Endurance Trial

Gym Uniforms accompanied every student, a simple branded t-shirt and sweatpants with running shoes, along with questions of the current predicament they have yet to discover fully themselves.

Mr. Murasaki was also in an athletic display that accompanied a headband, track jacket, and sweatpants with crisp white running shoes.

"In order to be a successful agent, You MUST be in great shape! We will be running around this entire facility and back at this point."

Is this guy nuts?! This place is bigger than three football fields! How the hell does he expect us to be able to accomplish this on our first day?!

"Well, it is something you have to do in order to become an agent of justice, so knock it out son!"

My father often shows up at the worst times, and now isn't the time for the encouragement of our journey into Lerna Lake.

His words meant nothing though, if there were truly something like justice, then he should still be alive, and I wouldn't be here willing to run three football fields in search of something that simply doesn't exist.

I was hopeful, though not for the construct, but simply for a day when I'm able to confront the person with blood on their hands.

"Oh shut up, if justice were here, you wouldn't be dead."

"I was just trying to make this fun… jeez, you're more of a buzzkill than your brother…"

"We will start when I blow my whistle!"

I still wasn't prepared for something like this, but it was inevitable, it was something that had to be done for the first stepping stone of this upwards staircase.

Maybe other students, whose names were not presented to me, may have known something I didn't, it's always best to be informed even though you don't know the exact question you're looking to be answered.

A student stretching, in preparation for the race, was my first option, as he didn't see unapproachable like the child of Hades that stared deep into my soul within my first step into this new chapter.

"Hey, won't this run be impossible or something? Maybe we should tell him that."

Maybe this run wasn't something that I wanted to meet with, I'd rather push it off until proper preparation is prepared for this challenge.

Who wants to run on their first day of class? You can count me out if I had a say.

"Hm? It's not impossible, I ran cross country before coming here, so this should be a piece of cake."

Dammit, worth a shot though…

Well, he wasn't much help, I don't think a person who nearly failed gym class twice is capable of running three football fields, in fact, I don't think—

FWEET!!

The sound of the whistle immediately began the race for most of the class that was prepared for the inevitable.

Crap! He blew the whistle! Dammit! I wasn't ready…

"If you had prepared, you wouldn't be this far behind."

"Would you get out of my head!"

Man, as I said, he really inputs himself at the worst times, I don't want to hear his two cents every time I make a mistake.

I caught up to a group of poorly fit individuals, a group that made me look fit, which is probably not a good thing.

One was a bit shorter than me and had brick-colored messy hair as if he didn't mind wearing out his bed head, along with a chipped tooth that identified him.

Another one was short too, but even shorter than the half-tooth, and he looked like the dictionary definition of geek, spectacles with a clean bowl cut.

The last one was probably the same height as the physically unfit, but still had the strong appearance of intelligence. This one was probably the most unfit kid in the entire class, being well over average weight for his height, he did have an identifying traditional ponytail though, which was cool I guess.

Yup, it's official, I'm stuck with the misfits.

"Hey, you're the late kid, right?!" half-tooth shouted.

"Yeah, who are you?" the nerdy one said under his breath.

"I'm Kumo! Why were you late?!" half-tooth shouted, even though I was running beside him.

"It's a long story, but this old man let me in at the last second. I can't be in last place if I want to become an agent."

"How do you plan on catching up, you reacted late like the rest of us?!" ponytail shouted.

"I can do better than this, I have to!"

A simple push forward was all that I needed, and this isn't something I can half-ass like I usually do, I have to put one hundred percent of myself into this, that's what he deserves, and nothing less.

Then suddenly, the pace was fastened, as if the teacher was doing more than simply testing our endurance, as if he were toying with our capabilities, or seeing our limits.

"C'mon, you used to do this all the time with Gravity Man, you can do this, son!" My father was better at being a cheerleader than being a father.

"Gee… Thanks for the support…"

"Wow, how did I raise such a downer…"

I surpassed my first step within the jog to hell, making my way to the second group of individuals who were a step ahead of the misfits in last place.

Three people, much like the last group, one with blonde neat preppy hair and blue eyes, the epitome of privilege.

Another was shorter and looked quite young with pink dyed hair that contained the shape of an ancient bob, she looked like she didn't belong in this class to begin with, but I'm sure she has a compelling reason for her attendance.

The last one was bald and appeared more formal than what he led on to be, and he looked as if this wasn't his first endurance test.

"Why are we running now?" Dyed hair said, I'll have to think of a better nickname that fits.

"I should be in front!" privileged cue ball yelled, that nickname was better than the last.

"Sup guys?"

"What?! You caught up to us after reacting so late to the whistle!" Blondie yelled, I'm clearly a little rusty from giving nicknames based on appearance, I'll have to do some extended analysis for better and more thought out pseudonyms that fit.

"I guess…"

"I shouldn't be back here with late boy!" cue ball yelled in disbelief that I somehow caught up to him, even with the alarming difference in physical health between us.

"He's insulting you because you were late!" Blondie shouted.

"I heard that!"

"Wow, you all are annoying…"

"Who let this little girl here?"

"She's actually part of the class!" wow, everything flies over blondie apparently.

I've finally accustomed to the pace so far, but this isn't truly my limit, I know I can do better than this.

I have to.

A simple endurance test may have been just what I needed to physically push me forward to the voyage that awaits me.

"That's the spirit son! You have to push yourself beyond the stars! Isn't that what your Gravity Man said? Was I close…?"

"I don't watch that show anymore dad, and he said push through the stars…" Why do I even remember something like that?

Just as I thought that the pace was set within a perfect comfortable pocket, the speed was once again heightened, demanding us to push past comfort and into the twenty-foot wall, hoping we'll make it to the other side.

"We're going even faster than before!"

"He's challenging us, maybe he expects us to keep up to something even faster than this pace." hair dye said.

"I don't think the others will be able to keep up with this."

"The others?"

"The people behind us!"

"What people?" A glance back was more than enough to tell me that the group of misfits, unfortunately, weren't strong enough to lay a dent onto the twenty-foot wall.

Where could they have gone? Did they get lost or just give up running altogether.

"They couldn't keep up after the first time Mr. Murasaki upped the tempo!"

"What?! We can't just leave them behind!"

"Why not? They were incompetent to be here to begin with! I should be further than this!"

Dammit… As much as I didn't want to, the thought of it began eating at my brain swifter than mad cow disease.

I can't just leave them behind, what if something happens to them and I could've stopped it?

What if someone isn't responsive and I could've been the extra pair of legs that they needed, I can't just continue running with the thoughts of the worst-case scenario running through me faster than a streaming river.

The risk of losing a top position was at stake here, what should I do?

"Son, why are you fighting yourself, you've already decided what you would do once you've heard of their misplacement, the son I raised wouldn't hesitate to help someone in need, would he?"

"Dammit… I hate when you're right." Once my father pushed the indecisiveness out, it was clear.

I didn't waste another second to turn back and help the others find their way to the finish line.

"What are you doing, you idiot!!"

"Is he serious!"

"Does he really plan on helping them…"