist in him was excited, it looked like a giant playground.

As the bus came to a stop, there was a lot of rushing to get off the bus. One kid blew past everyone so fast that he rudely knocked people back into their seats as he went past, and then proceeded to barrel into someone sending both of them to the ground. Ryoma shook his head as he grabbed his messenger bag, and patiently waited for more people to get off before getting up and exiting the bus himself.

---

The bus suddenly gained speed, a lot of it, far more than bus was actually capable of. Lucy was thrown back into her seat, confused but excited as to what was going on. When the bus started to slow again, somebody called out a name that caused Lucy's excitement to skyrocket. "No fricken way!" She shrieked. Mach Valkyrie was hands down Lucy's favorite hero. She had a giant girl crush on the woman and being able to see her in real life was a dream come true. If the bus suddenly crashed and they all died, Lucy would go out happy.

Finally the bus came to a stop, and there was a mad rush from a few students to get off the bus quickly. Lucy turned off her music, put her phone and headphones back in her backpack, and slung the bag over her shoulder. Feeling the need to be in open space, Lucy joined the mad rush to get off quickly, shortly behind the boy who had crashed into another person. Lucy paused for a moment to thank the bus driver, and then simply leaped over the tangled heap of limbs in her way. She turned to help them both to their feet, to find that they had it covered. So the overly excited Californian stepped to the side to allow other people to get off, and started stretching her confined muscles.