"Fireball!" Joshua yelled, hurling the blazing sphere toward the target. It glowed brighter than the day before, and Joshua allowed himself a smile. "Hey, it's a bit bigger than yesterday's," he murmured, pride glimmering in his voice.
A mocking laugh echoed behind him. "Ha, comforting yourself again, loser?" Sharank's voice dripped with sarcasm, his lips curling in disdain. "That fireball's as useless as ever."
Joshua turned, keeping his calm. "Like I've told you before, Sharank, it's not about success or failure. Not everyone in this world can be the best. Lord Jesus gives different talents to different people, so what’s important is doing the right thing—and that is to train now." He straightened, trying not to let the words sting.
Sharank rolled his eyes. "You keep saying that to yourself, loser."
Suddenly, a sharp ring cut through the air. The school bell.
"Assembly time, now!" the speaker announced in Mr. Turner's voice, sounding almost human despite its mechanical nature.
Mr. Turner added, "Stop your useless training, Joshua, and get to the assembly!"
"On my way, Mr. Turner," Joshua called back.
"You tell him, Turner!" Sharank jeered, strutting away.
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Fifteen minutes later, the students were gathered in the grand assembly hall, murmurs filling the air as they waited for the principal, who was late until, with a flash, the principal appeared on stage, his teleportation powers making the entrance look effortless. He scanned the hall, using his super sensing powers as he counted the students.
"Sorry for being late," the principal began, his voice booming across the hall. "I'd explain why, but that'd just waste more time." He paused, letting a smile break through. "But anywho, glad to see you're all here. Even Joshua, who missed last week due to an... incident during training." A ripple of laughter rolled through the crowd, and Joshua simply smiled, unfazed by the laughter.
"As you all know, today marks the first day for our alpha year students. So, I’ll explain how our school works." The principal gestured to the crowd, his voice taking on a more formal tone.
"Lempika is a school for superheroes. We develop students holistically to become unerring heroes fighting against evil. Our school is divided into four years:
- Alpha Year: The first year for new joinees, focusing on learning the ethics of being a superhero.
- Rondu Year: The second year, focusing on learning combat skills and honing those skills.
- Senior Year: The third year, emphasizing teamwork. To gain practical experience, all seniors work as interns for the advanced year students.
- Advanced Year: These students are no longer considered typical students. They have learned all they need and are ready to fight crime. They help the teachers in their lessons and train other students.
"Okay, that covers everything about Lempika for now. I don't want to give you all the information at once—you'll learn more as you experience it. Now, I would like to talk about the current superhero news. Last week, the Doodra brothers escaped from prison. The cops are on the lookout, but we all know how useless the cops are, so I request all the advanced students and teachers to be on alert and please report to me if you gather any information on the Doodra brothers.
"Okay, I think that covers all the information I wanted to tell you guys, so let us disperse after singing the school anthem."