“So… heroes. You ever…” Tyler drew his finger across his neck, “you know, killed anyone?”

  Crow winced at the bluntness of the question. Dino Man mumbled something unintelligible under his breath. Nephele sighed softly.

  “You do know heroes follow the no-kill rule, right?” she said, raising an eyebrow.

  Before Tyler could reply, Electria let out a dry laugh, standing up from the locker room bench. She brushed past Tyler, shoulder-checking him hard.

  “What’s so funny?” Tyler asked, a smirk tugging at his lips.

  Electria turned on her heel and flipped him off. “When killing is all you’ve ever done, it’s no surprise that’s the first thing on your mind. I can’t wait to see you screw up and get sent back to prison.”

  She pulled her goggles over her eyes, crackled into lightning, and zipped out of the room.

  “She really needs to pull the stick out of her ass and live a little,” Tyler deadpanned.

  Nephele gave his shoulder a light tap and floated up on a conjured cloud. Dino Man let out a roar right in Tyler’s ear, earning an irritated scowl from the fire user. Before Tyler could retaliate, the dino shifted into a pterodactyl and took off. Crow sprouted his black wings and followed without a word.

  Left behind, Nephele glanced at Tyler with an expression that made him uneasy.

  “I know it’s not easy fitting in, or even wanting to. But pushing people’s buttons isn’t going to help. Maybe give it a rest.”

  She floated away, leaving Tyler standing there with a grimace.

  “I don’t want to fit in,” he muttered to himself.

  He lit the soles of his boots and shot after the others, heading to the vacant car park where the first training exercise would take place. He’d insisted they start right away before being taken to his accommodations. After some arguing, they’d reluctantly agreed.

  Once he landed, he strolled toward the group.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  “I thought you could fly without the fire show,” Crow commented, lowering his hood.

  “I can. But it’s faster with fire under my feet,” Tyler replied, meeting the man’s pitch-black eyes.

  Satisfied, Crow turned back to face the front, where rows of cardboard civilians were set up. Nephele gathered the group’s attention with a clap.

  “Today’s lesson: rescuing civilians in chaotic situations,” she announced. “When heroes fight villains, the surroundings take a beating. That’s when rescue teams step in to get people out safely. We’re going to see how fast you can do that.”

  Tyler groaned inwardly. He hated this kind of stuff. But Halo had made it clear—one screw-up, and his powers were gone for good. His eyes flicked to Electria. He needed to keep an eye on her too.

  “Electria and Dino Man will fight. Tyler and Crow will handle rescues,” Nephele instructed.

  At her whistle, the match began. Dino Man shifted into his T-Rex hybrid form, towering over Electria. For someone so big, he moved fast. Electria dodged easily, zipping in and out of her lightning form. Craters littered the ground, and scorch marks blackened the far brick wall.

  Crow had already pulled six cardboard civilians to safety. Tyler? He was too caught up watching the fight like it was pay-per-view.

  “Save the kid!” Nephele’s voice snapped him out of it.

  He spotted a cardboard cutout of a young girl, Electria’s lightning arrow bearing down on it. Lighting his boots, Tyler sprinted forward, grabbed the cutout, and rolled across the ground.

  “And that’s a touchdown! Tyler Blaze saves the day again, proving he’s amazing!” he crowed like a sports announcer, hoisting the cutout over his head and spinning in circles like a frat boy.

  Nephele chuckled despite herself. Crow shook his head, though a small smile tugged at his lips. Dino Man stayed neutral, while Electria scowled.

  “You saved one kid, and you needed Nephele to babysit you,” she snapped.

  Tyler’s smile vanished. He stalked toward her, flames flickering in his palms.

  “Did I ever personally hurt you when I was a villain?” he asked coldly.

  “No, but—”

  “Then shut the hell up and give me a break,” he cut her off, standing over her this time, towering without bending down.

  The tension crackled like live wire. Nephele quickly stepped in.

  “Let’s… keep going until you save more than one person, alright?” she said gently, trying to ease the tension.

  Reluctantly, Tyler stepped back. The rest of the session continued.

  #####

  Later, Tyler lay flat on the heated concrete, eyes on the sunset sky, chest rising and falling heavily. A cold sensation touched his cheek, and he turned to see a man offering him a soda.

  The guy wore a green jumpsuit, brown boots, and had shoulder-length brown hair and emotionless green eyes.

  “Who… oh. Dino Man, right? In your human form.”

  Leonardo nodded stiffly and sat down next to him. Tyler popped the can and chugged.

  “How do you think I did?” Tyler asked, crushing the empty can.

  “You did fine. Took you eight tries to save five people, but you got there. We’ve learned not to put you on rescue duty unless we’re desperate.”

  Tyler couldn’t tell if that was a compliment or an insult. Probably both.

  They sat in a strangely comfortable silence, watching birds soar overhead.

  Today wasn’t so bad after all.