Sérgio's 1st Adventure
Chapter 4 - The Hero's Promise!
Written by: CS-Masyet
Uploaded on: January 7, 2015
"Urgh..." I awoke, not moving my body but beginning to open my eyes. I felt groggy for some reason.

Wait a sec, where am I? It smells familiar...

"Sérgio..." Someone uttered, next to me. The person sounded sad.

... Wait, I recognize that voice! The smell of this room, too!

I fully opened my eyes, and my realization was correct. I was lying in a bed in the nurse's office, and the person sitting beside me was...

"Jemily!" I said, facing her direction.

"S-Sérgio!" She cried in surprise.

It was then I noticed her face was kind of wet and her eyes were a bit reddened.

"Are you okay, Jemily?"

"Am I okay?! That should be my line!"

"What am I even doing here, anyways?"

"How can you be asking that after what happened?!" She seemed angry.

I held my hand to my head. "I can't really remember... What did I do again?"

"You ran back into the cooking room after an oven caught on fire. What were you thinking, going in there when everything was burning like that...?"

"Burning?"

Jemily started to cry. "D-do you have any idea how worried I was?!" She bent down next to me, lightly banging her fists on my chest. "Stupid, stupid, stupid!"

Ah! Now I remember!

--

"Fire, come to me!"

It's working! But I can't lose my focus...!

"Phew... I managed somehow... Are you doing okay, Sérgio?"

"A-ah... I..." I-it's so... hot...

"Wha?! Are you alright?"

I-it's gross... A-and it kind of hurts...

"S-so... h-h-hot..."

"Sérgio... S-Sérgio? SÉRGIO!!!"

--

I managed to stop the fire, but then I fainted for some reason... but how did I end up here?

... Wait a second, where's...?!

"Hey, where di-..."

"If you're wondering where your backpack is, it's on the floor next to me." She explained, having calmed down. "I brought it with me while my brother carried you here."

So he's the one who brought me here...

"But jeez, what's in here, anyway? It was so heavy for some reason..."

So Serge went back in there, after all. Figured as much...

"Where's Kylade?"

"He went home a little while ago."

"Home...? Wait, is school over already?!"

"Yep. You missed school... again." Jemily uttered. "It's almost 4 o'clock, actually."

"Seriously?!" I shouted in disbelief. "And you've been here this whole time?"

"Y-yeah, that's right..."

"But that means you missed class, too! Your perfect attendance record..."

"That's the least of my worries right now!" She exclaimed. "I-I'm just glad you're alright, Sérgio..."

Actually, my body still feels hot, and it's kinda hard to move. But...

"I had no choice but to go back to that room. But still... I'm sorry for making you worry so much, Jemily..."

"No choice!?" She said angrily. "Are you crazy? Why would you willingly run into that inferno like that?!"

"Well, y'know, as a future superhero, I couldn't just sit back and do nothing!"

"And did you even end up doing anything?"

"Of course! The fire's gone now, right?"

"So... what did you do, anyways?" She asked, looking more confused than angry now. "How did you manage to stop all of that fire, Sérgio?"

"Oh, I used my power t-... Ah!" I covered my mouth nervously, once I realized what I was about to say.

"'Power'?" Jemily said questioningly.

"Uh... um... M-my power... to..." I paused, trying to think of an excuse.

Jemily started to glare at me.

"To... use fire extinguishers!" I stated, happy I finally thought of something to say. "Yeah, that's it!"

"But there was no sign of any of the school extinguishers being used..." She told me, still giving me the same stare.

"O-of course not! That's because I borrowed one from the firefighters! Yeah, all of us used some of them to put out the fi-..."

"Liar!" She yelled suddenly, startling me.

"... W-wha?"

"I asked the firefighters about the fire, and they said it was all put out before they had even got there!"

"U-uh... H-how weird..." I scratched my head nervously. "... Ah, now I remember! It wasn't an extinguisher I used; I actually turned on th-..."

"... The sprinkler system in the cooking room's been broken for a while now." Jemily cut in.

H-how did she...!?

"Enough excuses, already! Tell me the truth!" She moved her head closer to mine, her glare becoming more fierce. "The real truth, this time!"

"D-don't worry! It's not anything you need to worry about..."

"When the firefighters entered the cooking room, all of the fire was already gone." She explained. "But a lot of stuff had been heavily burned, including a couple of cupboards."

"... So?"

"I'm not finished!" She yelled again. "When one of them opened one of the cupboards, they found you unconscious inside! What were you even doing in there?!"

Serge must of hid me in there so no one would get suspicious. It seems to have backfired, though...

"And yet, somehow, other than parts of your sleeves and your backpack, there wasn't a burn mark or scar on you at all! How is that possible?!"

"D-does it matter?"

"Of course it does! Do you honestly think I wouldn't be concerned after hearing all that from them?"

"..."

"Tell me what happened! Explain yourself!" Her face softened. "P-please, Sérgio..."

I knew it; Jemily's way too smart... There's no way I can trick her with a simple excuse...

"... I'm sorry. I can't tell you."

"W-what?" Her face turned angry again. "Why the heck not?!"

"Because I just can't!" I screamed back.

"W-why? Why is it something I can't know? Is it really something you have to lie about so I won't learn the truth?" She looked at me with a sad expression. "You never lie to me, Sérgio. What's going on?!"

"... Enough. Stop being so nosey, Jemily." I said seriously. "It's none of your business!"

She looked at me in shock, not saying anything.

Oops. Maybe I overdid it?

She started to cry.

"A-ah! I'm sor-..."

"I'm just worried about you, Sérgio! Why can't you tell me?!" She continued to sob. "I-I thought we were best friends..."

"J-Jemily, I..."

"Forget it! If you're going to make my concern a waste of time, then you can just take care of yourself then for all I care!" She got up off the stool she had previously been sitting on, knocking it down to the floor.

"W-wai-..."

"I HATE YOU, SÉRGIO!!!"

"N-no..." D-don't hate me... I'm sorry, Jemily...

She immediately headed out the door, still crying. But before she had a chance, she tripped over my backpack, and fell to the ground.

"A-are you oka-... Ack!"

"O-ow..." Jemily mumbled, rubbing her head.

Before she got up, she noticed something roll next to her.

"What's this? A white ball?" She inquired, touching it.

"Gah! Don't touch me!" The ball yelled, its face, arms, and legs popping out.

"Serge, no!" I said in horror.

"E-eh...?" She looked at him, in disbelief.

"U-uh... Greetings?"

"EYAHHHHH!!!"

I guess hiding the truth from her is definitely impossible now...

--

"So let me get this straight..." Jemily started, after I had explained everything to her. "You suddenly got powers yesterday, were magically teleported to an island where you befriended that strange ball thing..."

"It's Serge! Not ball thing!" Serge exclaimed, cutting her off.

"... and the two of you used your powers to get rid of the fire in the cooking room. That's your story?" She finished, ignoring Serge.

"Yep, that's right..." I replied nervously.

"Do you honestly expect me to believe that load of baloney?!" She yelled at me angrily again.

"W-what do you mean? I'm actually telling you the truth this time..."

"Sérgio, I know you really want to be a superhero and have special powers. I get that. But there's no way what you just told me could've possibly happened! It's just... not scientifically possible!"

"But it's true, though! Honest!"

Lying to her is so hard, so why is telling the truth not easy?

"I can't use my powers yet, but..." I pointed at Serge. "Look, he's proof that I'm not lying! You've never seen anything like him before, right?"

"H-he's probably just some lifelike robot you found somewhere..."

"I'm not a robot! I'm a CSmon!"

"CSmon are just a myth! They aren't real!" She crossed her arms and looked away, refusing to believe anything we were saying.

"Why are you so stubborn, Jemily..." I sighed, feeling something come out of my mouth.

Huh? What was tha-...

"Ack!" Serge yelped, his head suddenly on fire.

"Kyahhh!" Jemily screamed. "W-what's going on?!"

Serge rolled around briefly, putting out the fire. "Don't do that, Sérgio! You scared me!"

"Do... what?"

"W-why did fire just come out of your mouth?!" Jemily asked me, backed away in fear.

"Wait, fire? Does this mean..." I can finally use my powers now?!

I concentrated on my hand, until a light flame surrounded it.

"I-I did it!" I shouted happily. "I actually did it!"

"Congrats." Serge uttered. "Maybe all that fire you absorbed helped you finally be able to use it."

I wonder if that's why my body feels so hot right now...

Jemily started to sob, hugging herself, shaking.

"Uh, Jemily? What's the matter?" I asked her, while rubbing my hand on Serge's head to make the fire go away.

"N-no!" She stammered in fright. "I don't want to be set on fire!"

"I won't set you on fire." I reassured her, walking toward her slowly. "And Serge's not hurt by it, so he'll be fi-..."

"I'm not talking about you, Sérgio! I know you'd never do something like that to me... I trust you..."

"Then, what's the problem?"

"But Serge has fire powers too, right? That means there's probably others out there who can make fire like you! What if they're bad people out there with power like yours? I-I'm scared they might do something bad to me... Or to everyone I know..."

"You don't need to worry about that, Jemily." I bent down next to her, and gently grabbed her shoulders. "I'm going to train with my mom to control my powers and get stronger. So if any villains come to our town and try to do anything to you, or anyone else here, then I'll beat them up and kick them outta here! I'll do my best to preserve the peace, no matter what!"

"S-Sérgio..." She sniffled.

"After all, I am a superhero! ... in training..."

Jemily suddenly buried her face in my chest. "C-can I count on you? Can I really count on you, Sérgio?"

"Of course! I promise, Jemily."

She looked up at me, smiling. "You'd better keep that promise, okay?"

It looks like I have another reason to be a superhero now. I'd better do my best for Jemily's sake, too!

"Hey!" Serge yelled out of nowhere, jumping up and down next to us. "What are you doing, Sérgio?!"

"What are you talking about? Jemily was scared, so I was trying to help her feel better..."

"B-but... You're touching her! She's a girl, you know!"

"... So?"

"Well, you know, girls have cooties! Cooties, Sérgio!"

"Um, what are 'cooties'?" I asked Jemily, who was still latched on to me.

"Heheh, it's nothing for you to worry about." She started to giggle, after deciding to let go of me. "It'd be really unlike you to worry about something like cooties, heehee!"

I don't really get it... But if Jemily doesn't think I should worry about it, then I won't.

"Wait, you said only girls have cooties, Serge? Is this why you don't like being around mom?"

"Well, that's one of the reasons..." He uttered.

"Speaking of your mom..." Jemily started to ask. "You mentioned she was going to help you get stronger before?"

"Well yeah; you know that she's really good at martial arts and even trains other people, right?"

"I'm aware of your mom's occupation, Sérgio; that's not what I meant. I'm talking about those, um... powers you have..."

"Oh, that's right! I didn't mention it before, but I apparently got them from her!"

"S-seriously?! Your mom can make fire, too?"

"Uh huh!" I've never seen her use it before, though... "Come to think of it, I've heard some guys that have matches with her sometimes say she's 'pretty hot' or something. Now I finally know why they say that!"

"I-I... don't think that's the reason, actually..." Jemily told me, looking uneasy.

"Excuse me, Jemily? Is Sérgio feeling better?" A voice from outside of the room asked.

"Ah, the nurse is back!" I exclaimed, grabbing Serge and stuffing him in my bag as fast as I could before she came in.

"Hm? What are you two doing on the floor?" She inquired.

"Oh, Sérgio was feeling so energetic that he leaped out of bed and accidentally knocked me to the ground." Jemily told her.

"Heh, that certainly sounds like something he'd do, alright!"

Does it really...? That makes me sound like some sort of lunatic...

"But you seem to be fine, so that's good." The nurse said to me. "Your mother is waiting for you, so you should head home before you make her worry."

"Yeah, let's go, Sérgio!" Jemily got up and started to drag me out of the room.

"W-wait...!" I barely had time to grab my bag before being forced out by Jemily.

--

"W-why are you in such a rush, Jemily?" I asked her, who was still dragging me once we had left school.

"We have to hurry! It's already past 4!"

"So? I still have plenty of time for training..."

"Don't forget about your homework!" She reminded me. "I told you I'd come over to help you with it, didn't I?!"

"Augh, I forgot about that... Stupid homework..."

"And you missed classes again, so you'll have even more to make up, y'know!"

"B-but... I'm too busy training to be a superhero! I don't have time for homework!"

"Superhero or not, studying is still important!" She said angrily. "I'm sure your mom agrees, too!"

"Oh man..." I groaned, but then realized something. "Wait, today's Friday! That means it's the weekend! I ca-..."

"I already know what you're thinking; you want to put it all off 'til later, don't you?" Jemily glared at me. "But I know you're going to end up forgetting to do it in the end, so we're doing it now, understand?"

"B-bu-... whyyy?!" I whined.

"Besides, there's something else concerning me that I want to ask your mom, anyways."

"Huh? What's that?"

"Your hand is abnormally warm." She told me, lifting up my arm that she was still holding. She let it go, then briefly touched my forehead. "I knew it. Your whole body is feeling hot again, isn't it?"

"Yeah. Just like yesterday..."

"And you're not feeling sick, right?"

"Uh huh. And I wasn't before, either."

"I figured that was the case. But is your body constantly heating up and cooling down normal? It might be a problem for you if it is."

"Really?"

"Not to mention, the nurse or someone else might think you're sick again. You're trying to hide the fact you have powers from everyone, right?"

"Yeah; mom told me not to tell anyone about it..."

"And before that you were probably ready to show off to everyone, weren't you?"

"H-how did you know?!"

"Because I know you, Sérgio. Anyway, let's hurry up and get to your house already."

I'm not in a rush to get home, really... After all, mom's probably gonna be really mad that I already told someone about my fire power...

--

We got home after just a few more minutes of walking.

"Hoooooney!" Mom immediately ran up to me and hugged me tight, as soon as I arrived.

This seems awfully familiar...

"The nurse told me you weren't feeling well and you'd been out cold for a while. Are you okay?"

"Actually, what happened had nothing to do with being 'cold' at all..."

"Huh?" She uttered in confusion, releasing her arms around me.

I decided to explain everything to her.

"... and, yeah. That's what happened to me today."

"Hm..." My mom looked lost in thought.

"What's wrong, mom? I thought you'd be mad at me..."

"Of course I'm mad at you!" She exclaimed, giving me a chop on the head. "What you did was really dangerous! You were lucky nothing bad happened to you!"

"O-owch..." I mumbled, rubbing the newly-made bump on my head.

"And you!" She grabbed Serge out of my bag, who started wiggling his arms and legs in surprise. "You little troublemaker! You know you weren't supposed to go with Sérgio to school! Because of you, Jemily ended up finding out about his fire abilities!" She placed him down and gave him a chop on the head as well.

"Your mom is scary when she's mad, Sérgio..." Serge said. "And, o-owch too..."

"U-um, good afternoon." Jemily greeted politely, deciding to wait until my mom's lecture was over to say something. "I'm sorry if I caused any trouble."

"Not at all, sweetie! If anything, I should be thanking you, for always looking after Sérgio during school."

"It's not a problem at all, Mrs. Gi."

"But you found out something you were better off not knowing. Suddenly learning this world is a lot different than you imagined... I know it can be pretty terrifying."

"S-so is it true that there are other people out there with fire powers...?"

"Not just fire powers. There are people all over this world with different kinds of abilities, even ones you can't even imagine."

Jemily cringed. "It's pretty scary. I thought if I understood everything about the world, if I knew what was real and what wasn't, I'd be okay." She stated uneasily. "But it turns out I didn't really know much of anything at all... It's really hard to take in."

Jemily...

"But it's alright. I'm fine with it."

"You... are?" My mom said in surprise.

"Yeah, because I believe in Sérgio... In the promise he made to me. To protect me if anyone bad with powers tries to hurt me..."

"Awww, isn't that sweet~!" My mom said, holding her cheeks in glee. "In that case..."

She grabbed me by the back of my shirt and started dragging me away.

"Let's start your training right away!"

"W-wait, mom!"

"Nice knowing you, Sérgio..." Serge uttered, not being helpful in the slightest.

"You too, Serge!" She shouted angrily, glaring at him harshly.

"Eep! Y-yes, ma'am..." He hesitantly began running in our direction.

"Hold on, Mrs. Gi!" Jemily called out. "I wanted to help Sérgio with his homework first..."

"That can wait until later! Come watch us train, sweetie!"

"B-but I can't be here for very long! I have to prepare dinner and stuff..."

"Oh, really?" She said, deciding to stop moving and dragging me around. "You two have no school tomorrow, right? Why don't you just sleep over today?"

"Sleep over? Seriously?!" I exclaimed in excitement.

"Hooray..." Serge said, not sounding as happy as me.

"Um, okay. I'll call my family to let them know."

"It's been so long since you slept over, Jemily! This'll be so much fun!"

"There's no time for fun now. Training first!" My mom continued to drag me (and Serge this time) to the training grounds.

"Aw man!" Serge and I said in unison.

Jemily looked at us being dragged around, and started to laugh.

"It's not funny, Jemily!"

"Why do I have to get involved in this, too?!" Serge added.

So mom brought me and Serge outside, to the place where she trains her students, to help me with my powers and learn martial arts. I knew it would be tough, but I also knew it was something I had to do.

I have to keep my promise to Jemily, after all! Bring it on, mom!

... A-again...

End of Chapter 4

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Writer's Comments:

Sorry if this chapter is kind of infodump-ish. I was going to have this chapter be about Sérgio's training, but there was one plot point that drastically changed at last minute. And that was Jemily finding out about Sérgio's powers.

I was originally going to keep her out of the loop for the entire series, but as you can see, I ended deciding against it. Why? Oddly enough, it's because Jemily was too smart for me to think of a reason to fool her. That just goes to show how stupid I am intelligent of a young girl she is! Also, I ended being sidetracked so much by this one, that it actually made it really easy to write, if you can believe it. (Yes, I know that makes no sense.)

I was thinking of making this chapter longer, too. I was planning on showing off Sérgio's training anyways, as well as Jemily helping Sérgio with his homework, etc.. But I figured it was better if this one didn't drag on for too long. I may describe his training in more detail next chapter; we'll see.

Another thing concerning the plot, there's a certain character I've planning on have show up soon, but I've never had a good opportunity to do so yet. Once I thought about it though, I figured it may be better if he actually turn up later in the story. Who is this character? You'll have to wait to find out! (Although you more savvy readers might've figured it out already...)

Speaking of new characters, there's... actually, never mind; I don't want to spoil it. You'll find out in chapter 5 (which hopefully gets done soon)!

- CS-Masyet