Paladin's Academy

Act III, Chapter 4: What's the Matter with You?

To the light, I go
Like a flame to a moth
Burn my cursed foes
The Demon Astaroth

All Matter could hear in his room were these accursed chants. From dawn till dusk, this ritual continued. She knows she can just burst right in and talk some sense into him,

Yet, she can't seem to.

Sometimes, one's emotional state can affect the way they use their powers. Some powers even require the user to control their feelings. It's really a case by case basis.

"Like a dog, desperately waiting for her master to come home."

Matter rubs her temples as she tries to use her powers yet again. She focuses on being in the moment, feeling the air around her, and just...

Nothing.

She slumps down and sighs. Why now?  Matter collapses to the ground in distraught, slamming her fists on the ground. Out of all the days...

That was a lie. Ever since the trip to Avalon; Matter has been struggling to access her powers. She, who was once hailed as a prodigy that could rival Streetwise, now suffers from ability dysfunction. Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Maybe it's time to consult a professional about this.

"Besides, a checkup never killed anyone, right?" Matter muttered to herself. She justifies that it has been a while since her last physical. Maybe she's just been under the weather these past few days. Yeah, that's all this is, a fluke. A really, really long fluke.

She picks herself up and heads directly for the clinic. In truth, Matter never had a reason to visit the clinic. Ever since enrollment, she never sustained injuries serious enough to warrant a reason to go. Even now, she's not that close to the current confined, not the teachers nor the students. However,  she is close to one visitor, one who, like Dreadnought, has not left this room since the attack.

There sat Streetwise in his full dark blue and white costume. His mask was off to the side, revealing his freshly washed face. His messy black hair was still wet, and his soft brown eyes struggled to stay open, no thanks to the surrounding eyebags. His bronze skin, surprisingly, remained acne-free, a miracle given the circumstances. He doesn't seem to notice Matter, only continuing to monitor the vitals of the patients.

Aegis continued to sleep soundly. She was pushed to her limits during the ambush. Like suddenly going for a sprint without warming up. She was one of the least injured ones. Glance ate his morning cereal, fetched by Streetwise. A pair of sunglasses sat nicely on his face, helping with his eye injuries. His knees are in casts but look to be healing just fine. Speaking of casts, Sure-Shot lays back and consumes an MRE. His right arm rests on his chest, also in a cast. Currently, he is watching a world war two documentary on his phone. Finally, we have Double Trouble. Bandages wrap around his chest and head. He only sustained bruises and sore muscles from the whole debacle. Right now, he looks bored. Fidgeting all around. He calms down a bit when Streetwise gives him a banana.

Before Matter could say anything, Remedy walks through the door, passing her, as she heads towards the patients.

"Alright folks, how we doing today?" She asks with a big smile.

"My cast is itchy, Ma'am," Sure-Shot remarks, "apart from that, nothing new to report."

"Doc, I think I'm good to go," D.T. laughs, "this guy agrees with me."

Out of the corner, a second D.T. pops out, "Yup, it's true, he looks good to go!" Remedy just giggles at the gesture.

Glance just shrugs, a neutral stance since his stay at the clinic has nothing if not relaxing.

"Any you?" Remedy asks Streetwise. "Me? I'm not one of your patients Rem."

"Yet you're here in a clinic, looking worse for wear, I might add."

"I'm fine," Streetwise assures.

"Have you at least followed my instructions?"

"Yeah, eight hours. No more, no less."

"Maybe I have to confine you here and watch you myself," Remedy leans in closer, catching Streetwise off guard and making him blush. Glance hearty laughs, almost spilling his cereal everywhere.

"Anyways, Sure-Shot, Double Trouble, just give me one more day to run some tests, and you're good to go."

"YES!" D.T. shouts, jumping from his bed in excitement. Sure-Shot just smiles, enjoying his meal. After a good while of just talking with one another, Remedy excuses herself from the rest. While exiting, she notices Matter, just standing outside the clinic. 

"Not going to go in and check in on your friends?"

"They're not my friends."

"Okaaaaaay," Remedy coughs, "so what are you doing here?"

"My powers, they seem to not be working."

 "Oh, don't worry about that. It's probably just stress or something."

"World's greatest Doctor."

Remedy laughs, "you really are his sidekick. Alright Matter, walk with me to my office."

Matter follows Remedy through the hall. They pass a couple of students and staff walking by. Finally, they reach her office, as Remedy sits Matter on one of the Doctor chairs. The soft ones that almost look like a bed. Actually, Remedy's office is basically a Doctor's office, complete with her doctorate in Hero Medicine, diagrams of a Zeni's body, and pictures of her with a group of young-looking professors. Matter actually spots Remedy, Glance, Sparkplug, Aegis, Ms. Winter, some others she can't recognize, and Streetwise.

"So tell me, what's going on?" Remedy writes on her notepad.

"Since the field trip, I can't seem to use my powers."

"Any other symptoms? Like contact with power jammers?"

"None, I think."

"How about exposure to unrefined Zenithium?"

"No."

"Well, I hate to break it to you," Remedy sighs, "but it really is a mental thing. My recommendation? Therapy."

"Seriously?"

"Yes, it would do you some good to reflect and process your trauma."

"Trauma?!" Matter stands up

"Hey, it's okay. We all have our baggage."

"Maybe you do," Matter walks off. This was all a stupid idea. Therapy? Heroes don't need that. At the end of the day, a hero's job is to save the day, nothing more, nothing less. Talking about feelings, wil only hold me back.