Kick To The Stomach

[Middle school classroom]

[Fukuoka, Japan]

13 year old Akira Xen sat at his desk, alone, watching all of his other classmates partner up and laugh it up with people for a group project.

Akira had dark blue eyes, glasses, and wavy brown hair.

Akira's fists trembled, and he stood up out of his chair.

He said nervously with sweat running down his head, "D-Does anyone want to be my partn-."

A thick ball of rubber bands smacked Akira in the face, and he fell back in his chair.

BWAHAHHAHA!!

The class erupted in laughter, as the rubber band ball fell to the floor.

Akira wiped his nose, turning around, "It's fine, it's fine really. Sorry."

The teacher exclaimed, "Oi! No throwing shit!"

The class began to say to each other:

"That's Akira Xen, he's Shin's younger brother."

"Aren't they like a year apart?"

"Two years apart actually."

Other classmates said:

"They are like, completely opposite of each other. I mean, Shin is strong and he beats super villains, while Akira does nothing with his boring super power."

"All Akira can do is shoot white wraps from his body. And his hair gets white in some areas everytime he pulls out the wrapssss! Booooringgg!"

"Hahaha! He'll never get in a good hero guild with that power."

Akira listened to all of these remarks, but at the same time, he was trying to ignore them by drawing in his notebook, drawing himself covered in spiraling white wraps.

The female teacher approached Akira's desk, and she leaned in, asking, "Are you alright? I heard what the other kids were saying, and I saw what they threw at you. Me personally, I wouldn't let them get away with that. Just saying."

Akira grinned while pushing up his glasses with one finger, "I-It's okay. I read tons of manga, usually the bullied protagonist becomes stronger than everyone, this is all for my sad backstory for when I become a famous superhero and reporters ask me about my origins! I was usually going for the sad backstory like my world got destroyed or something like that! Ooh! Ooh! Or I could-."

"Shhhhhh. There you go again, with that excitement nerdy stuff. It's good, I guess. You're not at all..bothered at all by this?"

"I…am bothered. I get sad a lot.. I don't have any friends at all..I want some..but people tend to not take any interest in me. My powers aren't cool like my brother's. He has the power of darkness, that's super cool! And and and he can also-!"

"Thereeee you gooooo AGAINNNNN! It's really too early for all of this. But look, I don't wanna be branded as a bad teacher by the readers, so I'm gonna tell you something. If you really wanna become better than your brother, you have to work for that shit. Shin trains?"

"Yes! And when he trains, he throws darkness all over the place, it's so cool! Sorry. I-I got ahead of myself. I usually watch him train and copy down his regimens in my journal, but only the conditioning things."

"I advise you to go out and start fighting villains now if your brother is doing it. Yes, it is dangerous, and yes, you might get dragged across the street like a tire, yes, you might get blown up or shot in the face like a damn muppet. But..work on your craft. If you really wanna be like those manga people, work like them."

"You really mean that..?"

"Don't those manga people train too? And have you even found yourself a hero name?"

"Yeah, but sometimes I'm not motivated. It happens a-a lot..haha..and no, I haven't figured out a name just yet. I-I wanna make the name unique, a name that comes from a drastic situation."

"It's alright. You don't want people calling you a pussy later on down the line, so you best start training and fighting villains now."

One student said, "Ah, don't tell him that! He's a nerd! N-E-R-D, a ner-."

The teacher picked up the rubber band ball and threw it at the student, it hit his stomach, and he smashed against the wall.

The teacher was breathing heavily uo and down, and the class started clapping.

"He was so annoying!"

"Yeah! Repeating the same shit over and over!"

The teacher fixed herself up, coughing into her fist, "Excuse me. That was rude."

Akira looked out of the window, and he sighed, thinking, 'I literally had to fight for this seat.'

[FLASHBACK]

(5 months ago)

Akira was sitting in the same window seat, until a couple of boys in his class came over.

"Oi! I wanna sit there. Move."

Akira responded, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I just like..window seats.."

'Because the protagonist always sits at the window. Meaning they'll be overpowered someday.'

"Well, I need that window seat!"

His friend ad libbed, "Yeah! He needs that window seat!"

Akira pushed his glasses up, "I-I got this seat first. Please, I don't want trouble.."

The boy grabbed Akira, and slung him across the floor, laughing, "Hahaha! Dummy! You didn't think I'd get physical, huh?!"

His friend ad libbed again, "Haha! Yeah! You didn't think he'd get physical, huh?!"

"Stop….copying me!"

"S-Sorry!"

Akira stood up off the floor, brushing himself off and putting his glasses back on.

"Don't do that again."

The bully turned around, "Hehhh?! This guy! Are you threatening?"

"I'm not. I'm just saying, that was r-really uncalled for.."

The teacher walked into the classroom, and the bully looked at her, pointing at Akira, yelling, "Teacher! Akira is threatening me!"

Akira's mouth went wide, exclaiming, "B-B-But-."

The teacher yawned, "Just find a seat, will ya? Akira, you can have the..window seat. I should've got some coffee. Isn't there a superhero named coffee man or some shit? I don't know, I'm tired. I'm literally talking to myself."

The teacher was a woman, and she had thin glasses and a tall ponytail that stuck upwards, and she always was chewing gum. Her name was Sensei Ultra. That's her real name, documented and everything.

Akira quickly sat in the window seat, smiling, but the bully grabbed Akira by the collar, yanking him upward, saying, "You're done! I'll hurt you so bad that you won't even be able to use that seat!"

The students around them were saying, "Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!"

Sensei Ultra was falling asleep in her chair, it was going on and off for her.

Akira gritted his teeth, as he looked the bully in the eyes.

'I've never fought before, I've only been beaten up. Mostly by my brother, Shin. But..I need this in my origin story!'

Akira punched the bully in the chest, and the bully staggered back, holding it.

The class was silent, and the bully said, "Fine! You can have it! I'm gonna go use the bathroom!"

His friend ad libbed, "Yeah, he's..Nevermind. Sorry."

The bully walked out in the hallway, and he started to lean against the wall, sweating hard.

'How can he..punch so damn hard?!'

He looked down in his shirt to see the skin on his chest, and he saw it was bruised red and purple, and it was spreading through other parts of his chest. The bully gasped, "How?! He's only a nerd!"

The bully started crying as he ran down the hallway towards the nurses office.

[FLASHBACK OVER]

[Present Day]

[The High School]

(Lunch time)

Akira was sitting at a lunch table by himself, eating food out of a bento box. He looked around, watching everyone laugh and enjoy themselves.

The conversations around him were going:

"Hey, have you heard what happened to the number one ranked hero?"

"Who? Gunjo the infamous? What happened?"

"He went missing. Some people think he went AWOL because his guild was talking about how he snores when he sleeps or something like that."

"That can't be true."

Akira thought, 'The number one ranked hero? Missing? Gunjo the infamous…widely praised around the world, kinda like my brother Shin. Gunjo is always saving people, and he's always risking his life in the process. Gunjo has been on every single talk show in the world, and there's rumors that he was offered to play in his own films. Imagine. Shin always claims he'll be stronger and more popular than Gunjo, literally says that everytime he turns on the TV. I look up to Gunjo, I don't wanna be like him at all, because that's too cliche and shounen. I wanna be better than all of them, but my brother is my focus, since he kinda has the same influence as Gunjo. I gotta see more about this.'

Akira stood up out of his lunch chair, and he walked to the table with the students occupying them.

Akira asked, "Sorry, hey, excuse me, w-when did they post about Gunjo?"

"Um..just now. Don't tell me you wanted to be like himmmm and that you wanted to get his autographhhh or something like that, something that nerdy kids look forward too."

"No! I-It's not like that. It's just I've looked up to him since I was a kid, and he's really really..cool. Like the way he uses his body to shield powerless civilians! Oh! Or the way he runs circles around villains just to taunt them! Or-Or the way he-."

The students started to get up from the table, and they began walking away.

Akira watched them, "Sorry."

'Dammit. I got carried away again.'

More students around him were saying:

"I sure hope Gunjo is okay. He's like my idol!"

"He's fine. He's GUNJO for crying out fucking loud."

"Who do you think would win in a fight? Gunjo the infamous or Shin?"

"I don't know..that's a hard question.."

[Akira's house]

Hours later, Akira ran inside of his two story house, bursting through the door, leaving it wide open and running through the living room.

His parents were sitting on the couch in the living room, and the dad asked , "In a hurry, Akira?"

Akira stopped, "Um..yeah. Kinda."

The dad, his name was Yamato, he had grayish brown hair in a small ponytail with a black streak in his hair, and brown eyes.

The mother, her name was Yuu. She had long dark purple hair, and dark red eyes.

Yuu said, "Look! Shin is on TV again!"

Akira looked at the television hanging on the wall, and they showed his brother Shin being interviewed by a news reporter, with a pile of ties up villains behind him, and the cops arresting each and every one of those villains.

Shin had black hair, but it was parted in the front, he had dark red eyes, and he wore a black suit with a black coat behind it, and he was wearing fingerless black gloves.

Shin was just staring at the camera, not saying a word.

The reporter put the microphone near Shin's mouth, asking, "So, Shin! That's a nice costume you got there! Is it new?!"

Shin answered, "…You've never seen me with it before, correct?"

"N-No we haven't."

"Then why?"

"Why what?"

"Would you ask a foolish question? And can the camera back up a little please? I'm claustrophobic."

The camera backed up a little, and Akira thought, 'Crap! I don't even have a hero costume!'

The reporter asked Shin, "Shin, you're climbing up the ranks pretty fast, and there were rumors that we're gonna start up your own guild!"

"I've already started it."

"Oh really? How's the process and progress coming along?"

"I only choose the best of the best to be in my guild. So it's taking a while. Interview over."

Shin dashed away, leaving the reporter speechless.

Back in the living room, Yamato said, "Ha! That darn Shin, always cold towards the reporters. He's like me when I was a hero back in my day. In my day when I was doing a lot of deeeeatroyiiing. Have I told you guys I was a villain? A cool ass villain too! Haha! I miss those days!"

Akira explained, "Dad, Shin doesn't like people at all. He says it all the time. T-This isn't a surprise." Akira pushed his glasses up.

Yuu added, "Shin is just a one of a kind hero! Akira, you have power! You should be making villains feel tons of pain! And then bring their blood to me. For educational purposes only. You have to get like your brother and bring out its full…potential..?"

Akira was gone, he was walking into Shin's training room, seeing all the weights and dummy targets and mannequins standing and laying around.

Akira thought, 'I was hesitant to train before, scared that I would hurt myself in training, and that would mean I could never surpass Shin. I haven't done a single push-up in about 2 weeks. Crap! I gotta check on my plants!'

Akira ran out of the training room, and started running upstairs to his room. As he was running up the stairs, his whitish brown and grey German Shepherd barked as it followed him up, wagging his tail.

Akira exclaimed, "Hey, Munchie! I don't have treats with me..sorry..but we can go to the store later today to get some! I-I just have to check something."

Akira ran inside his room, and there were LED lights everywhere, computers and technology all over the place, sketches of super heroes on the wall, comics and manga on bookshelves, etc.

Akira ran to a desk near his wall, and picked up yet another journal.

He sat down in the chair, and he was facing a small cactus-like plant sitting in the desk in front of him.

Akira was shining light all over it, writing down and documenting everything that was going on with it.

'Okay. Soil is stable. Not too moist…could it use more water..no..I can't overfeed it.'

Akira walked back and forth, tapping his pin on his chin, inspecting the cactus.

"Ah! It moved! It-It-It's reacting to the light!"

Akira sat down back in the chair, writing quickly in his journal. He was murmuring to himself, with his glasses leaning off his face.

He slammed the journal down, pushing his glasses up, saying, "Phew! Daily plant analysis is complete. Trial 4, how it reacts to light…observation successful."

His dog Munchie came up and started sniffing Akira, and Akira petted Munchie, "Yeah yeah, you want treats. But there's something I gotta do first…again."

Akira was in Shin's training room again, and he was crawling around like an animal, sniffing all over the place. Trying to see if Shin was hiding within the darkness and shadows of the equipment.

Akira thought, 'Shin can hide within darkness..I gotta be careful. I hate when he pops up out of nowhere.'

Akira stood up and turned around, and his brother Shin was standing right in front of him.

Akira screeched, and jumped back behind a dummy target.

"S-S-Shin!"

Shin said, "I sensed that you touched my equipment. Without permission."

"L-Look! I can explain!"

Shin's eyes strained red and were wide open, and he said, "Did you just..scream..in my presence..?"

"No..I didn't.."

"Why are you even in here? To surpass me?"

"I just…wanted to train with your equipment…"

"You don't touch them. You can do 20 pushups, and then you can leave. I'm being generous."

"T-Thanks! To be able to do anything in here is amazing!"

Shin's eyes got wide and he said again, "You dare..scream in my ear..?"

"Ugh. No."

Akira started doing push-ups fast, with Shin standing over him, watching.

Shin said, "Stop going so fast. I'm getting nauseous just by looking at you."

Akira finished the push-ups, and stood up, bowing to Shin, "Thank you. For letting me use your training room..Shin. B-Bye.."

Akira ran out of the training room, and he ran straight outside. Akira patted himself down, smiling, "I'm not hurt! Or injured! Yes!"

Akira ran to the right, and grabbed his bike, yelling to his parents, "I'm going to the pet store to get Munchie some doggy treats!"

Yuu yelled back, "Don't stay out too late! If anything happens, call us! If anyone tries anything.."

Yuu and Yamato were behind a bush, and they were holding swords, "We'll kill them.."

Akira smiled nervously, "Okay, I'm off!"

Akira started pedaling down the sidewalk, pedaling fast as he feet went around and around.

He cycled past multiple superheroes in costumes, and even saw some hero guilds hanging out with each other, finishing off some villains they just defeated.

Akira smiled, "So cool!"

Akira was heading into the city now, heading straight for the general pet store.

Akira saw some famous heroes being surrounded by groups of people or girls, and saw people just living out their everyday lives.

The world was filled with people who had powers, and those who didn't have any. The people with powers were using them to work easier, and they would often help those without powers.

Super heroes were the face of the world, with hero guilds and heroes climbing the ranks each and everyday, with defeating villains just to climb the ranks. Even taking on tasks given to them by the Sun, the Sun is a hero corps/association in which people must register there to become a named hero, which is required to get rewards for climbing ranks in hero guilds, and even joining a guild in the first damn place.

A few blocks away, a bank was being robbed. A 12 foot man in a red robotic outfit packed with heavy guns and armor was stomping out of the bank with boxes of money in both arms, destroying the bank just by walking through it.

Outside of it, were cops, and they were shooting at the bank robber, but it wasn't working.

The thief's name was Kode, and he has short brown hair, green eyes, and very wrinkly skin. His head was seen through the armor at the very top.

Kode yelled to the cops, "Suck it! Let me walk away with the money! I need it so I can look young again! I need that expensive product! Don't you have a heart?! What? Did you expect me to say something like, 'I have a sick daughter?' Gimme a break!"

One cop exclaimed, "Heroes are on the way! Surrender!"

Kode started humping the air slowly, saying, "Suck..it! I'm getting that lotion! Or face cream, or whatever the hell the kids call it! Stay outta my way, pigs!"

Kode shot rockets out of his robotic arms, and the rockets started blowing up the cars, but a hero wearing an all blue and white jumpsuit with ice powers swooped in and threw ice in the way, covering the cops from the explosions.

One cop said, "It's Cold Clover! Thank you!"

"Don't mention it. Dammit! The robber got away, but he can't be far!"

Kode was running on the rooftops, and helicopters were in the sky following him, with SWAT inside, shooting more bullets at him.

Kode was hit by a few of the bullets, thinking, 'Armor piercing rounds..they're going for the kill? Haha. That's okay…'

"Because I'm going for the kill!"

He turned around to the helicopter, and shot bullets and rockets out of his metal arm.

One rocket hit the back of the helicopter, and it started spiraling downward.

"We're going down! We're going down! We're hit!"

As the heli was falling, another hero appeared and she was wearing a tuxedo. She stuck her hands out to the heli, and strong winds appeared, moving the helicopter near a rooftop safely.

Some civilians exclaimed, "Wind Woman! She's here!"

Kode shot another rocket, but this time at Wind Woman.

Kode laughed, "Suck it, donut eatin' pigs sons of bitches! Save that!"

The rocket was closing in on Wind Woman, but out of nowhere, Akira jumped in with white wraps coming from his body, and his tail partially white.

Akira slung wraps at the rocket, making it latch around it, spun around, and threw the rocket back at Kode.

Akira thought, 'What am I doing? What am I doing? What am I doing? I'm not a registered hero. These skills, I'm not being controlled, I'm doing them..but it feels so natural to me..like I always knew how to do this.'

The rocket hit Kode in the back, and Kode went flying forward in a small explosion.

Wind Woman asked, "That boy saved us. Who is he?"

Kode was flying forward, and then Akira rushed up towards him, and he stretched a long piece of wrap in front of Kode. Kode gasped, "What the hell-?!"

He ran into the wrap, and it grabbed it, slinging him backwards at least 20 feet.

Kode thought, 'What was that?!'

It was Akira.

As Kode was flying backwards, Akira zapped up behind him, and Akira had white wraps wrapped around his hands and arms.

Akira punched Kode in the back, and it knocked a large chunk of Kode's armor off, sending Kode forward at least 50 feet, making a large blast of wind shoot out from that punch.

Kode thinks, 'Who is that kid?! His punch knocked half of my armor off! Not good!'

Akira was jumping from rooftop to rooftop, with white wraps coming from his arms and back.

Akira thought, 'This feels..amazing! It feels so natural!'

Kode was running away on rooftops, shooting bullets and rockets at Akira.

Akira put up a shield made of wrap in front of him, and it deflected the bullets. Akira dodged the rockets, sliding under them, jumping over them, and spinning past them.

Kode said, "You're an annoying ass runt! Very well. Let's see if you can handle this.."

Kode climbed up a tall building, and then jumped off on the other side.

Akira was climbing up the building fast, and then he jumped off as well.

"Very high! Very high!" Akira said nervously.

Kode and Akira were falling, and Kode laughed, "You literally FELL for the oldest trick in the book! Prepare to die, brat!"

Kode shot a hail of missiles at Akira, and Akira covered himself fully in white wraps, and the rockets made contact with Akira, blowing up.

Kode laughed, "Haha! That should teach you! Should've learned not to mess with the big boys!"

Kode's face went straight, and Akira was falling through the smoke of the explosion, unharmed.

Kode yelled, "Impossible! What are you?!"

Akira smiled, "I..am a human? I don't have a super hero name though, and I need one to even REGISTER to be a hero. I could be mummy boy! Wait no that's too..weird..and cringe. You know-."

"Shut up and die!"

Kode was about to shoot more rockets, but Akira was already in Kode's face, and he punched through Kode's helmet armor, and his fist connected with his face, and as they were falling, Akira's fist slammed Kode's face into the road, causing a loud sonic boom, and some parts of the road were destroyed.

The impact was so heavy, Kode's armored back bounced off the ground, ascending temporarily above Akira's head.

Akira jumped slightly, and then he spun in the air twice, his leg sagging outward, and he super kicked Kode in the back.

That kick caused another sonic boom, and Kode's armor fully shattered, sending Kode 45 feet into the air, coughing out blood.

Kode thought, 'That boy..strong and fast..who..is he?! What is he?'

Kode fell on a rooftop unconscious, and Akira started to put his wraps away, and parts of his hair was back to brown.

Akira smiled, wiping dirt off of his face, "Awesome!!! I was so c-cool! Was anyone watching me?! I hope so!"

On a rooftop watching, Shin was looking at Akira saying nerdy things, like, "I'm definitely looking into myself when I get home! N-Not in a nasty or lewd way, but like-!"

Shin jumped down from the roof, and landed in front of Akira.

"What are you? You're not Akira. Akira is weak and nerdy with swimming goggle glasses."

Akira looked confused, and said, "It's me..? It's really me! Did you see me?!"

"Yes."

Shin turned around, and started walking away.

Akira reached out to Shin a little, "Shin..?"

There were all types of sirens in the distance, and heroes were arriving also.

Akira thought, 'Interview time! Heroes are coming too! I can make a name for myself right here!'

Suddenly, a frog made out of darkness grabbed Akira, and started hopping away.

Akira exclaimed, "Oi! W-Who is..? Shin! Shin put me down or I'll..beat this frog up! I need to get known and famous! This is the perfect opportunity!"

The frog was running right behind Shin, who was also running.

Shin said, "Hurt my frog, I'll destroy your cactus in your nerdy room."

"B-But.."

"Give it a rest. You're not ready."

"I am! I am! I am! I am!"

"You're not! You're not! You're not! Yelling is tiring."