Makoto watched as Raphael fiddled with random buttons on his robot, but they had to fight the urge to chime in with random chants like 'you go, Raph!'

"And... done!
Now your body data has been converted into a hologram", said Raphael.

"Won't they notice we're not actually in class?", asked Makoto.

Raphael shook his head.
"You said we're working on mannequins today, so there's no reason for them to have to touch us."

"And if they ask us any questions?"

We'll be watching everything from here", said Raphael, before pressing a button under HoloBot's left armpit.

A projection appeared on the wall, and the pair could see the Training Grounds.

"All we need to do is speak, and our holograms will say what we say.
I've also programmed them to do some basic moves.
Not too accurate, because we need it to be believable."

"Is that why you told me to move my arms about and kick the air?", asked Makoto.

"Yes, an hour of that will be useful."

Makoto's eyes widened.
"You told me to do it for two hours!"

Raphael pressed his lips together to suppress a laugh.
"Yes, well, the other hour will still be useful.
For... entertainment purposes."

"Hey!"

"Quiet, the Trainers from Hell are there!"

Makoto felt the nerves bubbling up in their stomach.
These trainers were ruthless and very experienced— this would never work!

"I don't think we should do this!"

"Look, if you want to go, don't let me hold you back.
Just be prepared to get spat on for being late", said Raphael, pointing to Ashryn and Rhiannon, who had just arrived.

"By my calculations—and  quick mathematics isn't my strong suit, but I could hazard a guess and say it would take you atleast twenty minutes to get ready.
Then another hmm, seven minutes to get to the Training Grounds?
I'm sure Big Bones and She-Devil will be so understanding though."

Makoto frowned.
They didn't want to give Imelda and Finian any more reasons to be harsh with them.

"On second thoughts... I'm sure this will work."

Raphael couldn't help but smile.
Truth be told, he was actually rather glad that he'd have some company.

And on a purely business level, he'd have good leverage to get Makoto to do whatever he needed them to do.

"Oh, and I'm giving you a transmission patch.
Wear this and your hologram will say whatever you say.
Take it off when you don't want your hologram to copy you."

★★★

Meanwhile, Rhiannon and Ashryn were introduced to their mannequins. Ashryn's had horns coming from their forehead, and tusks hanging from their lips.
It had no arms or legs.

Rhiannon, Raphael and Makoto's resembled a human, and, like Ashryn's,  they had no arms or legs.
Instead, they were attached to a metal pole.

"For the next hour and a half, these mannequins will be your personal punching bags!", said Imelda.

"Aww, man!
The poor guy's got no arms or legs, hasn't he been through enough wars?", remarked Rhiannon.

She turned to Makoto, knowing they'd find it funny, and sure enough, Holo Makoto laughed.

Back in Raphael's room, the tall boy stared in confusion at the giggling Makoto, who was hurrying to take their transmission patch off to stop Holo Makoto from laughing too much.

"What?
It was funny!", they remarked.

Raphael shook his head and turned back to the projection.

"Today's lesson will be different.
So far, we've taught you controlled combat.
But sometimes, in the heat of the moment, you can draw a blank", said Finian.

"Or see red", added Imelda.

Finian nodded in agreement.
"If that happens, your best bet is to channel all your anger and aggression into key areas of your opponent."

"When you think you're giving it your all—give more", said Imelda.

Finian clapped their hands together. "So, we're going to start off with ten minutes of attacking your opponents, ok?
In our next session, we'll work on finding the best areas to target."

Rhiannon inhaled deeply, trying to think of all the things that have angered her in the past.
She managed five seconds of thinking before she was distracted by Ashryn rapidly punching her mannequin.

"Dámn!
I am so glad we weren't partnered today", said Rhiannon.

Rhiannon turned to face Holo Makoto, who was lightly punching their mannequin.

"Come on, Makoto!
You can do it!"

The real Makoto shook their head.
"No, no stop encouraging me, Rhiannon!"

"You have to punch harder now", said Raphael.
"Otherwise it'll look suspicious."

Makoto groaned.
"Why did I think this was a good idea?"

Rhiannon turned to face Holo Makoto. "Come on!
Go to the deepest part of your mind, and find that five year old that stole your last brownie!"

Raphael watched as Makoto's facial expressions changed.
He had no idea that the pair had gotten so close.
Raphael hadn't opened up about anything to his fellow trainees.

But then again, neither had Ashryn.

"What's this about a brownie?"

"When I was seven, this five year old that moved in next door, stole my last brownie.
And it was in my hand.
I felt an anger that was so intense."

"Makes sense.
Little kids feel emotions so intensely", said Raphael.

"Yeah, I know.
And I actually went as far as hitting him.
But I felt so... dirty afterwards.
I don't know, I guess that's where my desire for peace really started."

"Desire?", he questioned.

Makoto nodded.
"I didn't like the person I became in that moment.
And I never want to be like that again."

★★★

Ashryn and Rhiannon sat with Sophia at lunch.
Astra decided against spending so much time with the trainees outside of training, but Sophia was more than happy to be a friend to them.

"So, how are you finding the food here?", asked Sophia.

"Ok, so the donuts here are immaculate", said Rhiannon.
"My theory is that there's a world class Baker in the kitchen just whipping up rings of excellence."

Sophia laughed at this, but Ashryn just stared in confusion.
She couldn't understand why Rhiannon didn't have more of a game plan here. Why was she so focused on being friends with Sophia, when she should be drawing out information from her?

Or was this just part of her plan?
To fake being nice so that everyone likes her and confides in her?

"What do you think about the food?", asked Sophia, focusing her full attention on Sophia.

"Um, it's alright, I guess.
Anything beats my brother's cooking."

Sophia chuckled.
"Are you close with your brother?"

"I didn't know you had a brother", said Rhiannon.

"Why would you?
I didn't say", said Ashryn.

Sensing that this was a sensitive topic, Rhiannon subtly shook her head at Sophia, and the young woman nodded.

"Have you met any other agents y–"

Sophia cut herself off, because Faizah walked by and stole one of her chips. She grinned when Sophia's eyes widened.

"Oi, get out of here, Chip Thief!", she exclaimed.

Faizah grinned.
"Chip Thief strikes again!"

Sophia playfully rolled her eyes.
"You're the worst, Faizah."

"Yeah, but you love me anyway."

Faizah's eyes landed on Rhiannon, and she smiled brightly.
"Rhiannon!
Hey!
How are you doing?"

"I'm good, thank you!
Oh!
This is Ashryn", replied Rhiannon, gesturing to Ashryn.

Faizah smiled at Ashryn.
"Oh, I've heard some tales about you."

Ashryn raised an eyebrow at this.
"You have?"

Faizah nodded.
"You're a beast in your combat sessions. Seriously, I bow down to your superiority."

Ashryn smirked, but shrugged, attempting to downplay her skills.
"Just doing my job."

"Well, you do it amazingly", said Faizah.

Faizah placed a hand on Sophia's arm, which made Sophia smile.
Faizah turned to face Rhiannon and Ashryn again.
"I'll see you later!"

Faizah walked away, but not before stealing another chip from Sophia. Ashryn watched as Faizah approached a table where all of their trainers were.

She jumped on Alessa's back, but not with much force, due to her injury. Oren noticed this and frowned.
Ashryn swore she could hear Alessa laughing with Faizah, but Finian looked up, making her quickly look away.

The laughter stopped, and Ashryn knew exactly what was going on.

They didn't want the trainees to see who they really were.

"Do you know when we'll actually see the place we're supposed to be saving?", asked Ashryn.

"Oh, I'm not sure, to be honest.
I only get scraps of information that Astra feeds me.
But I think they'll want to make sure you're fully prepared before they send you there", revealed Sophia.

Ashryn fought the urge to roll her eyes.

Great.

Sophia was no help to her.

"Hey, um, what's this tech competition about?
I heard Makoto say something about it", asked Rhiannon.

"Every year some of the agents participate in this competition where you can make any invention you want. The winner gets to go to Harrowford Industries to pitch their invention and see if they will buy it."

"Oh my gosh, that is perfect for Raphael!", exclaimed Rhiannon.

"Why do you care?
Do you like him or something?"

Rhiannon's eyes widened.
"No!
Actually, we haven't been getting on much.
But still, he seems to really like inventing things, so I'm glad he's entering.
I think it'll make him happy."

"Or even more unbearable", said Ashryn.

Sophia's pager lit up, and she quickly checked it.
"Oh, sorry!
I've got a high profile mission I need to work on."

"High profile?", questioned a curious Ashryn.
"What, like, one that involves a lot of money?"

Sophia's smile faltered, and she looked visibly uneasy.
Rhiannon opened her mouth to speak, in an attempt to change the topic, but Ashryn beat her to it.

"I thought you only took on under-the-radar jobs?
You know, fighting for the 'little guy'?"

"In their defence, they're a really big organisation.
It makes sense that people would turn to them for help", said Rhiannon.

"Exactly", said Sophia.
"We have an obligation to help everyone, regardless of how much, or how little, they have", said Sophia.

"Like you did with Agoraville?"

"Ashryn, it's not like–", started Rhiannon.

"Let's just drop it", said Ashryn. "Besides, you're helping now."

★★★

When Sophia returned from working on her case, she flopped down on her bed, the softness of her blanket comforting her.

She extended her hand, reaching for a framed picture of herself and Astra, on the day their relationship changed forever.

The spacious room was illuminated by deep purple and white lanterns.
All of the agents were kitted out in their best dresses and suits, having just succeeded in their latest mission.

It was common practise for the agency to hold parties like this when high profile, particularly difficult, or particularly meaningful missions
were a success.

Imelda wore a black shirt with a grey blazer over the top.
The blazer had emeralds all along the sleeves, and only the last few buttons were done up, so her collarbones and shirt were on show.

But it was her hair that was the true masterpiece.
It was slicked back with gel, little flecks of glitter dancing along her head.
Her slicked back hair also allowed for her facial features to be appreciated.
She wore her trademark black eyeliner in her waterline, but she had a matte black lipstick.

Imelda walked up to Sophia.
"Hey, Soph.
Congrats again to you and Astra for bringing the win home."

Sophia grinned.
"Oh, I don't know, Astra did most of the work."

Imelda chuckled.
"Spoken like someone with a crush."

Sophia's eyes widened.
"Wh–what?
I don't–"

"Don't even try to lie to me, Sophia.
You don't look at each other like partners anymore.
You haven't for a while.
You look at each other like you want to rip each other's clothes off."

"Imelda!", gasped Sophia.

"Ok, ok, that was an exaggeration.
But you definitely like her."

"Well, of course I do.
She's my partner."

Imelda groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"Ugh, don't give me a migraine now, Soph.
You know bullsh*t activates my migraines."

"But I–"

"Look, if it helps, Astra definitely likes you too."

"Huh?
Really?"

Imelda nodded.
"She looks like she's won an award whenever your name is brought up in our conversations.
Just ask her out."

"I–I can't!
What if she says no and things get weird between us?
That could ruin our whole partnership!"

"Right.
But what if she tells you she likes you too, and you both go on to be the best power couple at the agency?"

Sophia smiled, her face getting hotter. "Well, I guess..."

"Just go!", grinned Imelda.
"And hey, if she says no, there are plenty of people who will fancy you with that outfit on."

Imelda pointed to Sophia's pastel pink off-the-shoulder dress.
There were silver gems along the neckline.
He hair was straightened, with one braid starting from the right, stretching across the centre of her head, and ending on her left.

"But don't settle for them, ok?
You need someone like Astra.
She'll complement your shine. "

Sophia smiled.
"Aww, that's actually really sweet. Thank you!"

"Hurry up and go!
If you need me, I'll be by the snacks table trying to sneak as many tiny marshmallows into Finian's drink as
I can, without him noticing."

Sophia laughed.
"Have fun with that!"

Sophia watched as Imelda approached Finian.

Beside them, was Alessa and Oren, who were huddled in the corner laughing. Their shoulders were touching, and Alessa's hand brushed against Oren's arm multiple times, though neither seemed to mind the close contact.

But Sophia's mind was on something, well, someone else.

Astra stood with Faizah, and she was talking animatedly about something Sophia couldn't make out.
Sophia almost forgot how to breath when she saw her.

She had a cobalt blue dress on.
She had a longer grey overthrow on, and it had red gems along the sleeves.
Her hair was loosely curled, the glow of the purple lantern reflecting on it.

Astra turned to look at Sophia, and the way her face lit up made Sophia forget how to breathe all over again.

"Soph!", she yelled, running over to her. "Sorry I haven't been around much.
I wanted to celebrate the win with you, but I think Oren's planning to tell Faizah how he feels about her soon, so I wanted to make sure she didn't suspect anything."

"Oh, I didn't know Faizah liked him too."

"Well, we don't know for sure yet.
But, if you don't ask, you'll never know!"

Sophia took in Astra's words, as well as the facial features that would always make her smile whenever she saw them.

"Anyway, why don't we–"

"I really like you, Astra."

Sophia wasn't even aware that the words were leaving her mouth, and by the time she realised, it was already too late.

"Astra, I shouldn't have said that!
Oh my gosh, I've ruined every–"

Sophia was cut off by Astra wrapping her arms around her.
She rested her chin against Astra's neck. Astra's grip tightened a little.

"I'm sorry, I need to say something, but I'm scared that if I look at you I'll forget how to say it and it will come out wrong."

"Oh, ok... don't worry, we can stay like this if it will help?"

Astra chuckled softly.
"This is what I mean.
You're always thinking about other people.
You've got such a big heart and... I've always admired how much of your love you give to others."

Sophia smiled brightly.
"Aww, Astra..."

"I can't count how many times I've worried that I'd slip up during our missions and just go all wobbly at the knees when I looked at you.
It was scary.
I don't know what changed but... I just stopped seeing you as just a friend."

"I can't pinpoint it either.
It's like it just snuck up on us", said Sophia.

Astra pulled away from the hug, but left her hands loosely around Sophia's shoulders.
"Sophia, I... I really want to give us a go."

Sophia smiled, her heart thumping rapidly in her chest.
"I really, really want that too."

Astra grinned, and leaned forward, resting her forehead against Sophia's. They stayed there, perfectly content to be in each other's company.

They heard cheering, and the pair pulled away.

Astra laughed, and Sophia grinned when they saw Alessa, Imelda and Oren cheering.

Finian cupped his hands around his mouth.
"CUTEST COUPLE HERE!"

"Hey, don't disrespect Alessa's love for mini chocolate bars like that", joked Faizah, making them laugh.

"I do love a good chocolate bar", said Alessa.

"Good thing I grabbed the last one", said Oren, reaching into his pocket and handing her a small heart shaped chocolate.
"Sorry, the heart was the only one left."

Alessa beamed, taking the chocolate heart.
"Thanks.
I'll cherish it forever."

"Oh my gosh Alessa, you and Faizah are such dorks!", said Imelda.

Faizah high fived Alessa.
"Heck yeah we are!
That's why you love us, Mel!"

Sophia and Astra laughed, before turning back to each other.

"We need to take a picture to immortalise this moment forever", said Sophia.

Astra nodded in agreement.
"Good idea!
Finian!
Get over here with your freakishly muscly arms and take a picture of us!"

Sophia smiled fondly at the memory, but an aching pain in the pit of her stomach ruined the mood.

She longed for the days where she could celebrate her success with Astra.

But with Astra so focused on the trainees, Sophia had to celebrate without her partner.

And that just felt wrong to her.

________________________

Hi!

> My friend ruesbennett has written an applyfic called 'Misfits.'
It's about a group of young adults that gain superpowers, and she's only published one chapter so far but I already love it! The applications are closed, but I still recommend that you check it out, because all of the characters are so interesting!

To space some of the storylines out, I'll be added 'filler chapters' but they do actually serve a purpose. They are either to get to know the characters outside of training, or to reveal more about what happened to the Trainers before the case was reopened.

I can confirm that HoloBot will be sticking around for a little while. What did you think of the first combat session since HoloBot's appearance?

Rhiannon and Makoto have the kind of friendship that's just so sweet and lovely to write!

And we can see more of the reasoning behind Makoto being a pacifist.
Are you excited to see them, and the others open up more?

Ashryn has found out something that she doesn't like.
Will she really drop it, or will her curiosity get the better of her?

I really liked doing the flashback section!
During the planning, I focused a lot on the relationships between the Trainers, before I got all the main cast forms in.
Flashbacks have been a great way for me to include their dynamics, whilst also giving you more information about what's to come, and what the Trainers are going through.

What were your thoughts on the flashback?
And did anything intrigue you the most?

What are your thoughts on this chapter?

DoodleYeet

LeMystical-Puffle

ruesbennett

SoniczurcX

bardsarethebest