... I have a dream. I'm sure everyone has their own dream too, but mine is really important to me. Because, you see, I made a promise to someone. A promise I never want to break, no matter what. ...
... "I want to be a superhero!" ...
... "With your power comes great responsibility." "If you use it irresponsibly, something horrible might happen." ...
... "Child, your power is needed to protect the CS Region from the approaching chaos." "This concerns you as well. You see, the approaching chaos is in fact, your dark side." ...
... "This was an unexpected meeting. Hopefully, you and I... never meet again." "... Farewell." ...
... "Have you honestly been thinking your life is like Jalapeño Man's this whole time!?" ...
... "Does that mean he can't be your friend, then? You think he's supposed to be bad, but what if he isn't? Even if he has dark powers, does that mean he wanted them?" ...
... "Can I really do it? Can I really be friends with him, after all...?" ...
... "Of course you can. Sérgio, I know that when you put your mind to it, you can get through any situation, no matter what. You said you wanted to make everyone happy, right? I truly believe you can do that. No matter what anyone says, I'll always be cheering you on to do your best, so don't get discouraged!" ...
... What is my dream for the future? It's to be a superhero. More than anything. And to save the world, I'll get stronger, defeat all the villains harming others, and, most importantly... I'll give kindness to those that need it. ...
"Just like I promised you... Jemily."
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Sérgio & Sérgia
Chapter 1 - Alone
Written by: CS-Masyet
Uploaded on: December 23, 2015
Sérgio
Ever since I was little, I've always dreamt of being a superhero. I wanted to get special abilities, go on adventures, and of course, save as many people as I could.
When I was 10 years old, I learned that I had fire powers dormant inside of me, and would gradually be released from then on. My mom told me she was an avian, a person with wings and a power of some sort, hers being fire, and I had apparently inherited her powers. I was really excited to learn about this; it was a dream come true. I could finally become a superhero like I've always wanted!
But I learned that things weren't all fun and games. My mom told me that I had to make sure to be responsible with my powers. I had to be careful, or something horrible might happen. Honestly, at the time, I was so happy about my new powers that I didn't really take to heart what she said. After all that's happened though, I really wished I'd listened to her...
I then met a spiritual being named Crystana who told me that there was an evil version of me out there, and I had to use my powers to stop it. She provided me with some tests so I could get strong enough to defeat him one day. But when I had actually met him in person... he was nothing like I had thought.
Darkés... He seemed to have no ill will, and always looked more sad then angry. But according to him, he was in fact the very same dark half Crystana told me to defeat. Because if I didn't, he would bring nothing but chaos to the CS Region... I thought that she had to have been mistaken... right?
I had been so confused about it, for a while. But Jemily helped me find a solution. That I could try befriending him, instead of fighting him. Then he wouldn't want to do any bad things, and everyone would be happy, even Darkés! She taught me that being kind was also an important part of being a superhero.
Jemily was always so smart. I could always rely on her whenever I didn't know what to do about something. Heck, I relied on her so much, I think I might've annoyed her a bit. But she was always willing to help me anyways. Because we were friends. Best friends...
I always thought that as long as I had her to rely on, as well as my other friends, I could do anything! I would be friends with Darkés, and everything would be perfectly fine! Nothing bad would happen at all! ...
... So why did things end up so badly...?
Because I left her behind, because I wasn't being careful, because I was so naïve... I lost Jemily. She was hit by some of Darkés ice powers, and now is in a coma. Her family took her away somewhere to find a cure for her illness, and I haven't seen her since. I haven't seen Crystana or Darkés since then either.
My promise to be friends with Darkés... My promise to be a great superhero... My promise to protect Jemily... I failed to do any of those things.
But... there's still one last thing I feel I can do. There's one last promise I haven't broken yet. And I'll work as hard as I can to fulfill that promise, so that if I see Jemily again one day, she'll be happy to know...
... I at least kept that promise...
--
4 years later...
"Fire Ball!" Serge cried, shooting a ball of fire at my mom.
"Is that all you've got?" She asked, calmly dodging out of the way with ease.
"Soul Flash!" Sprit attacked next, shooting a ball of energy at her from behind.
"So, this is your plan, huh...? Interesting..." She turned around quickly and blocked it with a flaming kick. "But sorry to say, a back attack like that's not gonna work on me...!"
"Jump Kick!" From the air, I aimed a kick at her, then flew down quickly and knocked her to the ground.
"Oog..." She uttered, rubbing her head, still lying on the ground.
"Heh, it worked just like I thought!" Serge exclaimed in delight. "Our triple attack is unbeatable!"
"B-but I think we might've overdone it..." Sprit added uneasily. "Is she okay...?"
"... Get up, mom. I know you're alright." I stated. "After all, you let me have that hit, didn't you?"
"My, my, how perceptive, my son!" Mom said merrily, hopping back up effortlessly, like nothing had happened. "But it seemed like you put so much work into that plan, I couldn't help but humor you guys!"
"It's fine. I figured a simple plan like that wouldn't work, anyways."
"Hey, you all know that it was my plan, right?" Serge shouted angrily. "Are you two doing this on purpose?!"
"It's okay, calm down, Serge..." Sprit said to him.
"But enough games. It's my turn to go on the offensive!" My mom created two large, spinning balls of fire in each hand. "Eat this!"
She threw them at us one at a time, all four coming towards us in a straight line.
"I got this, guys."
I ran straight towards the fire, blocking each with a spinning kick, a chop, then a fire kick. The last one I stopped with a ball of fire of my own.
"Not bad." My mom said, slightly impressed. "Your turn. Now what're you going to do?"
I immediately flew back up into the air again, giving Serge and Sprit room to attack.
"Torch!" "Air Slice!" They proceeded to use their attacks against her, but she stopped them easily with flaming chops.
"This plan again...?" Mom uttered, starting to become unamused.
"Here's my finishing move!" I spun around in the air, faced my heel towards her this time, and flew down at her quickly. "Axe Kick!"
"Oh no, not Axe Kick!" She cried, but then caught me by my foot with no trouble. "Heh heh, only kidding!"
"Ergh!" I struggled to get my leg free from her grip.
"You shouldn't be so reckless, Sérgio." My mom told me in a calmer voice. "You haven't forgotten your reason for getting stronger, have you?"
"... Flaming..."
"Eh...?!"
Without her noticing, I had been charging up flames in my other leg.
"... FOOT!!!"
I hit her with my fire-charged kick, freeing me from her grip and sending her to the ground again.
"No, I haven't forgotten." I looked at the red ribbon tied to my left arm. "And I never will."
"Whoa, I think you actually did it this time!" Serge said in awe.
"Yeah, you really got me with that one." My mom got up slowly, rubbing her head. "But that was pretty naughty of you though, tricking me like that!"
"Well, it's your fault for falling for it."
"It's your win this time. How many does that make...?"
"I don't know. But I know it's a lot smaller than the amount of times I've lost..."
"Hey, that's nothing to be ashamed of. Your mom is really strong, y'know!"
"Still, I want to be strong enough that I won't lose at all, no matter what..."
"Sérgio..." Sprit looked at me sadly.
"Hey, don't worry about it, pal!" Serge told me reassuringly. "As long as you've got us with you, you won't lose to anyone! Ever!"
"Thanks, Serge..." I answered, not returning his same enthusiasm.
"I'm sure you've been thinking about her again, huh?" My mom said to me. "Jemily, I mean."
"... Have you heard from Mr. Ricardo lately?"
"Yeah, I have. He says her condition is more or less the same as always."
"..." I gave no response.
"B-but she's not getting worse, at least!" Sprit tried to cheer me up. "That's good news, r-right...?"
"Sprit, it's better if you don't say anything..." Serge told him.
"S-sorry..."
"And did he give any mention of where she is right now?" I asked my mom again.
"No, Sérgio. I don't think he'll ever tell us until he finds a cure for her."
"But why?!" I shouted suddenly, startling the others.
"You know why. He feels that you'll worry about her even more if you saw how she was doing right now." She explained. "But I'm sure she'll wake up someday. Alright?"
"B-but..." I argued. "I want to see her... I want to see Jemily..."
"I'm sorry, but you can't right now. Until then, y-..."
"... I'll do my best to get stronger... I know."
"... You know, it's been a long time since I've seen a genuine smile on your face, sweetie. It's okay to find something to be happy about, even in times like this."
"Sorry, but I don't feel like being happy right now..."
"But I'm sure your friends would like to see you happy! Won't you smile for them, at least?"
I looked at Serge and Sprit, who were looking back expectantly.
"... I'm sorry, guys..."
--
Later that night...
"Hey, Sérgio. Y'know, it's been a while since we've done something fun." Sprit said to me. "Do you want to do something like that right now?"
I lied there on my bed silently. I turned around to face my spirit-like friend slowly.
"... No thanks." I uttered in response. "I'm not in the mood right now..."
"Oh..." Sprit said sadly.
"... Today is the day, isn't it?" Serge said to me. "I can't believe it's already been four years..."
"... Yeah..." It's been four years... since I broke my promise to Jemily...
"And after that day, we haven't really gone on any adventures..." Sprit added, still in a sad tone.
"... That's it! Good thinking, buddy!" Serge shouted, suddenly jumping with energy.
"Um, you're welcome! ... Er, wait, what did I say that was good?"
"Listen, Sérgio! Lately, other than your training, all you do is mope around at home all day!" Serge yelled at me. "So tomorrow, the three of us are going to go on an adventure!"
"An... adventure?!" I said in surprise. "Where do you want to go, Serge?"
"I don't know, anywhere! It doesn't matter! We haven't gone on enough adventures in a while, so it's about time we went and gone on some!"
"Y-yeah!" Sprit seemed to be all for Serge's idea. "It'll be just like old times!"
"B-bu-..."
"No buts!" Serge pointed his arm in my direction, glaring at me. "Tomorrow, a brand new adventure awaits you! Whether you want to or not!"
I know, they're doing this for my sake... They just want to see me happy again...
"... Okay, fine." I gave in. "Tomorrow, then."
"Yes! That's the spirit, Sérgio!" Serge and Sprit said in unison.
"Let's start preparing for it, then. Once we're finished, we should get some shut-eye so we can get up bright and early tomorrow."
Serge and Sprit nodded in agreement.
Immediately afterward the three of us went downstairs to tell my parents about our plans. My mom looked really excited by the news and began making some food for us to bring along on our adventure. My dad helped us pack other supplies to take with us.
"Thanks for your help, dad."
"No problem, son. I'm just glad to see you looking more chipper."
"I... am?" I said in surprise. "I-I... I guess I am a bit excited, actually. But is feeling like this right now really okay?"
"Sure it is. Look, your friends look really excited, too!"
"But doing something like this... It feels like I'm just running away from my mistakes..."
"You're not. If you make a mistake you don't know how to fix, it's alright for you to be strong and stay positive, as long as you don't forget about your mistakes and be careful not to make anymore of them."
"Dad..."
"And besides, you may not be able to help Jemily right now, but you still have your other friends to watch over, right? You still want to make them happy, don't you?"
I looked at Serge and Sprit, the former struggling to pack a bag while the latter tried to help him.
"... Yeah, I do."
"Man, this is such a pain! Why's this bag shaped so weirdly?!"
"Serge, be careful..."
Serge tripped and fell into the bag.
"Oh no!" Sprit cried.
How'd he even manage that?!
I sighed, and went over to them and helped Serge out of the bag.
"Thanks, pal..."
I looked at the bag, and noticed it looked kind of strange. I picked it up, and tried to put in on my back, but the strap's shape made it fall to my waist instead.
"He's right, this is shaped weirdly..."
"That's because it's a special knapsack, made for avians!" My mom told me while heading over to us, apparently having finished making food for us.
"What do you mean? My regular backpack that I bring to school is always carried on my back, and it never hurts my wings..."
"True, but it'd be pretty difficult to wear a bag like that while flying around, wouldn't it?"
"Fly around?" I questioned.
"Sure! Traveling through the air will be much faster and easier than on foot, wouldn't it?"
"But I thought I'm not supposed to let other people see me fly around..."
"Well... Just be careful that no one sees you, that's all!" She said cheerfully.
She says that like it's no big deal...
"Oh, I almost forgot! If you're going to be traveling by air, then there's something you'll need. Be right back!" She rushed out of the room to grab something.
Apparently it's been decided that I'm air traveling no matter what...
"... Here you go." She handed me something, once she returned.
"What's this? A harness?"
"Something like that. It's going to be a necessity for your travels... for Serge, anyway."
"Huh? Me?" He said in confusion.
"Of course! Unlike Sérgio and Sprit, you can't fly. But that won't be a problem, if we use this to tie you to Sérgio while he's flying around!"
"W-wha?! No way!" Serge exclaimed in disapproval. "I-I'll look so stupid! And pathetic! And... dumb!"
"But how else will we carry you, Serge?" Sprit asked him.
"I guess I can use my hands..." I suggested.
"No thanks, I'll just go in the bag. There's still plenty of room in there, right?"
"Yeah. That should be fine..."
"B-but you don't understand!" My mom continued, still trying to get Serge to use it. "With this harness, even non-flyers can feel the joys of flying! You won't be able to experience that while inside of the bag!"
"I don't care!" Serge yelled back.
"Um, why did you even have this lying around, mom?"
"I used to use it to fly around with your father a couple years back. It brings back such wonderful memories... We had so much fun, right dear?"
"I suppose, except the times when you'd fly too fast..."
"It was the funnest that way! You're just too wimpy, Ribeiro!"
I can't even imagine the two of them flying around together...
"It's pretty old, but I fixed it up and even fireproofed it for you." She explained. "But still, take good care of it, alright? It's very important to me."
"Sure, okay." I answered, deciding to put the harness in the bag for now.
I'm not sure I'll actually end up needing it, though...
"Anyway, you all are about finished, right? You boys can go take a bath and head to bed; we'll finish the rest here."
"Okay, thanks mom."
Tomorrow, a new adventure awaits us!
--
"... Are you satisfied yet? Have you truly found your solace in this?"
"Uh... what?"
"'What', you ask? I mean your planned excursion, of course."
"No, I mean... Who are you? Where am I?!"
All of a sudden, a mirror appeared in front of me. And in the mirror, my reflection appeared... Except he was darker-skinned, had red eyes surrounded by black instead of white, and was surrounded by a dark aura.
"Who am I, you ask? I am me, of course." The reflection answered, in the same dark voice I heard earlier. "Just as you are you. And I am you. And you are me."
"I... don't understand..."
"Well, let's just say I'm... another half... Another half of the one named 'Sérgio'."
"The one named 'Sérgio'...? So, you mean you're a half of me? Like, a dark half?"
"If that's what you want to think... Then sure, why not?"
But isn't Darkés supposed to be my dark half? Now I'm even more confused...
"As for where we are..." He continued. "Is it also you. Inside of your mind, to be precise."
"Inside of my mind...? Wait, this must be a dream..."
Come to think of it, I think I've had a dream like this before...
"... Close enough."
So I guess this reflection is supposed to be what Darkés is like inside of my head? Why does he seem so different, then?
"You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you? That's what you think, right? I know this to be true, since this is inside of your mind."
"Are you talking about Jemily?"
"Indeed. But do you think one bad event in your life exempts you from any other bad events?"
"What... are you talking about?"
"Heheh..." A smirk appeared on his face. "You should've cherished those close to you moreso while you had the chance..."
--
"Ah!" I woke up abruptly, currently fully awake. I checked my alarm clock. "4 am... Still too early..."
I rested my head back into my pillow, trying to fall asleep...
... but I jolted back up once I realized something was wrong.
"Serge! Sprit!?" I looked all around my room, them nowhere in sight. "Where are you?!"
They wouldn't go anywhere at this time of night! What's going on?!
For some reason, I then felt a chilling breeze at the back of my neck.
Startled, I looked behind me. "Whuh? Why's my window open...?"
W-wait, could they have been... kidnapped?! Or worse...
I wasted no more time thinking about it, and jumped out the window, hoping I wasn't too late in catching whoever might've snuck into my room.
I flew above my house, to see if I could find them. That's when I noticed some black, shadowy things gathered at the training grounds.
Are those...!?
I flew down towards where they were gathered, and they immediately noticed me.
"Blehh heh hehhk!" "Blehh heh hehhk!"
"Ghosty Boys!" I cried, face to face with creatures I hadn't seen in 4 years. "Are you the ones responsible for my friends' disappearance?"
"Living beings can be sooo defenseless when they're asleep, huh? It's almost terrifying in a way..." A voice of unknown origin said to me.
"Who's there?! Show yourself!"
"Speaking of which, I'm surprised you aren't sleeping right now. I didn't mean to catch your attention this early... oh well."
A dark, murky ball-like object appeared out of the ground, the Ghosty Boys beginning to surround it.
"Would you like to play a game?" The ball seemingly asked me. "It'll involve a grand adventure. You like adventures, right?"
"What are you talking about? Where are my friends?!"
"Why? Are you worried about them? In that case, agreeing to take part in my game would be in your best interest... if you don't want anything bad to happen to them, that is..."
"Are you... blackmailing me or something?"
"... Yes, I suppose you could call it that. But don't worry, as long as you follow all of my instructions, no harm will come to your friends, or any of your other loved ones."
"And why should I trust you?!"
"Whether you trust me or not is up to you. I assure you though, I am not lying. However, you don't have much choice, do you?!"
H-he's right... If he really does have Serge and Sprit, he might do something horrible to them if I refuse to listen to him...
I will save and protect them, no matter what!
"Fine, I'll play your game. Happy now?"
"Good. I have left numerous notes all over the CS Region that contain your orders. The first one... is being held by one of these dark beings. Defeat them, until you find the right one!"
I have to fight all these by myself?! There must be over 30 of them!
"Oh, and try not to die. If you kicked the bucket so soon, it'd be boring for me... Good luck! Heheheh..."
The ball disappeared into the ground, as the Ghosty Boys started to rush toward me.
Here they come! Even though I'm alone, I've still gotten stronger, so I should be fine... right?
"Blehh heh hehhk!" The first one in front of me cackled, while it approached me.
"Fire Kick!" I kicked it with my fire-cloaked foot as hard as I could, defeating it.
"Blehh heh hehhk!" Three more laughed, approaching me next.
As I kept defeating them, more and more began to come towards me at once. And I was already starting to get tired. I didn't even know if one of them had dropped the note already, as I was too focused on fighting the dark beings. And they didn't be giving me any chance to escape either...
At this rate, I won't be able to... If only Serge and Sprit were here, I...
"BLEHH HEH HEHHK!"
I'm finished!
"CONFLAGRATION!"
And just like that, in only a matter of seconds, all of the Ghosty Boys were defeated by the massive amounts of intense flames that had appeared all around the training grounds.
W-whoa!
"I won't allow anyone to commit any evil acts at my home..."
The fire was then blown away by a large gust of winds, created by the wings of the person who had landed next to me.
"... especially when the one having said acts done to them is my son!"
"M-mom! I..."
"Are you okay, sweetie?!" My mom bent down to me and gave me a big hug. "They didn't hurt you, did they?"
"Y-yeah. Thanks..."
"What happened here? Where are Serge and Sprit?"
I noticed something thin and small floating through the air.
Wait, is that...?!
I released myself from her embrace and flew up to catch the small piece of paper.
This must be one of those notes that dark ball told me to get!
I read the note... and was shocked about what it said.
"... Sérgio?" My mom uttered, in worry and confusion.
"Sorry mom, but I guess I'm going to be spending a lot more time on my adventure than I originally intended to."
--
I went back home and got ready. I got dressed into the outfit I always wore, the special fireproof one my mom made for me. I then grabbed the bag I had prepared the night before and headed back outside.
"Sérgio..." My mom who had been waiting outside for me uttered, still looking at me worriedly.
"I'm off, mom."
"I don't really get what's going on, but are the other two in danger?"
"... Yes, that's right."
"And you're planning on rescuing them all by yourself?"
"Yes, that's right." I repeated.
"Do you really think I'll just let you go off on your own like that? It could be really dangerous, y'know! ..." My mom then sighed. "Is what I want to say. But I know that I can't do anything to change your mind, can I?"
"... Sorry, mom."
"Be careful, okay sweetie?" She told me, giving me a hug. "I packed a map, some food, and some extra money just in case in your bag. But remember, no matter what happens, you can always fly back home whenever you want. Alright?"
"Okay..."
I don't know how much time I have to find all of those notes though, so I'm not sure if I'll have the luxury to fly here whenever I want. Still, thanks mom...
"Bye. See you." I waved bye to her, as I ran off toward my first destination.
While running, I took out the note and looked it over again.
There's no doubt about it... It must want me to go to that place...
"You love helping other people, right? Then the first place you should go is to the 'clinic of memories'. You will find someone that needs your help there. Good luck, heh!"
... is what the note said. Of course, it's incredibly obvious to me what the "clinic of memories" the note was refering to was. It was Ricardo Clinic, the clinic belonging to Mr. Ricardo...
... aka Jemily's dad.
Ricardo Clinic is also where Jemily, her dad, and the rest of her family lived. So whenever I wanted to visit Jemily, I'd head over to the clinic to see her. I remember not being very fond of the clinic's smell, but it was always worth it to see my very best friend. Of course... that all changed four years ago...
The Ricardos moved to another region to find a cure for Jemily's coma, so the Ricardo Clinic is no more... at least in the CS Region, anyway. To be honest, despite all this, this thought still popped into my head:
The "clinic of memories"? That must be Ricardo Clinic! I might get to see Jemily again!
... but of course, I know that won't happen. I know by now I shouldn't be pointlessly getting my hopes up. There's something else I need to be focusing on right now, anyway. But still...
If this doesn't involve Jemily, what purpose is there in going to the clinic then?
"Well, only one way to find out..."
--
One of the things I remember the most about the clinic was the large sign that read "Ricardo Clinic" on the front of the building. But for four years now, that sign has since been removed. So when I made it to the clinic I didn't except to see a sign at all.
Because of that, I was genuinely surprised when I'd made it there.
"'Pathy Clinic'." I said, reading the sign. "So someone else owns this building now, then..."
I'm disappointed the sign doesn't say what it used to, but I guess this is still a good thing, all in all. I mean, at least this building is being used to help people again.
"But would this really be considered the 'clinic of memories' anymore? Do I have any business here, in that case?"
Then again, the note also said someone needs help... I can't just stand around if someone is in danger!
I decided to head in.
"I'm... actually here."
Obviously, there were some differences from before, but... A lot of things were just as I had remembered. As soon as I saw these things, I instantly felt a wave of nostalgia.
It's the clinic... the clinic that Jemily lives at! ... No, no it's not. Not anymore...
I leaned my head down on the main lobby's counter.
Jemily, I miss you... I want to see you again...
I felt myself beginning to cry, but I got up and shook my head to regain my composure.
No, I can't lose control of my emotions. I have to concentrate on what I came here to do!
"Speaking of which, though... where do I start? I need to make sure whoever's here is okay, so should I call someone over here for now?"
I decided that was my plan, so I went up to the bell on the other side of the counter. RING! RING! I rang the bell.
"W-wha! I'm coming! I'm coming!" I heard immediately from one of the back rooms, the person sounding like they were seemingly scrambling to make it to where I currently was.
They seem to be a rush... I wonder why...?
"K-KYAH!" All of a sudden, the person screamed, then I heard a crash out in the hallway.
I hurried over to see what had happened, and saw that a girl had fallen onto a medical table, which had fallen over and what was on it had also fallen, all around her.
"Are you alright?!" I asked worriedly, helping up the poor girl.
"Y-yes... Thank you, sir..." She uttered, a bit teary-eyed, adjusting her lopsided nurse's cap. "Ugh, I'm so clumsy..."
"You shouldn't have come in such a rush, then..."
"But I had to! It's an emergency!"
"An emergency?!" I exclaimed in shock. "What is?!"
"A-ah, no! Sorry! I meant it could be an emergency! It's my job to check in patients, so I need to make sure to be here quickly if something like that happens!"
"Why weren't you at the main lobby to begin with?"
"My older brother left for a moment to take care of a patient that can't leave their house right now... So he left me to watch over the clinic until he returns. A-ah, by the way, he's the one who runs this clinic..."
So the "Pathy" on the sign must be the family name of her brother, then. And this girl, as well...
"Yes, that's right. I'm Pathy! Shivan Pathy! Nice to meet you, sir!"
"... Uuuuh..."
"... Huh? Is something wrong, sir?"
"H-how did you know what I was thinking just now?!"
"Eh? ... A-ah!" She jolted in surprise, upon realization. "O-oh no, I did it again! I accidentally read someone's mind without meaning to..."
"Read... my mind?" I uttered in confusion.
"Eep!" Shivan covered her mouth immediately, looking at me wide-eyed, like she had said something she really wasn't supposed to.
"... Huh?"
"N-no, I forgot... I'm not supposed to let others know about that in this region..." She stated, under muffled breath.
"This region?" Wait, I think mom something about this before...
"There are some regions in the world that have loads of different kinds of people, with different kinds of different abilities. However, most people in this region either don't have any powers, or don't want to use their powers and want to live more peacefully. So they prefer to keep them a secret, like I had from you when you were younger."
"Ah, I get it. You have some kind of power too, right? Don't worry, I'm already aware of the 'true nature' of the world, so you don't need to keep it a secret from me."
"R-really?!" She said, breathing a sigh of relief. "So you're also an esper, then? But wait, then how could I read your mind? Espers can't read the minds of other espers, I thought..."
"Um, no. I'm not an esper... In fact, I don't even know what an esper even is..."
"Oh, sorry, my mistake! Then what powers do you have?"
"I'm an avian. They have wings, and another power of some sort, mine being fire."
"W-wow, really? I didn't know that there were powers like that! How interesting!"
Yeah, and I never would've imagined that they were powers like reading someone's mind...
"Yeah, I guess it's a bit strange to someone that isn't used to being around espers. But espers don't only read minds, they can do other things too. There's actually two types of esper powers: psychokinesis, and telekinesis. Psychokinesis lets you control kinetic energy with the power of your mind, and telekinesis lets you do things like read minds and even the emotions of others."
"Really? That's neat. Thanks for the explanation."
"You're welcome! Although, I'm not really good at controlling either right now, especially telekinesis... I even keep reading people's minds by accident..."
"That explains why you read my mind for a second time earlier..."
"A-ah! Oh no, I'm so sorry, sir!"
"... It's Sérgio. Sérgio Gi. You don't have to keep calling me 'sir'."
"Okay, Sérgio!" She said happily. "Hey, since we're both people with powers and stuff, can we be... friends? I don't really get to talk to other people like this..."
"Sure, I don't mind."
"R-really? Even though I'm such a clumsy girl...?"
"Yeah, yeah. Don't worry about it."
"Thank you so much! You're so ni-... Ah!" She suddenly yelped in shock.
"W-what's wrong now?!" I stammered, surprised by her yell.
"What's wrong with me? You came to this clinic because you had a problem, right?"
Oh, that's right!
"And here I am, selfishly asking you to be my friend, instead of trying to help you..."
"Shivan, can I ask you something?!"
"Y-yes! What can I do for you, sir? E-er, Sérgio! Sir Sérgio sir!?"
"Do you know if there's anyone in need of some kind of help, or problem, or something like that?"
"Hm... Well, there's a girl that's had to stay at this clinic for a while because she's been very ill..."
"Very ill? Shouldn't be staying at a hospital, then?"
"Her family couldn't afford it. But my brother has been taking good care of her, and she even seems to be getting better now. So it's not really a problem at all, actually! Quite the opposite, even!"
That's not quite what I had in mind... I figured that there would be a situation like a Ghosty Boy attack or something, bu-...
"EEEK!!!" I suddenly heard a scream from one of the rooms down the hall.
"W-what was that?!"
"T-that sounded like April! I have to go help her!"
Shivan ran down the hall as fast as she could.
"W-wait a se-..."
"Kyah!" Before I could even begin to chase after her, Shivan tripped and fell in the middle of the hallway.
"You okay, Shivan?" I asked, helping her up... again.
"Yes, thank you..."
"Let's go. I'll hold on to your hand, to make sure you don't trip again."
"Sérgio... T-thank you so much..."
Jemily!?
Just then, an old memory of Jemily popped into my head.
"... Sérgio?" Shivan said to me, snapping me back to reality.
I shook my head vehemently. There's no time for that! I have to focus on what's going on right now!
"Sorry, let's go, Shivan!"
--
When we made it to the room, we saw three Ghosty Boys surrounding the patient's bed. On the bed was a young girl, cowering in fear. There was a young boy standing in front of her, swinging a metal pole at the Ghosty Boys.
"S-stay back, stupid ghosts!" Said the boy. "April is just now getting better! Leave her alone!"
"M-Ms. Shivan!" The girl called out, noticing us enter the room. "P-please help August!"
"Blehh heh hehhk!" One of the Ghosty Boys raised its claws to strike the boy.
"Watch out!"
I grabbed the boy and jumped away from its slice attack.
"Are you okay?" I then saw some blood drip down my pant leg. I noticed it came from the boy's arm. "D-did one of them scratch you?!"
"Yeah, but I'm fine! Let me go!" The boy struggled out of my grip. "I have to protect April!"
August ran back to the Ghosty Boys, who already had their attention focused on him.
No! I have to something about those Ghosty Boys! ... But they're only hurt by my fire, and I can't use that in front of these kids!
"A-ah!" Shivan said to me suddenly. "I-I... er, um... heard that! Can you do something about these ghosty things?"
"That's right, you can...!"
Shivan, get those two away from the ghosts! I'm going to try and distract them out of this room!
She didn't say anything, but nodded her head in understanding.
I grabbed the metal pole that the boy dropped when I saved him earlier, and banged it on the floor to get the Ghosty Boy's attention.
"Blehh heh hehhk?"
"Hey, you three! I'm the one you want, right? Then come and get me!"
"Wait, what're yo-..." Before August could finish, Shivan moved in front of him and April, blocking him from the Ghosty Boys. "M-Ms. Shivan!"
I ran out of the room, continuing the bang the pole on the ground to keep them focused on me.
"Let's take this outside!" I yelled at the three ghosts, who were now pursuing me.
I kept running until I reached the clinic's back door, and went through it.
If I stay out here, that'll make sure I don't damage anything in ther-... wait, what?!
I looked up at something looming over me, something I wasn't expecting to still be there. Something that shouldn't have been there...
"Isn't that... Kylade's basketball hoop?! Why's it..."
"Blehh heh hehhk!" The Ghosty Boys cried, already starting to lunge at me.
I don't have time to wonder about that! I've gotta take care of these three right now!
"How dare you cause trouble for those two kids..." I started, setting the metal pole on fire. "... especially in Jemily's old home!"
"Blehh heh hehhk!" They continued to approach me, oblivious to what I was doing.
This technically isn't the right sport, but you can forgive me, right Kylade?
"FLAMING STRIKE!!!" I swung the flaming pole at the Ghosty Boys as hard as I could, flinging them all at the backboard of the hoop, them vanishing immediately after the collision.
As I expected, a note appeared from one of the defeated ghosts, which ended up getting stuck in part of the hoop. I was tall enough to reach the hoop now, so I simply went up to it and pulled it out.
"That was amazing!" Someone said from behind me. Startled, I instinctively hid the note in my pocket.
"A-August?!" I exclaimed, after looking behind me to see who it was. "What're you doing here?! I thought you were with Shivan!"
"I couldn't just stay there while you were fighting those ghosts all by yourself! What if you lost and the ghosts came back to try and hurt April again?"
"D-did you see... what just happened...?" I asked nervously.
"Yeah, I was really surprised! I didn't know that pole could create fire like that! I thought it was just a regular metal stick!"
Thank goodness, he doesn't realize I created that fire...
"But still, you're really strong! Are you a superhero or something?"
"A-a superhero?! ... Um, yeah... Something like that..."
"Wow, that's amazing... To tell you the truth, I want to be a superhero someday, too."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Me and April have been best friends since... forever. I want to do everything I can to make sure she's happy, and I want to protect her from anything that wants to hurt her in any way." He explained. "So when April gets better, she won't have anything else to worry about! Nothing'll make her sad or hurt her again!"
What he's saying... it's almost like...
"Besides, you promised me you'd always be there to protect me, right?"
"..."
I bent down next to him, putting my hand on his shoulder softly.
"There are a lot more realistic ways you could help people, without having to use superpowers, or be a superhero. But still... good luck. I hope you can be a really great hero, one that'll always be able to protect the ones you love."
I hope you'll be able to do the things even I couldn't do...
"L-love?!" He suddenly became flustered. "N-no, it's not like tha-..."
"August!" April came up from behind him and gave him a big hug. "Are you okay? I was so worried!"
"A-A-April?!" He stammered, blushing even more. "W-what're you?"
"I'm so sorry, Sérgio!" Shivan apologized, coming out from right behind April. "I couldn't stop August from running over here!"
"What happened?" I asked in concern.
"As soon as you left, August chased after you. Ms. Shivan tried to stop him, but she tripped in the middle of the hall. I stayed behind to help her up."
S-seriously...?
"S-sorry..." Shivan apologized again.
"But all the bad ghostys are gone! Mr. Sérgio, you got rid of them all, right? Thank you so much!" April thanked me.
"You did? You must be really strong, Sérgio!" Shivan said to me in awe.
"Heheh... Not really..."
"Please let me do something to repay you for your kindness and bravery! I don't have much, but I've got some orange juice saved up! Straight from the vineyards of Lopan!"
Um, grapes grow in vineyards, not oranges...
"Mr. Sérgio, I think Ms. Shivan is around your age! So you can take her heart as a reward instead~!"
"W-w-what are you saying?!" Shivan shouted at her, her face flushed in embarrassment. "Girls your age shouldn't be saying things like that!"
"T-that's alright, I don't need a reward." I assured them. "Besides, I've got to get going."
"Going? Where to?" They asked me.
"Y'know, um... Somewhere else that needs my heroics! Duty calls!"
"Oh... I was hoping we could talk some more, since we just became friends..."
"Sorry, Shivan. I'll come back to visit again, once I've done what I have to do."
"Okay. It's a promise, then!"
"Mr. Sérgio, good luck on your hero-ing stuff!"
"Um... Sérgio?" August said suddenly. "Can I ask you for one more thing before you go?"
"Sure, what is it?"
"Uh, you see... can I..." He paused. "... Have your autograph?!"
"W-wha?!" I exclaimed, not expecting that at all. "My autograph...?!"
"Me too! Me too!" April added. "Pretty please, Mr. Hero Sérgio?"
"Me three!" Shivan decided to join in. "Oh, I'll go get some papers for you to sign~!"
Heh, it looks like I'm doing this whether I want to or not...
--
After I gave them the autographs they wanted (thankfully, my writing's gotten better over the years), I headed out of the clinic. August brought April back to the room she was staying at to get some more rest, and Shivan went to the main lobby with me to say bye to me one last time.
I turned around, and looked up, to get another look at the clinic.
Well, it was nice to see you again, old Ricardo Clinic. Even if you've changed a lot over the years...
"... Sérgio..."
"Ack! The building's talking to me!"
"N-no! It's me!" I looked down, and noticed Shivan standing in front of me.
"O-oh, it's you... What's up?"
"I wanted to tell you something before you go..."
"Huh? What is it?"
"Your friend, Jemily... I hope you get to see her again one day."
"W-wha?! How'd you...?"
Oh, right... She's an esper...
"... Thanks. I hope I get to see her again, too..."
End of Chapter 1
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Writer's Comments:
And here begins the tale of Sérgio & Sérgia! I know, this one ended up being really long. I was considering splitting this up into two chapters, but since this series was always meant to have all this in its first chapter, and I like the first chapter of any series or saga to be long anyway, I figured it was fine to leave it the way it is. Plus, I don't want to delay the introduction of a certain character any further than I have to.
Now I'm sure you're wondering... Is the character this "Sérgia" person in the title of this saga? Who is she? Is she even a girl? Find out in the next chapter... maybe!
- CS-Masyet
Side Note: Yes, I realized I wrote a new first chapter of a 2nd saga of a series on December 23rd, aka CS Universal's anniversary, again. And no, it was not intentional; in fact it's actually rather ironic because I was actually purposefully trying to get this up sooner this time so I would have more time to relax before Christmas... but I didn't. Again...