THE MOMENT
"The city's amazing...," Emilio answered the question and gestured at the towering skyscrapers surrounding them. He was walking the downtown area with his mentor, John. They were technically off the clock, and just a pair of normal civilians headed to lunch without any Super identities attached. It was the middle of the day with the sun high in the bright blue, cloudless sky, and downtown was as active as any metropolis during lunch hours. However, the abundance of heroes navigating the skies made it hard to feel like he was in any 'normal' metropolis. The flying traffic was almost as bad as the cars on the road. "...I've only been here a few days, and I'm already convinced it was the right decision. But I really appreciate you showing me around," he added. John was his mentor in the Hero's League, but the man wasted no time in extending his wisdom to Emilio's civilian life too.
"I like to personally introduce new members to Glory's Diner whenever I can," John replied. "You'll probably be spending a lot of time there. It's a neutral spot where the League and Shadow Enclave can coexist along with great food."
"There'll be villains there?" Emilio asked. The villains, and even heroes he'd met in his new city were vastly different from the ones back home. He wasn't immediately on guard, but he was mildly concerned.
"Yeah," John nodded as they kept walking. "It'll be fine," he added. John realized there was the possibility of complications. "So tell me newbie, why did you decide to move here and become a superhero?" he asked. If he was going to fly off the handle at the sight of a villain, John needed to know. "To save lives? Avenge a loved one? Maybe prove yourself?" They were cliché reasons for anything, but if there was one thing John loved about his job, it was the clichés. Unfortunately, some could be troublesome.
"Nah, I just like fighting, and there aren't many villains in the countryside," Emilio answered.
"Oh, that's great," John grinned. "You won't find any shortage of tussles here." They'd arrived at a diner, and John opened the door to encourage Emilio inside. The moment the door was open, a streak of red lightning flew through it and struck the sidewalk just outside.
Instead of a sparking explosion, the electricity took the shape of a young blonde girl in a white and red magical girl uniform. She looked up at John with a broad smile.
"Hi, Mr. Majesty!" Electra waved. "Bye, Mr. Majesty!" She bolted off again as vibrant red electrical energy. Before Emilio could ask anything, another young girl in a royal purple magical girl outfit with a golden crown on her head dashed out. She stopped at the pair of them and hugged John.
"Hey, honey. Say hi to a new hero. This is Emilio, also known as Heromilio. Emilio, this is my daughter Royalty, and that was her best friend, Electra."
"Hello," Royalty nodded. "Bye." She waved to her father and took off running. In the distance, Electra could be seen waiting with her arms crossed until Royalty dashed forward again.
"They're training to be magical girls," John explained as he encouraged Emilio into the diner again.
"Oh wait, that's an option?" Emilio asked as he walked into the diner.
"Did you want to be a magical girl..." John nodded to answer the question as he asked his own.
"No, not exactly," Emilio shook his head. "I could've been a boxer or something if I just liked fighting...," he shrugged. "I do like the hero aspect, but only because it's as close as I thought I could get to becoming a transforming hero. But...if magical girls are allowed..." he looked at John, and John nodded.
"Oh wow,..." Emilio's smile grew broad. "This city's amazing."