As silence hovered over the arena, tension thick as fog, all eyes turned toward Radiant Man.
The students had barely finished processing the division between Sidekicks and Superheroes, some of them heartbroken, others swelling with pride—when suddenly, that iconic voice spoke again.
"Wait," Radiant Man said, his tone calm but commanding.
Heads turned instantly.
The golden-caped legend hadn't spoken in minutes, and even Professor Boom froze mid-speech. He adjusted his collar, blinking in confusion. "Y-Yes, Sir Radiant Man? Is there a concern?" he asked with the tone of a loyal general speaking to a king.
Elius, standing still in the crowd, clenched his fists. That voice. That tone. Every time Radiant Man spoke, he made the world feel like it was his stage, and everyone else was just waiting for cues.
Elius could tell something was coming. Something calculated. "What's this bastard planning now…" he whispered under his breath.
Radiant Man rose to his feet with a slow, deliberate motion. His golden cape shimmered behind him, catching the sunlight like polished armor.
He stood at the edge of the podium, surveying the young faces below him—bright-eyed, tired-eyed, hopeful, and some, like Elius, dark with brooding thoughts.
He raised a single gloved hand and cleared his throat.
"I have something to say regarding this tradition," Radiant Man began. "This old, outdated system of dividing students into 'Superheroes' and 'Sidekicks'—and denying some of them entry into dimensional rifts... I find it foolish."
Gasps rippled through the students like electricity. Professor Boom flinched as though he'd been slapped. "F-Foolish, sir?" he repeated, still respectful, but stunned.
"Yes," Radiant Man nodded firmly, his voice booming across the courtyard with power that needed no microphone.
"I understand the rationale behind it. You want to keep them safe, don't you? Keep the weaker ones away from danger? But let me ask all of you something—when did becoming a hero mean being kept safe?"
He let the silence hang. The weight of that question seemed to pierce everyone.
The wind picked up as Radiant Man began to pace along the stage like a general rallying his troops.
"We live in a world overrun by dimensional rifts. Creatures of horror, beings from fractured realities, eldritch nightmares with powers we can barely comprehend—are pouring in from those tears in space. Every year, more Superheroes die. Good ones. Great ones. Brave ones. And why?"
He paused. His eyes locked with Professor Boom's. "Because they're alone."
Professor Boom didn't answer. No one could.
Radiant Man raised his hand again, palm facing the crowd.
"What if, in those dimensional rifts, these so-called Sidekicks—these students you're denying—could make a difference? What if they were there to shield their teammates?
"What if they had an unknown talent, one that hadn't shown up in a single test, but would shine in the battlefield? Are we really going to hold them back... just because of a category?"
Murmurs grew into louder whispers.
"Tell me, why are we sending Superheroes in alone when they're dying out there? Why are we so proud of sending them in unassisted, unguarded, unsupported? Is pride worth their lives?"
Now the murmurs evolved into passionate agreement. Heads began to nod.
"Do you think these students want to be Sidekicks forever?" Radiant Man shouted, spreading his arms. "Or are they simply waiting for a chance? A spark? A battlefield to prove that they are more than what you wrote on a damn paper?"
"YEAH!!" A student shouted.
"Let them prove it!" another added.
Elius stared, heart pounding.
The bastard. He knew exactly what he was doing.
Making the Sidekicks emotional.
Turning them into allies.
Elevating himself once again as the leader who gives hope to the forgotten. He wasn't just inspiring them—he was drafting them. Enrolling them into his silent army of followers.
Radiant Man continued, voice unwavering. "Those who survive—those who fight alongside the Superheroes and emerge alive—do they not deserve to stand among us? Do they not deserve the title? How many potential legends have we snuffed out before they could even step onto the battlefield?"
Professor Boom looked down, almost ashamed. His booming personality, his over-the-top antics, were nowhere to be seen now. He knew Radiant Man had a point. A strong one.
"Dimensional rifts will only increase," Radiant Man added. "And we need every weapon. Every tool. Every soul willing to stand against them. If a Sidekick dies, then they die as a hero. But if they survive, then we gain something far greater—a new legend, forged not in classrooms, but in fire."
The students erupted.
"LET US IN!"
"WE'LL PROVE OURSELVES!"
"THANK YOU, RADIANT MAN!!"
The sidekicks, the ones previously downcast and devastated, were now raising their fists in the air, chanting and cheering.
Some had tears streaming down their faces.
Some hugged each other like they had just been pardoned from death row. It was a revolution in spirit.
Even the accepted Superheroes—though a bit threatened—couldn't deny that this was bigger than pride. Some even nodded in respect.
Radiant Man raised his hand once more, and the cheers dulled.
"This is your time," he said, voice low but filled with thunder. "Sidekicks, you are not useless. You are not the extras in someone else's story. You are the heart of this new era. Prove yourselves. Save lives. And show the world that heroes aren't chosen—they are made!"
The explosion of cheers that followed nearly shook the buildings.
Prof Boom, wiping away sweat, turned toward Radiant Man. "Sir… I… I believe the academy will take this into serious consideration. Perhaps even start now. We'll open up the dimensional rifts to the brave Sidekicks willing to accompany our new Superheroes."
The students didn't stop cheering. The academy walls trembled with the force of their voices. Hope had returned, all sparked by a single declaration.
And standing there, amidst the roaring crowd, was Elius. Still as stone.
He didn't cheer.
He didn't clap.
He didn't smile.
He watched, expression unreadable, as his father—the so-called hero of humanity—wove the crowd into a frenzy of idealism and ambition.
And then he saw it.
That expression again.
Radiant Man was smiling. That satisfied, calculating, deeply confident smile.
Elius clenched his fists, his heart cold.
He knew that smile.
That smile—it wasn't just pride or amusement.
No, that was the smile of someone who had just moved the first piece on a long and cruel chessboard.
"He's planning something again," Elius thought heavily.
Down in the plaza, the newly divided groups of Superheroes and Sidekicks stood in rows, buzzing with anticipation and tension.
The vast courtyard of the Superhero Academy, once brimming with idle chatter and hopeful excitement, had now shifted in atmosphere.
There was a crackle of electricity in the air, both figuratively and literally.
Storm-skinned Esper students buzzed with excitement while some of the fire-users gave off heatwaves unconsciously.
In the middle of it all stood Prof Boom, hand pressed against his ear as he listened to a communicator device.
He turned his back on the crowd to keep his voice down, but it was no use. His voice was a rolling thunderclap even when he tried to whisper.
"...Yeah, I know! But it's Radiant Man! What do you want me to do, say no!? The damn world listens when that golden-caped freak opens his mouth! Huh? Yes, yes, I know protocol! Yes, I KNOW IT'S DANGEROUS!"
The crowd went silent as the booming half-whispers of the professor echoed through the area. A few students stifled laughter while others winced.
"No, I won't say that to his face—are you insane? He'll bench press the moon and drop it on me! Fine! Fine! I'll approve it. But if someone dies in there, I'm blaming you!"
Finally, Prof Boom turned back around, cheeks puffed with frustration and eyes twitching ever so slightly. He inhaled deeply through his nose and bellowed with the power of a sonic cannon:
"ALRIGHT, LISTEN UP!"
The students snapped to attention like soldiers before a war general.
"We've received special clearance from the Very Very Very Top!" He shot a glance at Radiant Man, who simply folded his arms and smiled smugly. "From this moment onward, all sidekicks will be allowed to enter the dimensional rifts alongside their assigned Superheroes!"
A roar erupted from the crowd—Sidekicks cheering with disbelief and joy, Superheroes muttering with uncertainty. The unexpected development sent a ripple through every heart present.
"But listen here!" Prof Boom barked again, silencing them. "You are now responsible for each other! We are pairing one superhero with two sidekicks! Coordination! Cohesion! Responsibility! If you mess this up, someone dies! Or worse—you'll disappoint me!"
Several students shivered at the idea of disappointing Prof Boom more than dying.
"And now," he thundered, "BEGINNING THE ASSIGNMENTS!"
A holographic screen shimmered into existence above the crowd, projecting names in glowing blue letters.
"First team: Margo Blaze, Superhero! Sidekicks: Juniper Coil and Terry Tongue!"
A girl with crimson hair blazing like a wildfire stepped forward.
Her two sidekicks—one with a translucent jellyfish-like helmet and the other with a ridiculously long tongue wrapped around his waist like a belt—followed.
The crowd murmured, laughed, and clapped as teams continued to be formed.
"Next! Frederick Coldfang! Sidekicks: Mirror Head and Gas Bag!"
More laughter. Mirror Head's reflective skull glinted under the sun, while Gas Bag, who floated like a balloon and tooted faintly when nervous, drifted behind.
One by one, the list continued, names being called out, powers being matched, personalities clashing already in the early seconds of partnerships.
Some heroes were happy with their team-ups.
Others… not so much.
"Amber Shocklash! Sidekicks: Loud Lungs and Rubber Spine!"
The crowd exploded into more laughter as Loud Lungs shouted "YEAH!!!" at the top of his voice, nearly deafening those around him, while Rubber Spine twisted his body into a chair and let Amber sit on him.
Elius folded his arms tightly, remaining still as the numbers dwindled. He already had a bad feeling crawling in his stomach like cold worms.
And then—
"ELIUS NORTHRIM!" Prof Boom's voice erupted, drawing everyone's attention.
Heads turned. Murmurs began again. The golden boy. The sword Esper. Radiant Man's mystery favorite.
Elius took a step forward, eyes sharp, lips pressed tightly. He hadn't been told anything ahead of time, not even a whisper. But he could already smell something foul on the horizon.
"Sidekicks: GHOST FINGER GIRL and CHICKEN GREEN FEET!"
The air was silent for a brief second—then filled with confused gasps, half-suppressed laughter, and stunned disbelief.
From the left stepped forward a girl in long-sleeved black hoodie, head down, hands twitching. Her long black hair half-covered her face, and her fingers glowed faintly translucent, trembling in fear.
When she walked, she flinched at every sound, like a ghost barely stitched to the real world.
And from the right… a tall, well-built man—absurdly muscular, with broad shoulders, a deep jawline, and solid pecs that could probably crack coconuts. But—
His feet.
His bright green, scaled, chicken-like feet.
They scraped against the ground like claws, and the man looked down in shame, clearly wishing to bury himself six feet under.
A few students openly laughed, unable to hold it back.
Even Prof Boom blinked several times in confusion.
Elius stood frozen.
He didn't even need to look up. He could feel it. That presence. That gaze.
Slowly, he turned toward the VIP booth.
Radiant Man wasn't even trying to hide it anymore.
He was smiling.
That satisfied, closed-mouth smile—the one that said, "Figure it out, son."
The sword Esper's lips curled into a thin, bitter line.
He got the message loud and clear.
This wasn't a coincidence.
This was planned.
His father had given him two sidekicks that no one would have chosen.
One terrified of the world.
The other was ashamed of himself.
Neither had displayed combat potential. Neither would likely survive in the chaos of the dimensional rifts.
And yet—they were his responsibility now.
And Radiant Man was watching with a challenging smug expression.
Elius clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles going white.
"Son of a bitch!!!"