St. Petersburg, Russia. General of the Bellum Company, Deimos, woke up inside an apartment with a yawn. He sat up with a smile on his face.
"Another day of no killing or wars."
He jumped out of the bed and stretched his body with a groan.
"I love civilian mode."
He shook his head.
"This is the real me."
He looked around his room and at the shelves of romance books, where his Pomeranian and Collie were lying at the foot of.
"I've become Leonid Yugov again."
He started laughing, waking his dogs in the process. The dogs walked up to him and started jumping up and down.
"Boris, Annika, I am finally at peace."
He started playing with the dogs, rubbing their fluffy bodies.
"Leo, it's time for breakfast! Wash up and come downstairs!"
A shout came from outside his door.
"Yes, Mama!"
He picked up the dogs and exited the room.
"I can tell, today will be a great day."
After washing up, Leonid went downstairs to the living room. The interior of the apartment had a cosy and homely feel as there were family photos, trophies and awards for children, as well as various figurines. Leonid entered the dining room with a grin on his face.
"There you are. It's almost noon and you're just getting up. How lazy can you get?"
He was berated by the man sitting at the table. The man had similar features to Leonid but more matured.
"I'm on vacation, Papa. It's my right to be as lazy as possible."
"Right, my ass. Keep this up and you'll be fired by that young boss of yours."
"Your father is right, Leo."
A woman came in and handed him a plate of scrambled eggs, bread, and oatmeal porridge. She shared a few features with Leonid as well and looked like she barely reached her 30s.
"You should try to be more productive like your boss. Despite being an orphan born in poverty in the war-stricken Philippines, she made something of herself."
The woman sat down at the table with a smile.
"I read an article about her recently."
Leonid started eating his eggs.
"Mama, let's not talk about her when I'm on vacation. I'm trying to relax, but I can't do that if I'm thinking about her."
"You sound so ungrateful."
His father spoke with an annoyed tone.
"She bought this apartment building and gave it to your mother and me to do whatever we want with it. What other boss would do that for her employee's parents?"
Leonid didn't say anything and ate his oatmeal in silence. His parents shook their heads at this.
"?!"
His body flinched when he felt something vibrating in his pocket. He placed his hand in his pocket, but didn't pull it out. He had a bad omen. He knew the moment he did, his peace days were over. So, he did what any sensible person with a homicidal boss would do. He ignored it. However, there are some things one couldn't ignore forever.
"Allo (Hello)?"
He turned his head to his father, answering his phone.
"Oh, Ms. Del Rosario! How have you been?!"
Leonid stood up.
"I need to—"
An overwhelming pressure fell onto his shoulder. He turned his head to see a large lion's paw on his shoulder. The paw belonged to his mother, who gestured for him to sit down with her still human hand. He sat down while his father continued.
"You're here? Come up and say hello! Leo will be here waiting for you."
He hung up the phone. Leonid wore a face resembling a bulldog. After a few minutes, Hiraya entered their apartment. She was dressed in a beige overcoat with a black turtleneck, denim jeans, and fur cuff boots.
"Mr. and Mrs. Yugov, it's great seeing you two again."
She lifted the shopping bags she was holding.
"I brought you two gifts."
"Ms. Del Rosario, you didn't need to. You've done so much for us already."
"Mr. Yugov, please call me Hiraya."
She handed the bags to the couple.
"Also, Leonid is like a brother to me, so I naturally see you as parents of mine."
She showed a bright smile.
"So please think of it as a daughter giving her parents gifts."
"Hiraya..."
Ms. Yugov's eyes started to water. She wrapped her arms around Hiraya.
"You really are a blessing from the Lord."
Her husband nodded while slyly wiping the edge of his eyes.
"Please, have a seat. You must be tired."
Ms. Yugov directed Hiraya to the living room, where they all sat together. The couple happily conversed with her while Leonid sat across the room with a defeated expression.
"Leo, fix your face! It's rude to Hiraya who came here in person!"
Mr. Yugov shouted.
"I don't mind. Our relationship is close enough for us to talk and act freely around each other."
"You mustn't spoil him too much, Hiraya. He needs to act more maturely."
Mr. Yugov argued.
"I assure you, Leonid is quite reliable when he needs to be. He's like one of my Generals."
Hiraya chuckled a bit. The day went on with Hiraya spending time with the Yugov Family. In the late afternoon, the couple were in the kitchen cooking a celebratory dinner together. Hiraya sat beside Leonid and watched them from the living room.
"I swear they're only this excited when you come around."
Leonid lazily leaned back on the sofa.
"It's like you're their long-lost daughter or something."
"Jealous?"
Hiraya asked with a smirk.
"Honestly, yeah. Whenever I come home, all they do is scold me for causing you trouble. Meanwhile, they shower you in love."
"Love, huh?"
She showed a small smile.
"I think they're more grateful than anything."
"Well, you buy them expensive stuff whenever you come over and even gave them this whole building, so I kinda get it."
Hiraya frowned.
"You know that's not what they're grateful to me for."
Leonid became quiet and looked at his parents happily chatting with each other as they prepared the food. A memory overlapped with the present.
"My baby boy...."
His mother slowly stretched her trembling hands towards his face. She caressed the scars on his face as tears flowed from her eyes.
"Who hurt my baby like this? Just what have you been through all these years when we couldn't find you?"
She threw herself at him and hugged as if afraid he would disappear before her eyes.
"Forgive me, Leo. Forgive your mother for not finding you sooner and protecting you from all the suffering you've endured."
Her tears stained his shirt as she pressed her face on his chest.
"Forgive me. Forgive me. Forgive me."
She softly mumbled through her sobs. His father walked up to him and patted his shoulders.
"You're taller than me now...."
Tears flowed from his eyes as he spoke with a coarse voice.
"Thank god."
The memory faded and his parents happily cooking reappeared in front of his eyes.
"Hiraya, thank you."
"I merely recruited a talented fighter I randomly came across."
"Nonetheless, thank you."
Hiraya said nothing and watched the couple in silence.
"A game to kill Impactor?"
After dinner, Alala was alone with Deimos, where she explained what was going on with her and Sinvula.
"Are you against it?"
"Of course I'm against it. What you two are about to do will create more problems for me."
"Don't worry, Deimos."
Alala wrapped her arm around his shoulders.
"All you need to do is survive."
"....When you said I was like a brother to you, you were lying, weren't you?"
Alala smirked.
"Don't you know? Siblings love making each other's lives a living hell."
"That's fucked up."
"I agree."
Alala chuckled while Deimos frowned.
"Well, whatever. I'm your subordinate, so it's not like I can refuse."
Deimos pointed at himself.
"Just so you know, I'll run away if things get too difficult."
"I know."
Deimos held his face.
"I wonder if Sinvula's people have to suffer like I do."
Alala laughed while Deimos continued to grimace.
Rarotonga, Cook Islands. Kismet were in the middle of their secret training sessions on a private beach. Explosions erupted as blood-coloured flames spread across the beach.
"Hah~! Hah~! Hah~!"
Bojana ran along the beach with burns all over her body. She stomped the ground and mud erupted from the ground and protected her from a blast of flames. She continued to run. A shadow cast over her, causing her to look up. Flames fell from the sky in the shape of birds. She waved her hands and mud formed a protective dome around her. The flames hardened the mud and the dome fell apart. Bojana was nowhere to be seen.
"Hiding from a stronger opponent isn't a bad choice...."
Belinha floated in the air with flame wings on her back. She pointed her finger at the ground. Blood flames started gathering at her fingertips before condensing into a ball of scarlet light.
"However, what are you going to do when escaping isn't an option?"
She fired a beam from her fingertip and it pierced the ground. The sand started glowing from the heat as the earth lit up.
"Ahhh!"
Bojana flew out from underground, screaming in agony. Belinha shot down like a hawk and hit her with a giant fireball. Bojana was blown back with burns over her body. Belinha looked down on her while she groaned in pain. She waved her hand and flames engulfed Bojana. This time, the flames healed her body, removing every injury she sustained. Bojana sat up, breathing heavily.
"You mostly worked as a support, so I'm aware one-on-one battles aren't your forte. However, we all need to work on our weaknesses in order to survive future battles."
Belinha turned to the other members who were spectating.
"A lot of Rookie Heroes choose to form Teams to cover up their weakness, but a lot of them become stuck because of this. They become reliant on others and are useless for solo missions, thus they end up limiting their growth. Kismet will not be such a Team. We will all be able to act independently and fend for ourselves. Of course, we will work on our teamwork as well, because we will need it to take on the monsters we're aiming for."
She faced Bojana and helped her up before facing everyone again.
"If you all understand, let's begin the next match-up."