Real World, Real Hero (Rc9gn fanfiction)

The Truth

"Smokebomb!" A cloud of red smoke appeared as the Ninja made his usual entrance. He picked up his sword to face the robo-wolves that faced him.

'McFist, isn't this getting kinda predictable?' He thought as he punched the nearest wolf with the end of his sword.

When the fight was over and bits of the robots lay on the ground, the Ninja stood proud and faced the crowd that had gathered to watch him. But instead of cheering like they always did, the students stared at him and eyed the battle scene in hushed voices.

At last, after at least two minutes of awkwardness, Heidi Weinerman made her way through the crowd with her phone opened live to her MeCast. Unlike many of her schoolmates, she showed expression and a doubtful look was plastered across her face while Geoffry followed her with a smirk.

Randy's happiness faltered; this was not a good sign.

Heidi faced her phone with an obviously fake smile. For the first time, she stammered on her own show.

"Morning Norrisvillians, it's your girl Heidi with a topic that could blow the lid of a secret we've all been dying to know; who is the Ninja? I'm here with Canadian exchange student Geoffry Rupert who has a word to say in this intriguing interview. With me is also Norrisville's top and trusted hero, the Ninja!"

Naturally, Randy had to acknowledge the viewers with his presence, so he waved his hand reluctantly. He was glad the mask covered most of his face so that people couldn't see that he too, was unsure and disapproved of what was happening.

"The question is: is the Ninja really our hero? Has he saved all of us from danger...that's barely logical? Geoffry is here to answer the questions we've pondered for years."

"Okay Geoffry, what have you got for a juicy scoop?" Heidi adjusted her phone so that Geoffry came into the screen.

The boy grinned. "From the amount of research I have done in both the Norrisville Public Library and the school library, I can definitely conclude that there was a ninja."

Randy heaved enormous relief. But then his eyes widened to realise that Geoffry meant differently. Very differently.

"A ninja 800 years ago, that is. But now, the Ninja that you see standing here is no doubt just a tourist attraction!"

The crowd gasped and the extremely real, definitely not tourist attraction Ninja felt anger in his heart. "WHAT?! NO!"

"I have found that there is no possible way for students and adults alike to just turn into monsters, or as the term for it here, 'stanked'."

Heidi's eyes were so wide you could hardly see the whites. Randy scoured the crowd of listening students and saw Howard. His best friend's face was in disbelief and sympathy. Not far from him was Theresa, who had her arm around Debbie and was sobbing silently. She had always supported and had faith in the Ninja, and was very hurt to discover that people thought he was a fraud.

Geoffry continued. Every word that he spoke was like torture to Randy. "Logic and common sense comes to mind. It's hardly possible that the people who are supposedly stanked turn back to normal again. Think about it. We have never questioned why, have we?"

All around him, people were nodding slowly. They simply refused to look at the Ninja except for Theresa, Howard and Geoffry.

"My theory is that tourism boards have been using this 'hero' of yours as an attraction and town spirit. But has it ever occurred to you that through everything that he has told you, the Ninja is a liar?"

Randy couldn't take it anymore. He felt as if he wanted to tear his ears off from listening to all this nonsense. He wanted to tell them and show them all that he was as real and as true as a hero could be. He wanted to tell them about the Sorcerer, about the Nomicon, about how much he had gone through to protect them from the dangers that they didn't even know about...

"STOP!" He yelled, and at once, dozens of heads turn to face him in silence. "Stop it!"

"If you think all this is fake, then what about the time I sacrificed my life for you guys in that cavern? I led you away from that evil skull lady. You knew about how much I wanted to defend you. You saw everything."

"And when Lucious O'Thundepunch quit when there was a mass stanking, I was there for you! You didn't want me, but I stood here for you! You needed me!"

At first there was silence. Breathing hard, Randy looked at all of them. Maybe now they would understand? But then-

"How the juice do we know all of that wasn't a prop?" Bucky shouted in between his crying.

Randy felt as though he had been stabbed with his own sword. He could only stare in silence at the muttering, whispering crowd before him as he waited for an answer to come.

It did.

Geoffry stepped forward, and, grinning like a Cheshire cat, said, "We don't."

That was it. Randy's spirit broke like glass. He felt like he was stamped, stabbed and burned. People around him started booing and jeering, but their voices were only barely heard by our hero.

Fighting to control his agonized yell, the Ninja threw the first somkebomb to which his supporters did not cheer for.

*************

"WHY?!" Screamed Randy. His voice echoed off the silent, peaceful valleys in the Nomicon. "WHY DON'T THEY UNDERSTAND, WHY DON'T THEY BELIEVE? THE NINJA PROTECTED THEM FOR 800 YEARS AND THOSE SHOOBS BELIEVE A GUY WHO COMES ALONG FOR THE FIRST TIME. WHY?!!"

Randy pounded the earth beneath him with his fist. He couldn't stop the hot tears pouring out from his eyes. He didn't stop until tiny seeps of blood showed on his knuckles. Then he just sat down in painful silence.

The ground before cracked to reveal the book's advice,
    
               'The Ninja who lets his guard down will be unguarded.'

Before Randy could say anything, the tears that fell gathered to form a puddle which sucked him in and out of the Ninja Nomicon.