CH. 11 - They Fell From the Sky

Phoenix gets home and sits on the couch for a moment letting out a sigh with a soft smile before pulling out the paper from her bag. She looks at it again before smiling satisfied.

Phoenix "I actually did it…"

She whispers when a young girl, a couple years younger than her, pops over her shoulder.

Poppy "Woah! Is that from the Academy of Superior Abilities? The superhero school? How'd you get that??"

She asks excitedly, yelling in Phoenix's ear causing her to get an irritated look but doesn't say anything back.

Phoenix "I.. got in actually. I'm leaving this week."

Poppy looks at her with excitement and admiration in her eyes before hugging her sister tightly.

Poppy "That's so cool! You're gonna be a hero and save lots of people! You're so cool!"

She shouts a little too loudly but Phoenix enjoys her sister's hug anyway when an even younger girl makes her way to them.

Ares "Wait, wait! I want hug too!"

She shouts before jumping on Phoenix as well, hugging her sister tightly, giggling a bit. A little later, Phoenix knocks on a closed door with a nervous look on her face before opening it slowly, cautiously.

Phoenix "Dad?.."

She says as her father sits with his back turned towards the door at a computer, typing rapidly. Phoenix waits a moment before speaking again.

Phoenix "There's something I have to tell you."

He doesn't respond as he continues typing for a moment before stopping and turning a little to face her over his shoulder.

Theodore "What?"

Phoenix looks nervous as she holds the paper in her hands. She smiles a bit despite the nervousness she feels but it doesn't look like a smile of joy.

Phoenix "I need to talk to you about the ASA again.."

Theodore stares at her sharply before turning back to his computer.

Theodore "I've told you before. Don't let your expectations get that high. Someone like you could never achieve such a goal. It's better to keep your ambitions more grounded and realistic for an average person like you."

As he speaks, Phoenix looks more and more upset, trying to bite her tongue before speaking out.

Phoenix "No, dad, I got it."

He stops typing but doesn't turn to her. They pause for a moment before Phoenix speaks again.

Phoenix "After the attack, Southpaw dropped me off here. He offered my friends and I a spot and we were picked.."

She says softly, hoping her father would be proud of her achievement.

Theodore "And you didn't bother asking me about this life changing decision? Just so you can go off and play your hero fantasies, leaving your family behind?"

Phoenix looks surprised and upset.

Phoenix "No, I was just-"

Theodore "Do whatever you like."

He interrupts.

Theodore "You're going to anyway. Just don't expect your room to still be here if you come back."

He says sharply as he continues typing. Phoenix stands there for a moment, her head lowered before stepping away and closing the door. 

A couple days later, after the entire crew has gotten themselves prepared and the transfer on the verge of happening soon, Wolf makes her way to Teach's dojo through the light fog covering the District. She carries her bag on her shoulder, ready for another harsh day of training but when she gets to the dojo, she is surprised to see it closed. She looks through one of the front windows before looking around a bit. She decides to walk down the patio and around the side of the building to the back area with a fair sized field area for outside training. As she steps onto the back patio, she notices Moshiro sitting on the steps that lead to the field area, staring into the trees of the light forest behind the area. Wolf sits down across the steps from Moshiro as she doesn't bother to look at Wolf or even react. They sit in silence for a moment before Wolf speaks.

Wolf "What're you doing here?"

Moshiro "Same as you."

Wolf "Right. I guess that makes sense. It is a dojo afterall, haha."

She laughs a little awkwardly as Moshiro just sits with her head in her hand. 

Wolf "Well, if you're trying to get inside, why don't you just use your key?"

Moshiro squints a little at her words and pauses before responding.

Moshiro "I left it inside… And Teach is gone for the next few days, so."

She admits, slight hints of embarrassment in her voice. Wolf giggles at her.

Wolf "Moshiro, you dummy!"

She says as Moshiro gets an irritated look but doesn't entertain her. Wolf then looks up into the sky with a smile.

Wolf "Main, what a jerk. After all that talk about potential and pride, he couldn't even stick around to see us off? I should give him a piece of my mind just for that!"

She says with a smile on her face as Moshiro smirks a bit, finally looking at her. Wolf notices and points it out.

Wolf "Ahha! You agree with me!"

Moshiro smugly smiles and goes back to looking at the sky. Wolf sits in silence with her for a moment before speaking up once again.

Wolf "Hey, Moshiro. … Why do you think Southpaw chose me?"

Moshiro looks at her confused.

Moshiro "I was under the assumption he chose all of us."

Wolf shakes her head a bit, a soft smile still on her face. 

Wolf "No, that's not what I meant. I mean, like, the system. Southpaw, Teach, the principal, all of it. Why would I be picked out of everyone suited to join the ASA?"

She asks softly without looking at her. Moshiro stares at her for a moment before looking away.

Moshiro "I don't know. They were probably impressed by your strength."

Wolf "I'm proud of my strength but… there's strength to spare, even just amongst our group. Everything else about me just.. doesn't work."

Moshiro looks at her again, slight confusion and surprise on her face. She stares for a moment before smiling a bit.

Moshiro 'I wish I could be like you. Even when you doubt yourself, you can't help but look up.'

She looks away before answering again.

Moshiro "Maybe they saw something special inside you."

She says softly as Wolf chuckles a little.

Wolf "I hope so. Other people would kill to be in my position… I just don't want to waste it."

She says softly as they sit in silence once more before Wolf smirks and looks at Moshiro.

Wolf "Aw, wait, does that mean you see something special inside me?"

She asks playfully.

Moshiro "Deep deep down, maybe."

She smirks back as Wolf pokes her arm playfully. As they giggle, a sudden flash of light bursts through the sky. They look up in shock as something comes flying through the air before crashing down in the small forest in front of them. Without much thought, they both get up and rush to the crash site. After dashing through the trees and over small creeks and logs, they eventually find where a smoke and dust cloud emanates from a small crater. They stop for a moment before Wolf continues forward.

Moshiro "Wolf.."

She says with a cautious tone. Wolf approaches and crouches down as the smoke begins to clear. Her eyes widen a bit.

Wolf "Moshiro. It's a person."

Moshiro is a bit surprised too as a person, seemingly the same age as Wolf and Moshiro, lays in the crater. They have long, sharp horns along with large bat ears and wings coming from their back. A thick tail that thins out as it gets towards the end of the long tail and sharp teeth. They groan a bit before coughing. Wolf comes to their aid and lifts them up in her arms a bit.

Wolf "Woah, you okay? What happened?"

She asks as the person begins to open their eyes a bit. They suddenly open their eyes wide in shock before jumping back and away from Wolf's arms. They then pull their arm back, transforming it into a large claw with black fur going up their arm before yelling and slamming it down at Wolf. 

Moshiro "Wolf!"

She shouts but Wolf stares at the attack incoming before taking the attack head on, smashing into the ground. Moshiro covers her face with her arms from the debris before her eyes grow wide with shock. The person looks shaken up but sharp before their eyes grow wide too. They pull their arm back to see Wolf standing there as if not affected by the attack. Wolf straightens herself up as a bit of blood rolls down her face but she doesn't react.

Wolf "You're pretty strong, huh?"

She says with a casual look. The person's arm transforms back into a normal human arm as they stare at Wolf and Moshiro defensively.

Person "Where am I, humans? Who are you?"

They ask with a demanding tone. 

Wolf "My name is Wolf Anderson and this is Moshiro. You're in District 12, Thousand Arcs."

The person looks confused and frustrated with the information given. Moshiro eyes the person intensely, cautious about who they are and what they can do. The person notices her gaze and stresses out.

Person "What is with that human and her gaze? She looks as if ready to attack me."

They say while stepping back in a defensive position. Wolf looks at Moshiro and waves her hand to tell her to calm down.

Wolf "Relax, you're scaring them."

Moshiro "The first thing this person did was attack you."

Wolf "Yeah but I'm fine. It wasn't serious."

Moshiro looks frustrated but exhales a bit and looks away, crossing her arms.

Wolf "See? She's cool. No need to freak out. Why don't we start with your name?"

The person stares at them for a moment before looking down a bit, almost confused or unsure of how to answer. 

Person "My name?.."

Wolf nods.

Wolf "Mhm."

They pause for a second before looking like they figured it out.

Yoko "My name is Yoko.. Yoko Tatsuo! And I'm a dragon!"

Wolf's eyes lighten up a bit.

Wolf "A dragon..!"

Moshiro "Okay Yoko, how did you get here? What was that big light we saw?"

Yoko looks around as if searching for an answer but can't seem to figure it out.

Yoko "I'm… not sure. I… can't remember."

They say softly before getting a sharp look.

Yoko "But I-I don't need your help, humans! I can figure this out on my own!"

They say proudly. Wolf looks at Moshiro with a smile as Moshiro reads her expression and gets an upset look.

Moshiro "No."

Wolf "Oh yeah."

Moshiro "Stop it."

Wolf "I'm gonna do it."

Moshiro "Don't-"

Wolf "Since you don't remember anything, why don't you stick with us? We could be your friends and help you figure out what happened!"

Moshiro faces palms as Yoko looks surprised for a moment before shaking their head. 

Yoko "N-no! I don't need help from some humans that are beneath me. I am a proud dragon who can handle anything-"

Their stomach growls loudly causing them to stop in embarrassment. Wolf stares at them for a moment.

Wolf "We can give you food."

Yoko turns around and looks at them excitedly.

Yoko "Really?? Then what are we waiting for? Take me to your place of food, human!"

They command as Wolf smiles. Moshiro then grabs Wolf by the shoulders and spins her around giving her a serious look.

Moshiro "What are you doing?"

Wolf "I'm offering friendship. They seem to need help and I want to help them."

Moshiro "Since when do you care about helping others? Need I remind you how great you are at making friends?"

She asks, sarcastically and frustrated.

Wolf "Please don't. Look, I know most people don't like me very much but I want to try and change that. And maybe starting with the person who fell from the sky would be a good idea."

Moshiro "That literally sounds like the worst idea.."

She sighs and lets go of Wolf, turning her attention to Yoko just a bit, giving her a sharp look.

Moshiro "I still don't trust them… A complete stranger who fell from the sky, not remembering a thing about their past. That's a recipe for disaster."

Wolf "Not if we look after them."

Moshiro looks at Wolf confused. 

Wolf "I mean, if they come with us to the Academy…"

Moshiro gets a shocked look.

Moshiro "No. Way."

Wolf "Come on."

Moshiro "No. Making them our friend is bad enough. And we can't just bring them along. That's not how this works. Who knows if they even have what's required to join the Academy?"

Wolf "Well, they're a dragon who fell from the sky in a ball of light. What better requirements are there?"

She says with a smile as Moshiro face palms again. Wolf giggles before approaching Yoko.

Wolf "Okay! So, first-"

Yoko "Where's the food, human?"

Wolf "We'll get to that. First, I'm happy to tell you that you'll be joining us at the Academy of Superior Abilities along with my other friends."

Yoko "Perfect. More humans to win the trust of so easily!"

They say with a determined smile. Wolf sweats a bit.

Wolf "Right.. Second, we should probably get you some clothes."

She says while staring at their naked body. Yoko looks confused for a moment.

Yoko "What's the matter? Is my body not to your liking, human? I'll have you know, I'm quite attractive in dragon culture… I think."

They say curiously. Wolf motions towards Yoko to Moshiro as if showing they're harmless as Moshiro just shakes her head and steps towards them. Yoko turns around and begins to march happily.

Yoko "Anyway! Let us begin our journey to this school for average skills as I am hungry for chicken!"

As they finish speaking, Moshiro takes her jacket and quickly wraps it around them, surprising them but they don't struggle.

Moshiro "We're not leaving for the Academy for a little while. You can stay with me in the meantime. That is, if you can even come."

Yoko "Oh, I can come plenty."

Wolf stops a loud laugh from leaving her mouth barely as Moshiro blushes a bit before turning and walking away.

Moshiro "Just, come on."

Yoko smiles before skipping ahead.

Yoko "Right! Let me lead, I'd never follow behind a human!"

They say happily as they walk in front of Moshiro. As they walk a few steps, Yoko turns and whispers to Moshiro.

Yoko "Wait, where are we going?"

Moshiro grunts softly before walking past Yoko. They just smirk and skip next to them.

Yoko "When we get chicken, would you mind helping me with the feathers? Food tastes better in this body but the feathers make it complicated."

Moshiro "Our chicken doesn't have feathers."

Yoko is shocked.

Yoko "No way! So convenient, but tragic for the little creatures."

They trail off as they walk back in the direction of the dojo, leaving Wolf behind. Wolf smiles as she watches them. She then jumps up a bit before shaking her hands with a big smile and walking behind them.

Wolf "I made a new friend all by myself! And they didn't hate me! Maybe this academy thing won't be so bad afterall? I've got to tell the others."

She says before walking back.