Starboy Azure

In the lounge, everyone gathered and chatted as they awaited the start of the meeting. Another Azurite member decided to join them as well.

"Yo!" a boy exclaimed as he entered the room.

"Isagani!" Okoro and Hana called out as they walked over to greet him. Isagani Roque was a tan-skinned young man of average height with a slim build. He had spiky, dirty blonde hair, monolid brown eyes, and slightly noticeable freckles. He wore a white hoodie, beige parachute pants, and white sneakers. He is easygoing, friendly, clumsy, and a bit stubborn. He often tries to impress those around him and always strives to be better, even if the road ahead is rocky.

"Hey!" Hana said. "Okoro and I were thinking of sparring later in the training room, last one to get knocked out wins and stuff, you down?"

"Heck yeah!" Isagani said while Okoro nodded.

"Heck no!" Lumi butted in. "You all are not gonna be playing whack-a-mole down here, this is not the time!"

"Ah…" Okoro, Hana, and Isagani all said in unison, their faces clearly showing their disappointment.

They were all cut off by Nero, who finally entered the room and prepared to speak. Everyone turned their eyes to look at him, causing him to raise his eyebrow.

"You don't have to look at me like that…" Nero said, and he felt like he had killed the mood.

"You're good, bossman," Ash responded.

"Yeah, what's the word?" Amari added with a small laugh.

Nero let out a deep sigh before speaking. "Our next mission is in the undercity, there's been a lot going on there and we're the only ones who can take care of it."

'The undercity…?' Okoro thought to himself.

"Um, sir," Okoro raised ah and.

"Yes?" Nero responded.

"My bad but… What's the undercity?" Okoro asked.

"No worries," Nero responded. "The undercity is a subterranean city under ours. It has a high crime rate and is home to not only innocent civilians but dozens of Kani users who went down the wrong path. Nixidia much less monitors it as they seem to not care what happens down there."

'Sounds scary..' Okoro thought.

"That means we won't just be dealing with Nixidia soldiers this time around, we'll have to engage in a battle with fellow Kani users while making sure innocents don't get caught in the crossfire," Nero continued. "That's not it either, we have a few more goals to complete."

"Lumi," Nero said. "Would you mind explaining the rest?"

"Ooh, I was waiting for you to ask," Lumi said as she cleared her throat. She proceeded to snap her fingers, turning the lights off. Lumi's Kani Technique is named Glitch in the System. This allows her to manipulate and control technology, something that helped her grow to be the genius hacker she is today. She can also manipulate and steal data or information from systems and networks. She can form digital constructs as well, ranging from simple shapes and images to powerful tools and weapons.

"Anyways," Lumi said while activating the screen on the wall. "I tracked down a kingpin in the undercity, apparently he's been abducting Kani users and sending 'em to Nixidia. From what I could gather, it seems that this may be a part of the reason that the undercity is less monitored. They must have a deal with someone who's contributing to their shady business for his own entertainment. His name is Robert Decker, he's a crime boss who's connected to a lot of nightclubs, gangs, and other weird stuff."

As she spoke, the screen displayed images that demonstrated the case.

"So what are we gonna do about it then?" Mina asked.

"We'll track him down and confront him," Nero answered. "It may take a bit, and the undercity's hectic so it's best that we find him as soon as possible. Don't worry about the rest, I'll do the talking when it's necessary."

"I-I have another question," Okoro spoke up while rubbing the back of his head.

"Go ahead," Nero responded.

"When you said we're gonna be fighting other Kani users as well," He said. "Why is that? Shouldn't we all be fighting for the same thing? I-I mean, Nixidia should be the common enemy by default right?"

"You're absolutely right, Okoro," Nero said. "Unfortunately, not all of us share the ideals. While we're taking a safer approach to the uprising, there are others who went down a different path. They don't just care about taking Nixidia down, but they believe that Kani users should take their anger out on society as well, harming innocents in the process."

Okoro grew weary as his eyes widened. "But what's the point of that? It'll just make it harder for us wouldn't it?"

"It would, and that's why we'll have to stop them before they commit acts that are too destructive for the country to handle," Nero said. "I would know, I grew up in the undercity, so I'm familiar with the wilder ideologies."

"O-oh…" Okoro said.

"There's another case we're keeping our eye on as well," Lumi spoke up again. "You see, there's been a rumor about a serial killer roaming the country and assassinating people. Apparently, he calls himself John Doe, and he usually cuts up his victims and marks their chests with an M. It's weird, I'm not sure why someone would leave their tracks, so it only makes it creepier."

"So gross…" Hana mumbled.

"R-right…" Mina added. "It sounds like the civilians down there need our help more than ever, we have a lot on our plates."

"And that's why I wanted to make sure everyone's ready," Nero said. "This is gonna be our hardest mission yet, we have no time for mistakes or hesitation."

'Great…' Okoro thought to himself, he felt uneasy as he already dreaded the mission. 'I don't think I can handle this… I mean, serial killers, mob bosses, and OTHER Kani users? I was fine with just handling a few soldiers, but even that's annoying.'

"Hey," Mina whispered in Okoro's ear, snapping him out of his thoughts. She put a hand on his shoulder as she spoke to him. "If you're having any second thoughts, talk to me about it, please?"

"Mhm…" Okoro whispered. "Thanks big sis."

"Always," Mina said with a soft smile while giving him a few pats on the shoulder.

"Okoro," Nero said. "Meet me in the training room whenever you're ready."

"W-what, oh, yes sir!" Okoro said while giving him a salute. Nero gave him a nod as he left the lounge and made his way to the training room.

Okoro let out a nervous sigh as he walked over to Hana and Isagani while everyone else went back to chatting.

"Y'all don't think I'm in trouble right?" He asked.

"No silly," Hana said with a laugh. "That's just how Nero is, he's like Batman."

Isagani laughed before adding to Hana's words.

"Meet me in the training room whenever you're ready," He said, mimicking a deep voice as he recited Nero's words.

"Y'all are too unserious..." Okoro sighed in frustration as he exited the lounge. As he made his way down the hallway toward the training room, he hoped that his meeting with Azurite's co-leader would not leave him feeling cornered.

Upon entering the training room, he spotted Nero standing in the center. Okoro released a deep breath and attempted to shake off his nerves.

'It can't be anything too serious, right?' He mused to himself.

"Hey, Mr. Nero!" Okoro called out as he approached. "Er, what is it that you wanted to talk about?"

"Okoro," Nero began, pausing for an extended moment.

'Uh-oh…' Okoro thought, feeling a surge of anxiety. 'Oh no.'

"I'm sorry to say this, but you're not coming to the undercity with us," Nero stated.

"W-what? Why not?" Okoro protested, desperation creeping into his voice. "I promise I won't mess up!"

His heart sank as he realized he would have to dig deep to defend himself, all while questioning his role in the upcoming mission.

"It's not just about making mistakes," Nero said. "You're anxious, unsure if you really want to go, I can see it in your eyes. You're not ready at all." 

"YES, I AM!" Okoro shouted, his Kani levels surging as desperation fueled his need to prove himself.

'I knew it… Nothing gets past him,' Okoro thought to himself. 'But it's not fair, I'm tired of being treated like a liability!'

Nero raised an eyebrow, but he was impressed, this was what he wanted to see from the boy.

"Is that so?" Nero asked. "Okay then Okoro, hit me."

"Eh?" Okoro's face went blank as he tilted his head in confusion.

"You wanna prove that you're ready for this mission… I saw a fire light inside you just now, something you tell yourself that you should hide… I want you to re-ignite it… Hit me with everything you've got."

"Mr. Nero!" Okoro said as he bashfully waved his hands around. "I can't hit you! That's like trying to, I don't know! It's like a normal housecat trying to pick a fight with a tiger!"

"Except you're not a housecat," Nero said. "You're more like a jaguar who doesn't know his own potential. Or rather, he does know, but he's afraid of it."

As Nero spoke, he proceeded to walk around Okoro, circling him as he gave the boy a lecture.

"I don't want to pressure you, Okoro," He said. "But if you truly wish to come to the undercity, I'll do everything in my power to make sure you're ready. I know you're someone who does not like to hurt people, so I'm leaving it up to you. If you truly wish to travel with us, hit me with the maximum amount of Kani you can fill your fist with."

"I-I…" Okoro stammered, already hesitating to follow up. He now realized that he had to hit Nero to qualify for the mission. "Fine!"

Okoro put one leg back before planting his feet on the floor. He winded his arm back as he felt his Kani levels surging once again, and directed his energy to his fist.

'I can do this…' He hyped himself up. 'Just one hit!'

"Agh!" Okoro swung and missed, immediately depowering as Nero realized his punch was a fluke. "I can't… I'm sorry."

"Then I'm afraid you can't go, either," Nero said as he glared at the boy before him.

"No!" Okoro exclaimed in desperation before recreating his initial move, only this time he looked far more determined. "I DON'T CARE ANYMORE, I WON'T BE THE LIABILITY ANYMORE!"

And with all of the Kani he could muster at the moment, he punched Nero in the stomach, who was a bit taken back by the boy's striking strength. Nero looked down at Okoro once again, glaring as he examined him.

"Umm…" Okoro depowered once again, his expression turning bashful as he stood up straight and fidgeted with his hands. "My bad."

"Why are you apologizing?" Nero asked. "You passed."

"I PASSED?" Okoro's face lit up as he smiled at his mentor. "I-I thought you-"

"No worries," Nero said. "I never counted you out for a second."

"I… Thanks Mr. Nero!" Okoro exclaimed while raising his fist towards him. "I know I mess up sometimes, and that I still don't fully know how to control my powers, and that I don't like fighting either, but I can improve, I promise! I promise that I won't lose control, so can you count on me, please?!"

Nero stayed silent while staring him down, before raising his fist to complete the bump. "I'll be counting on you, Okoro."

"And you won't be disappointed!" Okoro exclaimed as his expression grew determined.

On that day, Azurite set their eyes on their latest mission, the most hectic of them all. In the coming weeks, we'll see how our freedom fighters survive the impending terrors of the undercity.