Chapter 1 A New Day

A ripple of water smoothly touched the wet surface of the asphalt. It was a new day and the bright red-orange glow of the sun was just peeking from the horizon. The coldness of the morning dissipated, replaced by the warmth that enveloped a certain portion of the earth.

Swish!

A figure stepped on the ripple, scattering it on the asphalt. The figure belonged to a teenager with black hair, and an average build befitting a high schooler. Today was the first day of school, but the night was comfortably chilly that he slept in more than he had expected. If it hadn't been for his dad waking him up, it would've been a disastrous first day of school.

With his mouth clamped on a piece of toast, the teenager sped through the streets, barely noticing that he was navigating directly to a commotion.

"Hey kid, watch it!" A policeman donned in blue and white uniform extended his hands, making the teenager halt midway. "You shouldn't be here, what are you doing here?"

Raaarrghhh!

From a distance, a large werewolf could be seen rampaging at the core of the city, howling as he lifted a piece of concrete on top of its head. It was uncontrollable, and even the policeman on the scene couldn't do a thing to foil its onslaught.

People in the surroundings began running amok, screaming as they go. However, the werewolf paid them no mind, its eyes fixated on the policemen that pointed guns at him.

"How lofty. Do you think mere guns can penetrate my hide?" The werewolf growled. His voice was so deep and round that it gave everyone goosebumps. "If there's someone who can beat me in a fistfight, then I'll leave the city alone. But if not, then allow me to rampage with no reprieve!"

The piece of concrete that the werewolf was holding was suddenly thrown at a nearby building, adjacent to a family restaurant that had stood there for five generations. The concrete hurtled, perforating the building on one side and out the other. Shards of glass rained down the streets and amidst the intimidating howl from the werewolf, the sound of a collapsing building echoed.

A few seconds passed and the building slowly teetered, and then it finally leaned on one end and started its descent.

"Kid! Why are you still here! You have to get out of here right no— "

Clouds of dust filled the city as the building crumbled to the ground, interrupting the policeman's pleas. In the midst of the mayhem, the laugh of the werewolf could be heard.

"Kid, are you okay?" The policeman concernedly asked as he blindly placed a hand on the teenager's shoulder. "I told you you should've gotten out of here while you still can. What's your name?"

"Satoshi, Midoriyama Satoshi." The teenager calmly addressed. "Why aren't there any heroes on the scene?"

"Heroes are incredibly busy these days. Due to the recent massive awakening, they're busy keeping order. Because of that, they cannot get to the scene of a random crime as soon as they can."

"And the police? Don't you have some sort of tranquilizer made specifically for heroes? Why aren't you using them?"

The policeman didn't answer. Instead, he dragged Satoshi away from the scene of the crime. "We don't have any in stock right now. Those specialized tranqs are super expensive and the demand has skyrocketed the past few years, that's why only the renowned police stations with a decent budget could get their hands on it. And there are also people who purchase them as well. It's on a first come first served basis."

"Well then, I'm almost late for school. I'll be going then. I hope a high-ranking hero saves the day soon."Satoshi indifferently bit on the toast he was carrying with his mouth and headed in the opposite direction. In his notebook, he immediately wrote everything that he noticed regarding the nature of the werewolf.

Everyone knew that underneath that werewolf mask is a man who's utilizing his powers. It had only been half a century since the hero age made the world enter a new era. An era where superheroes that only existed in comic books have finally come to reality. Superspeed, superstrength, flight, all of these are made possible by what was recently discovered as the Alpha-gene.

The Alpha-gene, a mutation in the human genome that allows humans to have superpowers. It varies from person to person. Typically, a person will develop/ awaken the Alpha-gene at the age of twelve years old. If one were to hit thirteen without developing the Alpha-gene, there's a good chance that they won't develop the Alpha-gene. It still remains a mystery why the Alpha gene could only be developed at an early age and until now, not much has been known about the Alpha-gene. But needless to say, those who awakened the Alpha-gene are way above those who didn't. And as such, the hierarchy of the world was toppled. Governments and politics were all deemed futile since those with the Alpha-gene could just brute force their way into anything.

In the first years of the Alpha-gene coming to light, governments around the world had a massive headache as to how to deal with the new generations. Since only the children were proven to awaken superpowers, the government had no idea what to do. And so they developed a new organization called the Superhero Assembly Organization, SAO for short (just like that relic of an anime that was released a thousand or so years ago). Any superhero who wishes to join the government is automatically a member of SAO, those who wish to go against the government are automatically deemed as a villain— in short, an enemy of the SAO. And then there are those who don't want to choose both sides. They are the Neutrals.

And then, there's the fourth category: the 1% who didn't get to awaken when they were young. They are called the Unlucky Ones or the Unawakened.

Midoriyama Satoshi is part of that 1%, or that's what he thought. When he reached the age of developing the Alpha-gene, he underwent multiple tests just like every twelve-year-old out there. When the readings showed that he had the Alpha-gene, he was elated. Ever since he was born, the only thing at the forefront of his mind was to develop his body and prepare for the time when he'll develop the Alpha gene.

After all, his parents were the top heroes of the SAO. 'Now that I've awakened, I'll do everything I can so they can be proud of me.' Satoshi kept on telling himself. He once hated his dad for naming him after an iconic pet master, but now, he wanted his dad to look his way as he rose to the top.

It had been four years since then... but after everything he had done, there were no signs of his superpower surfacing. At first, he thought that maybe his superpower was so powerful that its emergence would be later than normal. But now, his hope was beginning to dwindle as the days passed. As the son of the two most powerful superheroes, an overwhelming pressure was unintentionally placed over his head. Every superhero waited for his debut... but it never came.

And now he was the weakest of the bunch. While everyone had already been scouted by famous superhero agencies, Satoshi was still idling his life away, trying to figure out what his superpower is. He might as well be part of the 1%, the Unawakened. Sometimes, he even wondered if the reading back then was wrong.

Or perhaps he was just stupid enough to not even sense what his superpower is. Every Awakened that was interviewed on TV always said the same thing— your awakened superpower is just like an additional arm. Once it's there, you'll have no problem using it. It's as if you've always had it with you.

But even with that advice, Satoshi still didn't have an idea.

However, today was different. For some reason, Satoshi was incredibly high-spirited when he got out of the house. His parents were a bit suspicious but they decided to keep quiet about it until he returns home after his first day of school.

Did he finally realize what his superpower is? They couldn't help but wonder.

.....

"Where are you going kid?" The werewolf called out as he jumped six stories high and landed in front of Satoshi.

Meanwhile, Satoshi was as calm as a still lake. He didn't know where this tranquility came from. Was it because of his newfound confidence? Was it because he had encountered countless villains in his life? Or was it the security that his parents are the strongest superheroes in the country? He tried to think of a reason but his head was too stupid to think of a valid one. Shaking his head, he faced the werewolf and clenched his core and fists. He remembered his dad teaching him about this.

Wherever you are, as soon as you sense danger, brace for impact. Once you see the danger, get away from there...

"But if you can face the danger, then do so with a grin, you'll never know when a camera is pointed at you." Satoshi continued the advice by saying it out loud.

It wasn't because of confidence, nor encounter with villains, nor his badass parents. Right now, his calmness came from something else. Something that he had been dreaming of ever since he realized the surreal identity of his parents.

"What are you grinning at, kid? Do you want me to stomp you like that car over there?" The werewolf threatened but it was to no avail.

"Try me," Satoshi waved his hand as he assumed combat position.