Before Adrian could even inquire about what Lydia meant she was gone in a flash.

"What the hell is she talking about?" he asked Dillon as he walked out the front door and toward the school. 

"You, me, and Steelia took a swim in the jacuzzi, and you took off your shirt."

"Are you serious? Is that all I took off?" he said, suddenly self conscious of the scars lining his body.

"Yeah."

"Did I do or say anything else?"

"You shouldn't worry about it. You were just drunk. You mentioned something about ghost samurai though."

"I told you about that?"

"Yeah, you di- Wait, what?"

"What, what?"

"I-I mean you said that as if there's something behind it!"

Adrian remained silent, ignoring her statement.

"So there is!" she surmised. "Tell me!"

"No."

"How the hell did you fight samurai?! Ghost samurai, actually!"

Adrian sighed, "I'm never drinking again."

Eventually, after much poking and prodding from Dillon, the pair found themselves at S.U.P.E.S. The halls, per usual around this time, were devoid of any form of life, and instead the subtle sound of crowds cheering could be heard below them. [i]"It has already begun,"[/i] thought Adrian as he quickly walked off toward the hero arena.

"So," began Dillon. "I'm guessing we're here to do a little recon, right?"

"...Yeah," he said over his shoulder before descending the steps down into the stands. "I need to see this for myself." Immediately upon entering Adrian and Dillon received dirty looks and quieted insults from the other heroes. Dillon shot them dirty looks and insults in exchange, but Adrian seemed to ignore them and focus his attention to the happenings within the arena. Although the cheering crowd certainly didn't help his splitting headache from his hangover.

To the right of the arena two heroes stood side by side instead of against one another. One was a woman who stood at 5'5 with platinum blonde hair, blue eyes, and a pretty face with a brimming smile. However, the most obviously extraordinary thing about her was that she had large, snow white wings like that of a fairy. When they moved even slightly sprinkles of visible blue energy like that of glitter fell from her wings.

"She looks like a doll," Adrian remarked.

"Dolls creep me out," Dillon said as she shuddered. "They call her 'Silvermist.'"

The other hero that stood to Silvermist's left was a seemingly normal boy, with short, brunette hair and well toned muscles. His belt was lined with numerous gadgets and on his back layed a sword.

"Glorious. No powers of his own, but a good swordsman."

Both heroes seemed to completely ignore one another, and instead watched for the fight about to unfold to the left of the arena. Adrian turned his head hastily to see what they were watching and his eyes narrowed at one of the other heroes in the ring.

It was a girl. She was only slightly lighter than Adrian in skin tone with dark brown eyes, athletic build, and shoulder length hair. She held a lance in her left hand, and a ball of crackling lightning in her right. 

"Her alias i-"

"Barakiel, ranked four of the junior hero class," Adrian finished.

Dillon looked mildly surprised that he actually knew who the girl was.

Adrian's eyes seemed to rest on her for a longer period before turning away to look at her opponent, something Dillon noticed.

Standing across from her was a seemingly ordinary boy who was stripping himself of his clothing. Before he was nearly nude his body seamlessly transitioned from that of a man to a large Bengal tiger. 

"Shifter," Dillon said.

"Ranked third, I'm guessing?"

"Yeah, this won't be pretty."