011 ACQUIRING SUPERPOWERS?
"Is that superpower, what the hell?" Damen exclaimed with shock and surprise.
This was the first time he experienced meta powers in real life. Usually, meta humans were prohibited from using their powers in the city.
"Oh, that's one of our training chambers. Meta-humans go in to refine their powers," Dorin explained like using super powers was common in the gym.
Damen spun around to respond…he hadn't even noticed Dorin was behind him.
"You mean you can actually train superpowers here?" he asked, wide-eyed.
"Yes. What did you think our facilities here offered? Treadmills and weight benches?" Dorin smirked.
The pieces fell into place.
No wonder the daily pass was so expensive. This wasn't a regular gym at all…it was a training ground for Meta-humans.
"Is there a way I can learn these super powers?" Damen asked.
"Well, maybe… if your Meta score is above 1.0," she replied.
Damen stiffened.
He'd stolen plenty of Meta from Professor Gawdry, but he had never tested his own score. "Can I check if I qualify?"
"Of course. Our Meta-testing machines are free to use—they're included in the daily package."
Dorin led him to a vast room lined with sleek booths.
They reminded Damen of the machines his school used to measure students' Strength and Meta levels, but these looked far more advanced.
He stepped inside one.
The chamber whirred to life. Scanners swept across his body, prying into him like invisible hands, peeling away secrets he hadn't even known he carried. Then the machine powered down.
A glowing panel above the booth displayed his results:
Strength: 6.1
Meta: 1.1
Command: 0.3
Damen stared. He had no idea how to read them. "Uh… are these stats good?"
"Not bad at all, for a kid," Dorin said with a low whistle. "You must be one of those natural-born Metas."
"Natural-born?" Damen asked.
"Most people—ordinary people—score under 0.5. They need years of training and plenty of resources just to push that number higher. But you're already at 1.1. That's not something training alone can give, especially not at your age. You're a natural-born Meta."
"Really?" Damen said, though inside he already knew the truth…. Its due to the DemCoin app.
Stealing Meta from Professor Gawdry had given him that edge—at least a full point. Enough to pass as something special.
"So… can I start acquiring superpowers now?" he asked.
Dorin's smile faltered. "We do have machines that can imbue and train Meta abilities. But your Command score is too low. To grasp even the basics, you'd need at least a 1.0 in Command."
"I didn't realize Command score was useful. Even our school doesn't test it…isn't it something that tests leadership qualities?", Damen replied.
Dorin smiled again. "Command stat is not to be interpreted literally. It's true use is in the ability of meta humans to command their own meta abilities."
Damen knew now the Command attribute wasn't to command brutes or underlings. It was used to command Meta powers so they could be turned into superpowers.
Damen's shoulders sank. "I see. Thanks for telling me."
"Don't be discouraged, natural born Meta's do not need to train hard, they awaken their abilities in time…some people enjoyed a big jump in their scores after only a night's sleep… Your Command ability may be awakened sooner than you think," Dorin said warmly.
"Thanks"
"Explore the facility a bit more. You might find more surprises waiting for you," she added.
----
[Control Center of Heroes' Gym]
"Dorin, why did you give that boy an unlimited day pass? He doesn't even have an ID yet. How is he supposed to use our services?" asked a middle aged man, watching as Dorin stepped into the room lined with CCTV screens.
"Director Ambrone, I didn't expect to see you here today," she replied evenly.
"I was at the City Council on other business. I had some time, so I came to check in—only to see you hand a pass to the boy. That is highly against the regulations. I'd expect better from you…"
Dorin raised a brow. "You're here because the heir of the martyred twin Superheroes showed up at the city's desk, aren't you?"
Ambrone blinked. "Yes. That's exactly the matter. How did you know?"
"I happened to pass by the admin counters. I saw him flash two Heroes' Medals. Later, I made a few inquiries. Those medals belong to the twin Superheroes of Melrose City."
"And what does that have to do with you granting this boy unlimited access? Heroes' Gym is a classified training facility for the city's meta-humans, not a public club. What if he's a spy for the Alliance of Evolution?"
"He wouldn't be a spy…not if he's the son of Violet and Black," Dorin said calmly.
Ambrone's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean? Is that boy their son?" He paused, then added, "Even if that's true, he's still just an ordinary civilian. This facility is top secret."
Dorin's lips curved into a faint smile. "The child of two of the strongest Superheroes in the land is unlikely to be ordinary. Genetically speaking, mediocrity is… improbable."
Ambrone stroked his beard, thinking. "Very well. Keep an eye on him. We can't risk him falling into the Alliance's hands."
"Yes, Director," Dorin replied.
-----
Damen continued exploring the facilities of Heroes' Gym. It was nothing like a normal gym…this was a cutting-edge training ground built for meta-humans.
Every so often, he caught glimpses of recognizable heroes, the same ones who patrolled the city streets, some of them with their faces pasted on billboards and posters.
"If only I could train here… I wouldn't even need to bother with high school anymore", he thought.
When the tour ended, Damen returned to the front desk and handed the daily pass back to Dorin.
"Done already?" Dorin asked, tilting her head.
"The facilities are amazing," Damen admitted, "but I'm not ready for them yet."
But in his mind Damen thought, "I must get a superpower today."
"Don't worry," Dorin said reassuringly. "For a natural-born meta, awakening is only a matter of time." She leaned in closer, lowering her voice. "When that moment comes, come see me. We can talk about a permanent membership."
Damen smiled faintly. "I will." With that, he turned and walked out as Dorin's gaze lingered on him until he was gone.
From behind a partition, a figure stepped into view.
"What are you really planning with that boy?" Director Ambrone asked, his tone sharp.
Dorin's expression didn't waver. "I'm simply keeping an eye out for the next hero… perhaps Superhero of our city. That is part of my job, isn't it, Director?"
Ambrone studied her for a long moment before giving a displeased nod. Without another word, he left.
Dorin gave him the middle finger after the director had left. "Bothersome Admin… eager to point fingers but useless in the field."
-----
There was a reason Damen left Heroes' Gym so quickly, even though his daily pass still had time left. He kept his pace brisk, almost hurried.
Then—tap. A hand landed on his shoulder.
"What?" Damen spun around, startled. "Am I caught?" the thought raced through his mind.
"Boy, are you following me?" the man behind him asked.
Damen recognized him instantly…he was one of the gym's patrons. Apparently, the man had noticed Damen trailing behind after leaving the gym.
"Following you? Why would I do that?" Damen asked, his face the picture of innocence.
012 SUMMON SHIELD?
The man studied Damen.
"The kid looked harmless enough", he thought. Still, he pressed, "Where are you headed?"
"Well… honestly, I don't really know," Damen admitted. "It's my day off, so I came to the City Council to look around. This place is huge…I keep getting lost. Could you tell me how to get back to the admin center entrance?"
The man's suspicion lingered for a moment, but there was no hint of malice in the boy's tone. "He is just a student, wandering," he thought.
"Go that way," the man said at last, pointing. "You'll find the exit to the admin building."
"Thanks," Damen said quickly, before heading off in the direction shown.
----
"Dammit…I almost had his Command score," Damen muttered, slumping into a café chair not far from the City Council building.
He had left Heroes' Gym early for one reason: the man he'd spotted inside who just gave him a tap on the shoulder. It was true… Damen was following him as he left the gym.
Damen discreetly seen his test results—it was an abnormally high Command score of 18.00.
He knew it then. His Command was too good to pass up.
"If I acquire his Command…I might have a chance to get a full score in Command,….then acquiring a super power is possible," he thought.
But stealing it inside the gym was impossible.
Damen was abnormally cautious despite only recently taking on the role of a thief. A thief of superpower.
The gym was monitored... there were cameras at every angle. Any record linking him to the man will point suspicion straight at him if his Acquire ability was exposed.
So, Damen waited until the patron left the gym, then he shadowed him.
Unfortunately, the man caught him… finding him suspicious. He wasn't good at sneaking up people yet. Once caught, Damen had to play innocent, and for now, it worked- he was released unharmed.
But this situation reminded him just how weak he still was compared to adult meta-humans.
He sipped his iced coffee while his eyes fixed on the Council building waiting.
"He's still inside… but he'll come out eventually."
Minutes later, his patience paid off. Another man finally exited the gym. He was another target that Damen scouted earlier while he was inside the gym.
Damen lifted his phone, activating the camera, tracking him from a distance.
"No connection… he's too damn far," Damen hissed, his frustration bubbling. He tapped the screen, but the mining app wouldn't lock onto the target.
When he was about to give up, luck shifted.
The man he wanted to track began walking directly toward the café to order a drink.
"Yes…" Damen whispered, his thumb trembling with anticipation. He tapped the commands.
"Begin Mining."
"Acquire: Command."
At once, the man staggered, throwing up a hand instinctively and dropping his wallet. An ethereal shield shimmered into being around him.
Damen froze. "He… didn't get shocked like Thames and Onda?" His eyes widened.
He was expecting his victim to fall under a heart attack like the students. Then he remembered about Professor Gawdry.
"Why's he reacting like that… he isn't stunned but he's reacting like he's under attack? …. That's the same reaction that happened with Professor Gawdry. He ran, thinking someone ambushed him."
Then realization struck.
"So that's it. Ordinary humans suffer heart attacks and paralysis when I Acquire from them. But meta-humans… it only hits them for a moment. To them, it feels more like a psychic sting, rather than a deathblow," he reasoned.
He leaned back with his mind racing.
"This is something I can exploit… If I target metas only, they'll probably never suspect me… they'll just think it's a temporary enemy attack or something."
-----
The man Damen had targeted pulled himself up, then shouted, "If I know which jackass is joking around with me, I'll kill ya…"
Everyone in the café including Damen looked at him stunned. He looked around for anybody suspicious but found none, so he shook his head with disbelief… and then hurried away.
When there were no police who came flooding the courtyard, Damen relaxed.
"Was that it? I did it without any consequence?..." he told himself.
Damen calmed himself before finishing his drink and made his way back to Heroes' Gym.
"Damen? Back so soon? Did you forget something?" Dorin asked when she spotted him coming back to the gym.
He cut straight to the point. "Can you test me again? My day pass is still valid is it?....the day's not over yet."
Dorin gave him a curious smile but led him back to the testing chamber. "Sure… your pass is still good for me."
Damen stepped into the booth as the scanner hummed to life. A few moments later, the results appeared:
Strength: 6.1 | Meta: 1.1 | Command: 1.1
Damen's pulse quickened.
He had taken a risk using Acquire on that gym patron, risking the chance he was found using the DemCoin app to illegally steal other people's meta powers.
But his day pass was about to expire, he couldn't wait another day… he couldn't afford the day pass again. This must be done quickly…. He must get his superpower before the day's end.
To Damen's relief, the machine registered the change: a full point increase in Command.
Across from him, Dorin's eyes widened. "That's impossible. Was there an error earlier? How did your Command jump by a whole point in just an hour or two?"
Damen had already anticipated Dorin's surprise and he planned a good excuse. He forced himself to look thoughtful before replying Dorin.
"I've been considering this after I left the gym… If I'm really a natural-born meta, it wouldn't make sense for my Meta to awaken without Command rising alongside it. That's why I wanted a retest…I suspected the first reading might've been wrong."
Dorin hesitated. Her equipment was the most advanced in the city, yet… occasionally, even the best machines faltered.
But Damen had a good point.
Usually, Meta and Command scores go hand in hand. She had doubts earlier when Damen's Meta and Command score was too far apart, but she thought it was because of mismatch in his power awakening.
"You may be right," she said slowly. "Perhaps the scanner misread you before."
Damen kept his expression calm, but inside, he was grinning. Without hesitation, Damen asked, "Now that I have both the requisite Meta and Command scores… can I learn a superpower?"
Dorin smiled knowingly. "Follow me."
She led him into another chamber.
At its center stood a single booth, unlike the scanner he had used earlier. This one was filled with a strange, glowing liquid that pulsed faintly as if alive.
"What kind of power can I acquire?" Damen asked, staring at it greedily.
"Our gym has researched and catalogued many abilities that can be grafted onto meta-humans," Dorin explained. "But… although you meet the minimum requirements, your Meta and Command are still low. That leaves only a few viable options."
"It doesn't matter," Damen said firmly. "Any ability is better than none."
Dorin studied him, then nodded. "In that case, I recommend Summon Shield. It is a basic power of meta humans… it can even protect you from meta attacks."
Damen considered the offer. "Can I have more than one skill?"
"You can… if you can afford it. To graft this ability costs five hundred Aurs. Do you want to proceed?"
Damen blinked. "Wait, you're charging me? I thought the pass was unlimited."
"The daily unlimited pass doesn't cover skill acquisition," Dorin replied smoothly. "These abilities require years of research and development. If we didn't charge, we couldn't afford to create new ones."
Reluctantly, Damen pulled out all his Aur cards.
Dorin collected them and passed them to the cashier. Moments later, five hundred Aurs had been drained from his cards. She returned with a single light-green Aur card—the only one that still carried value. The rest were useless, empty.
"That's everything I had," Damen muttered under his breath.
"Now that payment is complete…" Dorin gestured toward the booth, her tone calm but expectant. "Shall we begin?"
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