The group entered the arena to find a human-shaped target.
“Alright, who is up first?”
Michael and three others stepped forward.
“Eager, are we? Alright, you four can go first, let's start with you on the left,” Hank said, pointing at another of the applicants.
A younger man who looked a few years younger than Michael stepped up to the target. “My strongest attack, right?” he asked.
“Mhmm,” Hank said with a nod.
“You may want to take a few steps back then. I wouldn't want to hurt you,” he said with a smirk, raising his hand as a pulsating ball of purple manifested above it.
Hank crossed his arms, watching the attack unfold. The energy began swirling, creating a vacuum-like effect. Michael had to dig his feet into the ground to avoided being sucked closer.
“Here we go!” the young man yelled, lowering his hand.
The ball shot forward, impacting the target and exploding violently, kicking up dust and tearing the ground apart. Michael’s eyes widened. He hadn't expected that sort of power from any of their applicants. His training surfaced in the back of his mind, and he quickly formulated the most efficient plan to kill the man. He shook his head and pushed the thoughts away.
What the hell am I thinking? I’m not going to be a hero killer. At least not if they are a real hero. He thought, but looking at the young man’s gloating, there was always the chance he would be a future target.
Michael had formulated a plan to let himself clean up this country one step at a time. During the day, he would be Silverwing, a hero who would use his eagle powers to fight and put supervillains behind bars, and during the night, he would be Revenant. A specter that would weed out and slaughter the criminal underbelly of any city he was in.
“Next!” Hank shouted, pulling him from his thoughts.
He watched as another man, looking like he was in his mid-20s, walked forward.
“Just whenever I'm ready?” he asked with a goofy smile, rubbing the back of his neck.
Hank nodded.
The man’s expression turned serious, and with a swipe of his hand, a high-pressure jet of water slashed out, slamming into the target and carving a small line in the ground behind it.
Hank nodded, signaling for the man to step back. He did so, his goofy smile and nervous energy returning.
“You're up,” Hank said, looking at Michael. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
Michael nodded and stepped forward. He stood in front of the target and, with a highly practiced and fluid motion, delivered a roundhouse kick to its head, using his wings to create extra leverage. Silence and a cough came from behind him. Michael smirked, stepping back. Sure, the other two had overshadowed him, but that was exactly what he wanted.
Hank nodded to him as he passed. “Good technique, show me more like that and you will pass no problem,” he said in a whisper.
Michael nodded. He expected someone built like Hank to have at least a basic understanding of martial arts and was happy to see he was right. The rest of the students went one by one, but none of their powers were anything special compared to the first two, except for a girl who could summon tornadoes with a wave of her hand.
“Alright, round two. I will be placing you against opponents based on your performance in the first round. Good luck to all of you.”
Michael sat back and watched as match after match took place. The first one was the only one that managed to pull his attention, being a fight between the dark sphere guy and tornado girl, as he had expertly dubbed them. It had been a close battle until an unexpected whirlwind kicked up, throwing the dark sphere guy off his feet and ending the fight. It wasn't too much longer before he was called up, along with a man around his age who had minor superstrength. They stood facing each other as the order was given.
“Begin!”
Michael moved forward, striking with a right hook that his opponent managed to catch on his arm. Michael ducked a return jab and delivered one of his own to his opponent's liver. His opponent winced and stepped back. Michael seized the opportunity, relentlessly pressing forward. He threw strike after strike, but his opponent managed to keep his guard up, but he was slowly faltering. Finally, Michael saw an opportunity to end the fight by feinting a right hook before throwing an uppercut from his opponent’s blind spot.
“That’s enough!” Hank shouted.
Michael stopped his attack just under his opponent’s chin and backed off.
“Good fight,” his opponent said with a bow.
Michael returned the gesture. “Good fight.”
He walked back out of the arena and observed as the rest of the applicants went into the ring. Around half an hour later, scores were announced, and the unlucky five were sent back through the portal. The top three had predictably been the tornado girl, the water jet guy, and the dark sphere guy. Michael was happy with his performance. It was a bit higher than he was aiming for, but still near the middle of the pack.
“Congratulations, you have all completed your first day. Now I recommend you get some rest. Training starts bright and early tomorrow,” Hank said after the last of the bottom five exited through the portal.
Michael nodded, walking back toward the barracks. A few others followed him, but it looked like the majority of applicants were planning some sort of celebration that Michael would call ill-advised at best.
It’s not mine to worry about. He thought of walking into the barracks and finding an open bed. He almost melted into it. It wasn’t the most comfortable bed he had ever slept in, but it was leagues above the benches and camping mats he had been sleeping on for the past weeks. He let his eyes close and drifted off to sleep.
He awoke early the next morning and joined the rest of the applicants for breakfast at a small dining hall near their barracks. The food wasn’t anything special, but it had been so long since he had a proper breakfast that Michael did not care, going back for seconds after demolishing his first serving of bacon and eggs. After they were finished eating, Hank led them to one of the obstacle courses on the base.
“Alright, to start today, you will be running this course. There will only be two rules for this test. First, there will be no damage to the course. Just like in a real fight, you are expected to keep property damage to a minimum, meaning any damage will dock you points. Second, while powers are allowed, you are expected to stay within the confines of the course, meaning those of you who can fly can’t just fly over it. Is that understood?”
“Yes, sir,” the group shouted in response.
Hank nodded. “Good, then let's get started.”