Chapter 284 - 284. Geared Up

"I swear to god that if we are late because you are over sleeping I am going to tell your friends all about how you ran out of the house naked when you were there!" Asher was awoken by this threat from Cara traveling up the stairs. He looked at his alarm clock which was supposed to go off only to find that it had lost its battery in the night and was currently dim. 

"I'm just getting ready! I swear I am just getting ready!' Asher started to stumble about the toom throwing on his gear and shoving a change of clothing in to a back pack as fast as possible. He grabbed the last of the vitamin packs since he knew that they would be valuable for everyone who pushed themselves too far to recover. 

"I know you guys won't want all of us parents cheering too much. But that's just too bad. All of us got together to make banners and we will rotate to have people at every single one of your tournaments." Ashers' father had decided to be the driver and was explained that the rest of their parents had already left for the venue. 

Asher's father leaned in to Arts' ear, "We even managed to steal your mother and father away to make a banner while they were on lunch. I pretended it was for work documents since I am a well known lawyer you know." Art wanted to hug Asher's father but settled for a handshake and a knowing look while Asgher nearly fell down the stairs. 

"See, I was completely ready." Asher stood in front of his friends and father while everyone just looked at him with a smirk.

"You know, it would be much easier to believable if you weren't wearing your shirt backwards and your shoes on the wrong feet." Cara just gave him a judging look while Asher scrambled to fix things. 

When he looked up he saw that Art was dining a new jumpsuit with pieces of metal attached to it everywhere. "Like the gear, I had modified? I never showed it off but it is pretty nice. The suit is magnetic so I can attach pieces of metal as I need." Art was going to unveil his powers today. His [arents and brother would be in the audience and he was going to make a splash. 

"Mine is still way better. Especially my gloves." Asher had sneakily given these to Jane as they all recovered from the mall incident. No one had dared to bring up her birthday since they would just make her feel worse that her birthday had been such a mess of a day. 

Instead, everyone had tried to secretly give her gifts the next day and wish her a happy birthday pretending they had mixed up the days.  Of course, Jane knew this wasn't true but it gave her a lot more respect for her friends. It was even better because Asher had snuck to her house and given her his gift when he knew she was free. 

Now Jane wore a very rugged and stretchable jumpsuit with an attached belt full of vitamins and adrenalin pills. She had an adrenalin protein shake but would only use it if she needed to. The pills would work faster anyways. 

Laura had a very light materials but had brought a series of wires with hooks. Apparently, she had been training on her own to latch them on to things and use her wind to move her place to place. It was her middle ground to flying. 

Laura had bugged everyone for the durable fabrics and now had an entire set of close fitting jogging clothes. They were extremely light weight and durable. They were even flame retardant so that any heat she were to build while using her maximum speed would be contained and keep from ruining her outfit. 

Jackson was the most basic of all. He had a close fitting backpack over some durable hiking clothes and boots. The pack was full of resume equipment and medical gear. He had the notion that he would be better off with it at all times. No one argued with him since he was going to be a rescue focused hero. 

Asher had stuck with the same old shirt he had bought with matching gear. The blue and white color scheme made him seem like a background character. Something he thought was better since it would make him stand out more when he surprised everyone. 

Louis was by far the most different. He had let the rubber bandages at home and instead was wearing a very high rubber and metal infused jumpsuit. It was made so that he could change the way he directed and contained his lightning. In theory, it would keep the lighting from arcing out unwantedly. However, when Louis was explaining it he mentioned that if he used it right he could send the arcs an additional ten feet away. He was going to be a scary opponent to face. 

"Cara, you still haven't told us what your gear is. We couldn't go and see you set it all up last week so you went by yourself. We want to know."Jane had been tired of being in the dark. The only noticeable difference was the fact that Cara had a new pair of noise canceling headphones since her loud voice still affected her when she used it. 

"I wanted it to be a surprise but since all of our tournaments would be going on at the same time I might as well tell you since it won't actually play a part in the stamina race." Cara was a little unhappy that she wouldn't be able to use her powers to the full extent while participating in it. However, she had researched the rules and discovered a way to use her super powers while in the race anyways. Not that they were the most reputable, but they worked. 

"I have small speakers all over this suit. They are those ultra flex ones that can even be rolled up that was invented last year. Without that coupon that Asher gave me I wouldn't be able to have them. I also asked them o add in a voice activated connection to my phone so I can play set up sounds for me to adjust." Cara spread the hooded jacket open showing the layers of speakers on the inside along with some survival gear and medical gear. 

"That's freaking awesome. I never thought you would use your power like that. Since you have a bunch of saved sounds I bet they are at different frequencies you can manipulate to cause different effects. I read that sound can even crumble stone if at the right frequency." Art reacted a little too energetically making everyone give him questioning looks and his face to turn red with embarrassment. 

Cara didn't seem to mind the outburst and nodded in reaction whole looking out the window. "I should be able to use it just like that and more. Imagine having someone whispering in your ear that someone is gaining or that you are too slow. I can play some mind games while running." Her strategy bordered on brilliance but also made her sound like a villain. 

"Wow and here I am just going to proclaim any who face me to be my enemy and try to give them bad luck." Ashers's scared everyone a little more than Cara. They knew just how strong luck was and the lack of luck was now. They had all experienced the small trips and falls from his bad luck but also experienced the awesomeness of good luck bringing things to their finger tips. 

"Hey, you should all start to get ready. Once I drop you off at the participants' entrance it is up to you. Everyone has their paperwork since we checked before we left. All of you have been training. All of us parents are cheering. You will all do great. I can't wait to see how much we can brag about our children after today." Ashers' father ended his small speech while pulling up to the participant drop off. 

Everyone thanked his father for the ride and turned to face the line of participants. There were people with varying shapes and sizes along with gear that was applicable to their powers. There were a few that were obviously there just for show since they were posting constantly on social media. This wasn't about winning for them but about making a splash to get attention. 

The others that appeared to be more serious were the ones that the group was wary of. Only those who were serious were actually aiming to place in the top[ and compete for the number one positions. There were many like this but only some stood out. 

"I know we have only been training for a few months. But look at what we have done since then. We have risen much higher than we have ever been and we have only just started. It's time to make our start here today." Asher walked forward with everyone behind him toward the entrance.