Paladin's Academy

Act III, Chapter 5: White Blooded Orphans

A week has passed since the villainous attack on Avalon's subsidiary. With only three days left for their break, a few number of Paladins have returned to their regular routine. However, while they expect to return to their methodical schedule, the higher-ups have different plans for the start of the season. On the Paladin's Academy official website, an announcement has been made. In one month's time, the Festival of Paladins will officially begin!

News spreads quickly throughout the campus. Students and teachers alike wonder if this was the correct time to announce such a festive event. People wonder if this announcement could be a public relations move to reassure the masses that this attack will not affect Paladin's legacy. But wouldn't such an event only put a more significant focus on the Academy as a whole? Would this not be the best opportunity to initiate an attack?

"What the hell even is the festival of Paladins?" White Mask scoffs, putting his phone away.

Yet again, the first years have gathered in the lounge of their dorms. Currently, it is lunchtime for all of them, and those who have community service have been excused. Today, the excellent T#####-K##### Julia has offered to treat everyone, as well as celebrate Double Trouble and Sure-Shot's discharge from the clinic. They have cleaned up their dining area and put it on a decent table so they can all eat. Sadly, they seem to be missing one classmate, but they have left him a seat at the table.

"The festival of Paladins is a week-long celebration of the heroes who founded Paladin's Academy on October 1st, 1994. " Wildlife reads aloud.

"So, a wank fest? Fantastic." White Mask rolls his eyes.

"You'd know all about wank fests," Julia laughs while bumping his elbow. She notices someone staring coldly at her and promptly scoots away.

"Well, it is a wank fest," Gateway chuckles, "but the part that excites me the most, is Braveon."

A brief silence enters the room.

"Are you waiting for someone to ask what Braveon is?" Smokescreen smugly smiles.

"..."

"No," Gateway stuffs a pizza slice. 

"Eh, you'd have to be pretty stupid not to know what Braveon is," Magnetic Monopole remarks.

"What's Braveon?" Sure-Shot pipes up.

"It's basically a test of one's abilities in combat," Gateway comments, "there are two versions, a team-based 4 on 4 and a standard 1 on 1."

"And it's required for us first-years," Snooze notes.

"It is?" White Mask turns, and a devilish thought emerges. Everyone in this very room is now a potential threat to victory. He knows that in the history of Braveon, not one ACBHI (Anyone Can Be a Hero Initiative) student has ever claimed Summa Paladino, the highest reward in Braveon, or even stood on the damn podium. If he wants to win, it's time to fucking lock-in.

The lunch bell rings, indicating break time is over, well, at least for the ones not running on a schedule. Gateway tells the others that have 'appoinments' they can go on ahead, and the rest of them can cleanup here.

Julia sighs as she, White Mask, Fortune, Abbadon, and Meraxes head to their daily community service.

Elsewhere, on campus ground, Streetwise sits under a familiar orange-leaf tree in his navy blue and white suit. Beside him, Matter rests her head on the tree's trunk, also in her purple and red hero attire.

"How was lunch?" Streetwise asks.

"Alright, I guess. Techno-Knight bought a giant pizza."

"Cool, cool."

Streetwise fixes his posture and stretches his arms.

"Remedy told me of your little visit."

She turns to him, "and?"

"And nothing," Streetwise looks back, "it happens to everyone. Except me, of course."

Matter scoffs.

"That said, Rem told me to check on you since you walked out mid-visit."

"I'm fine."

"Clearly, you're not. But if you don't want to talk about it, all good."

Matter doesn't respond. She looks up at the blue sky, watching the clouds pass by. This whole scene reminds her of a simpler time when it was just the two of them. No other sidekick, no school shit, just this. She smiles beneath her mask and closes her eyes, reminiscing about how she even became his sidekick in the first place.

Two years ago, she was just Trina Nakamura, the daughter of a famous archeological explorer/reality TV show star, Amadeus Nakamura. A man well built had a beard and was of Japanese-American descent. His show 'Amadeus Nakamura: Quest for Legends' was produced by Christopher Lowenthal, a family friend. Thanks to said show, Trina inherited generational wealth, and could do whatever she wanted.

Back then, she didn't really care about all this Superhero shit. While everyone in her private school was gearing up to become one, she chose the unconventional route of a degree in architecture. Which is still a viable route, thanks to all the property damage. But it's still not the norm.

During this time, Overlord has seemingly vanished after his and his Twelve's defeat at the hands of Streetwise and his classmates. Supervillainy was seemingly at an all-time low. And while yes, this remained true, organized crime remained in the shadows of corruption, and unfortunately, Amadeus was a victim of a hit.

A mob boss by the name of Denis A. Maline wanted an artifact of Amadeus, the crescent blade of Khonshu. He vehemently refused, knowing he was only buying it to launder his money. Denis didn't take this lightly and, during a fan meetup, arranged for Amadeus to be executed.

Chris had to be the one who broke the news to her. That night, she just collapsed and cried in his arms. She never got to know her mom, who died during childbirth, and now she lost her dad.

In the days since the funerals, Trina snapped. Her mind was utterly broken and hell-bent on one thing: finding the man who killed her father and killing him. She only ever saw the wanted poster of the man, as well as surveillance footage of the murder. One thing made the man stand out, a burn scar on his neck. With local police unable to find him and local heroes who believe this whole situation is beneath them, Trina took it upon herself to avenge her father.

She prowled the streets in black clothes and a black face mask. Searching high and low. This was the first time she had to use her powers physically, as she never saw the need to use them. Eventually, one night, she found him, a guy by the name of Cade Antayam, a man with blonde hair and a nasty burn mark on his neck.

Without warning, she jumps on him and uses her powers to beat him to a bloody pulp. As he begs for his life, she prepares to end him for all the pain he caused her, but someone stops her. The strongest hero of today, Streetwise. He quickly subdues her and calls the police.

On the rooftop nearby, he reveals his identity to her, Chris Lowenthal, and tells her that he has been investigating Maline for some time now. He sympathizes with Trina's situation, telling her that he understands everything, more so than the average person. He has witnessed his fair share of tragedy and offers any help he can muster. She confesses that all she really wants is to make these people hurt and make these people pay. Chris tells her that they can bring these people to justice the right way and that if she really wanted to, she could help with that.

After that night, she became Matter, the apprentice of Streetwise, and together, they managed to bring down Milane and his criminal empire. Finally, letting her father rest in peace.