"Today is your big day, son. How do you feel?"
In the capital city of Superland, the Republic, an eighteen-year-old man named Antonio prepared to leave his house.
He had styled his black hair perfectly with oil and wore his new academy uniform. Black trousers followed by a grey suit jacket with the sigil of the Superhero Association stitched onto the chest.
"To be honest Mom, I'm pretty nervous. What if I awaken a trash skill?" He answered truthfully, making his step-mother pinch his cheeks as though he were a child.
His step-mother, whose name was Ranera, was a tall, brown haired woman with a scar over her left eye. Her body was powerful and curvy, yet her face carried a delicate warmth to it.
She had looked after him since he was seventeen years old, after the death of his parents, and had continued to care for him ever since.
"Oh silly, are you forgetting that you are your father's son? It's almost guaranteed that your power will be of A rank potential. Now run along, or you'll be late."
With one last kiss on the forehead, Antonio was pushed out of the door and told to hurry his way to the Academy of Superheroes, a giant hall located at the centre of the city.
It was only a train journey away, but he found himself shivering with nerves the entire time.
---
At the academy...
"Students, today is the most important day of your lives."
Antonio stood in a hall, with a large stage on one end, and a giant TV screen placed above it.
The hall was scattered with a mixture of nervous and confident students, and academy professors, all standing in silence as the man on the stage spoke.
His name was Truth, the number 27th-ranked superhero in all of the Superhero Association, and captain of the Honest Squad.
He wore a black formal suit, rather than a superhero costume like most other superheroes did, and his body was muscular, hardly suiting his soft-looking face.
"As you have known since birth, you are a part of the lucky group with the ability to awaken superpowers. However, do not think that you're better than anyone else. There are many without the money to attend our academy that may still grow to heights greater than yours. Remain humble as you're called to the stage, and remember, whatever power you're given, you can help make a difference in the world."
Just like that, the first student was called to the stage, and it happened to be a woman whom everyone recognised.
Her hair was black, and straight, lining a beautiful face with sharp, stern features. The woman looked as though she were incapable of smiling, making her seem unapproachable, but her body invited the looks of all the males in the crowd.
"Look at the ass on her." Antonio heard a student whisper to his friend.
"Dude, watch what you say. Isn't that Marbelle, the daughter of Nightwoman?"
"And? Doesn't change the fact that I wanna fuck her..."
Marbelle stepped up to the stage, bowing to the professors present, and placed her hand on the awakening orb.
This was a device that would tap into the dormant powers that sat in the bodies of those born with potential. Afterwards, it would present those stats on the screen for all to see.
A superhero with dormant powers could also awaken them without an awakening stone, though the biological process would happen closer to the age of thirty, rather than eighteen. They would also not be presented with a hero profile, and have to learn how to navigate their powers naturally.
They were created decades ago by Professor Neptune, the number 5th ranked hero.
As Marbelle's profile popped up, the hall burst into sounds of awe.
Truth looked down at the girl and nodded his head proudly. "As expected of Nightwoman's daughter. The ability to control the shadows like your mother is no joke. The system has named you "Nightgirl!"
Without a word, Marbella returned to her place in the crowd, face as stern as ever.
Afterwards, one by one, each student was called to the stage and granted their powers.
There were all sorts of abilities, ranging from controlling the elements, altering concepts, or simple things like super strength.
Finally, it was Antonio's turn. As he made his way to the stage, he heard whispers about him.
"Hey, isn't that guy the son of the hero that died last year, Stainer?"
"Shit, you're right. I wonder if he'll be as strong as his father was."
"I've heard that his mother was pretty strong too."
Antonio bowed his head to Truth and the professors present on the stage. Afterwards, he placed his hand on the awakening orb and waited.
It took ten seconds for a strange surge of information to float into his mind. It reminded him of a character menu and was similar to what would be showing on the screen at the moment, though more detailed.
[Accessing Hero Profile...]
[Welcome, Antonio White – "The Janitor"]
[Tip of the Day: Cleanliness is next to godliness.]
Association: Superhero Academy
Status: Active
Hero Rank: None
Reputation: Neutral
Primary Stats:
STRENGTH: D (+1 with Mop)
SPEED: D
STAMINA: D
INTELLIGENCE: D
CHARISMA: F
CONTROL: D
Secondary Stats:
Sanitation Field Radius: 0.5m
Contamination Purge Speed: F
Purification Depth: F
Overal Power Rank: F (0% Progress to next rank)
Potential Power Rank: SSS
Core Abilities:
• Dirt Purge – Emits cleaning waves to remove visible grime.
• Odor Immunity – Unaffected by foul smells.
• Mop Empowerment – +1 STR rank while holding mop.
Hero Missions: None
Mutations: None
---
"..."
"..."
"..."
"BWAHAHAHAHA!"
The crowd of students suddenly burst into laughter. The laughter was so hard that they struggled to keep standing.
"What the fuck? His power is... to clean stuff up?"
"Haha, I can't stop laughing."
"How did he even make it into the academy?"
Antonio's face went red with rage. At that moment, he didn't even feel embarrassed. His feelings were directed to his awakening, as it didn't make any sense.
The ability to clean stuff up? And they have the cheek to say it has SSS rank potential?
Without a word, Antonio left the stage, head low and fists clenched.
Around him, he heard constant mutters about his powers. It seemed to have become the highlight of the day.
Captain Truth silenced the room, but even he seemed to have a slight smirk on his face.
"Ahem, remember students. From this point onwards, you are a superhero, even though you're still students, your powers will be used to change the world... some in more ways than others."
At the last jest, the crowd giggled to themselves once again.
Antonio found nothing funny.
"Now then, you are all dismissed. Make sure you're all here for the physical exam tomorrow, then your journey will truly begin."
Just like that, the students began to filter out of the room.
The profiles on the screens did not give as much information as they naturally kept some areas secret, such as rank potential, and stats, so many discussed their powers further with each other.
Antonio did not waste any time leaving the hall and walking out into the streets of Central City.
He slammed his fists into a nearby wall with rage. It did not crack or splinter, as his awakening had kept his strength at D rank, which was the human average.
"I'm useless. A failure of a man, and a disgrace to my family." He muttered to himself, tears threatening to form in his eyes.
But then, a voice came from behind him. One that was stern and feminine.
"Raise your head, it doesn't suit you."
Antonio turned to see Marbelle standing there, arms crossed beneath her breasts, slightly propping them up so that they pressed against the fabrics of her uniform. Her eyes, which were dark like his, locked onto him.
"Marbelle?" He said with confusion. He had never met the woman before, so it made no sense for her to speak to him.
"Forget what the other say about you. A hero's powers do not define them, but rather how they use them."
Then, without another world, she spun around and headed down the street towards her destination.
Antonio was left standing there, watching her hips sway as she strutted away.
She was right. His power was claimed to have SSS rank potential, but that didn't make any sense to him. Its abilities were so weak.
...
Antonio let out a sigh and tried to calm himself down.
At this point, all I can do is head home. Maybe Mom can tell me how to fix this.