SuperZeroes🦸🌍🐲 (An Original Story)
Chapter 1: Excelsior 🏙
Prologue
“Life is never completely without challenges.” - Stan Lee
The City of Excelsior! A bustling city filled with a ten million population and still growong! Home to heroes of all shapes, sizes and powers. Not to mention the home of the soon to be SuperZeroes!
But just as there's many heroes, there are also many villains who wish to disrupt the peace. As good vs evil clashes on a daily basis, its quite easy to get caught up in the excitement. From world ending plots, jailbreaks, experiments gone wrong, and other ridiculous scenarios, being a hero is nearly a 24 hour job. Its become a part of everyday life in Excelsior. If you're late to work, that's probably because some mad scientist is trying to control hamsters with a raygun and he's causing massive traffic. Happens all the time.
Our future heroes story begins where all superhero stories start: In an apartment complex! At least they usually do, right?
The young man inside this apartment was fast asleep in his room. This is the home of 13-year-old Richie Rapids, a boy whom to call a superhero fan would be an understatement. However, the usually chipper Richie was, as we mentioned, still snoozing in his bed. Big mistake on his part today.
Suddenly his bedroom door creaked open and a large golden retriever stuck its snout into the room and sniffed around. She noticed that Richie wasn't awake still, and that his bedroom was a total mess. As the dog walked through the bedroom, she carefully avoided the scattered leftover chips, game controller from a previous long night gaming session, open comic books and a pile of shirts that smelled like they hadn't been washed in 3 weeks.
The dog then leaped onto the foot of Richie's bed, made her way across and started licking his face. If his alarm clock and his mother's call didn't work, this method always came in handy.
Richie woke up with a start and shot straight up as he wiped his face. "Blech! Nachos! Why'd you do that? Its not even time for the bus to come yet." he grumbled
Nachos barked and nodded towards Richie's alarm clock on the nightstand, which was covered up by another comic book.
The boy lifted up the comic and saw the time. It was 6:30.
"I'M LATE! I'M LATE! HOW CAN I BE LATE!?" He shouted as he fell out of bed and scrambled to his feet. The boy accidentally stepped on practically everything he left on the floor which just slowed him down even more. He had to ignore the pain in order to get ready for school in less than fifteen minutes and he hadn't even bathed yet.
Our young hero, Richie Rapids, everyone!
Richie found whatever clothes that wasn't in the dirty hamper and put them on, grabbed his backpack and shoved whatever school supplies he needed for the day at school, his favorite pair of shoes and then searched for his phone that was misplaced sometime yesterday. He felt Nachos nudged him with her nose, looked up and saw she had his missing phone in her jaws.
Richie smiled and gave her a good scratching behind the ear as a reward. "Thanks, girl! I'll see you after school!" Then he raced out of the room into the hallway.
His parents were downstairs, preparing for their own busy day at work. Mom was just getting breakfast on the table while Dad was out getting the car ready, but the engine seemed be stalling.
"You've gotta be kidding me." He grumbled. "Rachel, didn't you take the car in for repairs?" he asked her on the phone as he opened the hood of the car and looked for the problem.
"Of course I did, Reggie. They fixed the engine last week, something about water being leftover from the attack of Water Hazard on the city." She answered.
Reggie's eyes lit up. "Oh. Why didn't you say so earlier?" He put his hand over the engine and within moments a stream of water floated out of it into his hand. "Thanks, hon." Once he stepped back into the car, the engine started with no problem.
With that issue out of the way, Rachel called Richie down one more time. "Last call, Richie! Don't make me drag you out of bed again.. You're not going to be late for the last day of school." She warned him as she got the food on the table.
Richie had skidded into the kitchen just as she finished her sentence. "Yeah, mom, sorry I slept late! I'll see you later." He hurriedly said as he made his way to the door. He didn't remember if he actually showered or not, but there really wasn't time to think about it.
"Richard." Her change in voice made him freeze.
"You're not leaving until you eat something here after I spent all this time cooking."
Uh oh. That was her "Mom" tone, followed by using his full name. It was best not to argue with her right now.
He dashed to the table, got bacon, eggs, potatoes and just put them between two pieces for a pseudo breakfast sandwich, then hugged his mom.
"Much better. Thank you." She said with a smile. "Love you."
"Loveyoutoomombye!!" Richie rushed out the door now that he was free. He put the sandwich in his mouth and raced down the stairs to the parking lot. His father noticed that he was in a hurry and honked his horn.
"Hey, little wave!" Reggie called. "I can give you a lift if you-"
Too late. The kid was already gone. How could someone always be in a hurry and yet still late on things?
Richie was running as fast as his legs could carry him as he saw the bus taking off without him. It was incredibly difficult to eat and run, but if his hero could do it, then so could he. Even though he technically wasn't a cartoon character.
He eventually caught up to it as he raced from the sidewalk to the bus. The driver was so focused on the road that he didn't see the boy.
"Stop the bus! Stop the bus! Come on, guys!" Richie shouted as he smacked the bus window with his hand. It was more difficult with breakfast in his mouth.
A few other kids noticed him practically begging to be let on. They weren't sure if they should tell the driver to stop or enjoy the show and see how long Richie could last before he fell. One girl chose the first option.
A brunette girl tapped the walrus bus driver on the shoulder. "Hey, sir? You forgot about Richie. He's outside."
The walrus rolled his eyes. "If this is another trick to stall you kids into not going to school..." He grumbled and looked at his side mirror. Richie looked like he was about to pass out.
"Oh jeez!" He immediately pulled on the brakes and the bus screeched to a halt.
The boy was close to the door when SMACK!
He was met with the bus' stop sign right in the face, causing him to fall to the ground. His makeshift breakfast was all over his face, but at least he still had all his teeth. "I'm okay..." he wheezed.
The boy staggered to his feet and made his way to the door. He could hear the muffled voices of the kids laughing inside, but at this point, he didn't care.
The bus driver tipped his hat once the kid got in. "Sorry, Rich. Thought these kids were playing another prank on me."
"Its fine, Mr. Tusk. I'm just going to pretend this whole morning never happened." He bushed the bits of scrambled egg out of his hair and proceeded to board the bus.
Richie found a seat by the window, trying to shake off the embarrassment. He had never been more grateful that this was the last day of school before summer vacation. To get his mind off of his blunder, he pulled out his phone to listen to some music. When he turned it on, he was met with a wallpaper of his favorite video game character, Boost the Badger.
He lingered on the image. "I won't be slow forever, Boost." Richie had been a fan of this character since he was five. In fact, Boost was the inspiration behind the boy's desire to become a hero. Sure, he was a fictional badger with superspeed and ate cheeseburgers, but seeing his adventures and drive to save others in the nick of time is something Richie always wanted aspired to be. Now so more than ever.
He then selected a song in his playlist and let the music carry his worries away.
As the bus drove through the city, the entire place was filled with people from all walks of life. From regular civilians heading to work or other locations on the road, to the flight powered heroes who soared the skies.
Once crossing the highway, you could see just how high the skyscrapers were, towering over everything like giants. The largest ones gleamed in silver and belonged to some of the biggest businesses that hired heroes.
The rest of the smaller buildings had it fair share of color, with flashing neon lights for their signs. Stores had items that catered to both norms and supers. Why, you could even find a super pet shop if you look hard enough!
Richie's daydreaming session was interrupted by a news alert. He tried to skip it, but it played anyway. So much for relaxing...
The image showed a globe with a red cape and the letters ENN in gold in front of it as the news theme played, then it cut a man in a suit and glasses in front a large desk.
"Good morning, Excelsior! John Anchorman here for ENN. The one man team who brings you the latest news, scoops, forecasts and whatever you need to know, I get for you!" He winked at the camera as fun music played. "First up, our weather report. Take it, John!"
The camera cut to an identical man standing in front of a weather forecast screen. "Today, we've got the forecast looking quite sunny now that the rainstorm attack from Water Hazard has stopped, perfect conditions tonight's vicennial meteor shower. Warm temperatures will continue throughout the week with a cool drop on Saturday."
The camera then cut to a third John who was holding a football in his hand. "For sports, we have the epic showdown of our home team, Blizzards vs the Heatwaves in today's big game, and we're rooting for them all the way!"
The screen cut to yet another John who was sitting alongside the first John, waiting for his cue. "As for our news: This afternoon at 4:30 is our 'Hero of the Month' special, with many predicting the winner will be fan favorite, Mighty Eagle. After that, is an exclusive interview with Tyran, leader of the Pangeans and the United Solar System. Later on, we've captured more footage of the elusive hero who slays supernatural evil, Brimstone we'll be airing tonight."
An image of a colorful meteor in the night appeared on screen. "But our biggest news of all is the long awaited 'Starfall Shower' event! This special shower occurs every twenty years, and gains whoever touches it the power their hearts desire with one wish. I sense a new generation of heroes coming our way already!"
The last news caught Richie's attention instantly. He'd been waiting for this event for several years after he learned about it as a child. This was it. This was the moment he was waiting for.
The John clone continued. "I'm wishing that we'll actually win a game for once with one of those!"
Cutting back to the first John, he laughed was laughing at his own joke. "Ha! I just crack myself up!"
Suddenly a loud explosion made Richie take attention as the entire bus shook from the vibration. Mr. Tusk gripped the wheel and tried to regain control of the vehicle before it swerved out of control.
The school bus came to a screeching halt, making the kids freak out a little. Mr. Tusk made sure the students were okay, then used the wipers to clear the ash and dust off the window. Once the smoke started to clear, he saw a small army of chipmunks running across the street, blocking the path of all the vehicles.
The smoke was coming from the Historical Gem Museum, with the doors being blown off for obvious dramatic effect. A hunched figure scurried from the building, revealing a man in a brown furry cape and mask. His gloves and boots were designed to look like claws and he carried a bright green animal within his grasp. A trio of officers were chasing after him, but it was futile.
The man skid to halt once he was in the street with furry cohorts. "Its no use! You will never catch me. The Emerald Hedgehog is all mine, and the world will tremble before the name, Critter Commando! Master thief of all priceless jewels!" He raised the said jewel in his hand to show off. His rodent friends chittered in applause.
Mr. Tusk groaned. "Not this whack job again." He blew the horn twice. "Hey, you mind monologuing somewhere else? These kids have school to get to!"
"Actually, we can just skip school altogether. Critter seems pretty dangerous." Richie hoped his pretend fear would convince the driver to turn around. A few kids actually chuckled now that the villain wasn't a threat.
Critter Commando growled. "You won't be mocking me once I unleash the ultimate power of the-"
Before he could finish his sentence, a strong gust of wind blew by him. When he opened his eyes, he was staring at his empty hand. "WHAT?!"
"Wow, you're stealing jewels now? You've stepped up a bit!"
Critter turned around and saw a spotted costumed speedster with a cheetah mask leaning against a nearby mailbox. He instead had the Emerald Hedgehog in his hand, pretending he was inspecting it like jeweler.
"CHEETAHMAN! That's one of the World's Finest members!" Richie exclaimed as pressed his face against one of the windows to get a better look. Many of the other kids got up to join him, while a few took out their phones to film the action.
"Although, the fact you keep putting this critter themed shtick into your crimes seems forced. There's plenty of diamonds in there and you ignored them all for this!" Cheetahman snickered.
Critter Commando pulled out a ray gun and fired at the hero. "Don't question my methods! Laugh at this, furball!" He snarled.
He blasted multiple times, but Cheetahman dodged each shot with quickened ease as he zig-zagged in front of him. He was running towards him when Critter commanded the chipmunks to attack. Cheetahman tried to avoid them, but their small claws hung onto his suit quite tight and they began to slow him down as more of them grabbed on.
"Seriously? You took the park animals for this? You really are nuts." Cheetahman commented as he tried to shake off as many of the chipmunks as he could. But soon his entire body was covered with them, rendering him stuck in place.
Critter had the power to control small animals like squirrels, birds, mice and other creatures. He's also banned from pet stores for the sane reason. The man was determined to prove himself as a villain despite his ridiculous powers, but so far he's seen as one of the lowest threats. Each week he pulled off a crime with a different kind of animal, with each time ending in the same result. Today he chose chipmunks.
Critter laughed. "Good job, fellas! So much for your little wisecracks, furball. Now I'll be taking back that emerald." He reached for prize when suddenly a handcuff appeared on his wrist before he could blink.
"Gotcha!"
Suddenly, a small tornado built up and spun Critter Commando and the chipmunks around so fast that they were air borne. Cheetahman then ran down the road and back again with a comically large glass cage. Then the villain and the chipmunks all fell into the cage and it closed itself up.
"That makes this the fifth week in a row, Critter. You really need to find another job. Or a hobby that doesn't involve using rodents to rob people." The hero said as he tapped the glass to mock him. Critter growled in annoyance. Soon the police showed up to take the villain away and the street was safe once more.
Ceetahman waved to the cheering kids. He would've stayed for autographs, but then he got another alert in his ear communicator. "Gotta run kids. Stay in school!" And with that, he dashed of with great speed down the road until he was out of sight. Soon and officer guided traffic to the clear lane, and the bus was moving once more.
"See? That's the kind of hero I want to be!" Richie exclaimed, still beaming.
"Yeah, like you're ever gonna be one, Super Zero!" One large kid from the back mocked him.
The bus arrived at Kirby Lee Middle School. While it wasn't a school for heroes, there certainly many kids that were the sons and daughters of superheroes. There are only two ways to get powers: Wishing for them after touching the center of a meteorite which contained a star, or one or both of your parents have powers that could be passed down.
Richie's father could control water while his mom had pyrokinesis. Sadly, he never inherited either of their powers. It wasn't uncommon for that to happen with kids, but it still bummed him out.
Richie's last school day dragged on for him. From math, to science, to history and (painfully) gym, he was counting the hours down until that final bell rang. He seemed to manage to avoid the local bullies that usually mess with him. Either they never showed up to school, or maybe the principal sent them to Summer School early.
Once the bell rang, the kid was more than relived to be out of it. Some of the students at Kirby Lee already had Summer plans. A few going on vacation with family, while others planned to see the next Summer blockbusters, and the rest just wanted to do simply nothing but take it easy.
Not Richie. His dream of getting his powers starts tonight. Once he got the rest of the gang together, they would plan to get to that meteor shower and get his wish. They all wished they had some sort of power, but unlike Richie, they accepted their place after a while. Despite that, they all remained friends.
As Richie walked out of the school's front door, he received a text from one of his friends, Jason, saying that he would meet him soon before they head to their usual hangout spot.
Richie was thrilled. With Summer finally starting, they would have more than enough time to hangout. It was very limited with school hours being involved, but now they could be free to be as superhero obsessed as they wanted. However, his excitement faded a bit when two larger boys crept up behind him.
"Well, well. And here I thought you were going to leave without saying goodbye?" The nasally boy belonged to Terrence. He and his co-tormentor Mark were the bullies at Kirby Lee School most kids knew the drill to avoid them at all costs. Even making eye contact could put you in danger. They weren't exactly villains, but they were pretty close to them.
Normally, Richie would be fearful, but not even these two idiots were going to spoil his mood. "Of course not!" He played along. "In fact, I've been looking for you guys all day too. I just had to get my daily dose annoyance after all."
"You mocking us?" Terrence asked then turned to his friend. "Is he mocking us?" He wasn't exactly the brightest bulb out there...
Mark rolled his eyes. "Laugh all you want. You're not leaving here until we get our last beatdown of the school year in. Since everyone else is gone, you're just gonna have to be the lucky one." He tightened his grip on Richie's shoulder, making sure he couldn't go anywhere.
"Well, I wouldn't do that if I were you." Richie continued his bravado. "My big brother is coming and you don't want to make him angry. He'll flatten you guys like pancakes, and he's a big guy."
The duo laughed. "You expect us to believe that?" Terrence smirked.
Marked cracked his knuckles. "No getting out of this one, Rich. You're gonna get....your...." His voice trailed off when a large shadow was cast over them. There's no way it was night already.
The two of them looked up and saw a large figure standing behind them. He was supposed to be a boy, but he had the height of an adult man. He wore a grey hoodie with the hood over his head. It casted a shadow over his face, but the most prominent thing about it was the fierce looking eyes, as if he was a tiger who found his next meal.
"There a problem here?" He asked in a gruff voice.
The two boys were trembling, almost afraid to answer. Terrence was the first to actually get his voice back. "N-n-n-no! W-we were just uh, wishing him a good summer! Its what we do. Right, Mark?" His voice shaked as he nudged his co-hort.
Mark could do nothing but nod rapidly.
Terrrence pushed Mark down the sidewalk to get away as quickly as possible. "We gotta go home now! Enjoy your Summer, Rich!" shouted to him as they suddenly took off so quickly they were practically dots by the time they were down the road.
The tall boy then cleared his throat and took off his hood. "Sorry about that, had something in my throat." His voice was a little deep but nowhere near as it was earlier. "I was asking if there was problem. These guys messing with you again?"
"Dude, they're gone. You scared the snot out of them." Richie explained as he pointed towards the direction the two frightened boys ran.
Jason looked there and squinted his eyes. "Oh, sorry. I couldn't see them. I lost my glasses again and I'm pretty sure I've scared seven kids on my way here." he admitted.
The blonde boy shook his head. He then reached into his backpack and pulled out a pair of glasses. "Here, You left them at my place when you visited, remember?"
"Heh. Sorry." He put in his glasses and immediately the world became clear. The two then chatted as they walked home together.
"You, uh, heard the news about Starfall too?" Richie asked, pretending it wasn't a big deal for him.
Jason nodded. "I already texted the others, they should meet us at 'you know where' soon. Plus I got some new comics I can finally share."
Richie's excitement finally exploded. "ALL RIGHT! Race you to our secret headquarters! Last one there buys the pizza!" He shouted as he took off in front of the other teen.
Jason saw Richie running ahead of him and tried to catch up. "Its not a secret of you're shouting it out loud!" He remarked.
"To our regular, normal headquarters, then!" Richie corrected himself as he ran off ahead.
Author's Notes:
At last, chapter one is completed! I wanted to show how life is for most citizens in Excelsior, but for the ordinary and extraordinary. Yes, its heavily inspired from My Hero Academia, but I wanted to create my own universe that wasn't just copy-paste. I really hope I'm achieving that. So far we've been introduced to Richie and Jason, so the rest if the gang will be saved for chapter 2. There's a LOT I wanted to put in, but also not throw so much the world at you that feels overwhelming. There's going to be a lot of references to other superhero media, just I like did the Disney references with Wish Granted. See if you can spot them as you read! 😉
And you probably caught a few nods to some other characters like Boost and Brimstone. There's quite a few characters in this city, but rest assured they'll all get their time and development. I'm just really happy I get to put my passion project out there for people to see. I've always wanted to do this and I can't wait to share more of the SuperZeroes universe with you guys! Stay tuned for chapter 2!
Thanks for reading!
@zer09ine @kenihewa @thesafireartist @jojo-ker06 @your-ne1ghbor @fayflutter @brightverse @else-creates @cielos-pintados @thatartsyraccoonlady
(idk who else to tag 😅)
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