Maki found himself at the local gym almost everyday since his uncle died. While the various weight machines did little to enhance his natural strength, it at least kept the young man in a routine. With each effortless curl of a two-hundred fifty pound dumbbell, the boy would sigh with grief. The circumstances surrounding his uncle's death were mysterious and seemingly random. If he were to find a killer, there would be a large deal of work ahead.
His internal contemplation would lead to him hardly noticing the small crowd of impressed gym-bros that watched him in awe. A teen curling such massive amount of weight was a rarity in those parts. While it may have been a great amount of strength to the people around him, Maki knew he was far from strong. So much work needed to be done, and there may have been a ticking clock as well...
The more he thought about things, the more worked-up Maki became. He began lifting the same weight faster and faster. His fellow muscle-heads would comment "Ay, look at that kid go." After several more pumps, his grip would tighten, quick snapping the bar in two. His look of frustration would turn to surprise, as he would chuckle before muttering "Oops..."
An older man would walk out from a backroom scolding the teen in an Italian accent, "Maki me boy! This is the fifth time this week! You need a break from the studio, out!" scratching the back of his head nervously, the teen would make his way out of the gym, walking directly out the front door.
Post by Kronos 'Aspara Arti' on Jan 24, 2024 21:26:55 GMT -5
Maki's displays of strength were miraculous to the gym-goers, wondering if they had stumbled upon a modern Hercules...miraculous to all but one. From outside the building, a somewhat short, scrunchy-looking teenager peered into the building with curiosity, less amazed and more intrigued. Gyms like this--both on Earth and on Plant--were filled to the brim with cocky, old weaklings that could never stare past their own reflections. But this guy not only had a bit of potential but was also kinda young. A meek smile began to stretch across his face, interest becoming excitement as they shifted closer to the window pane. Could he be the next--
"Who the hell is this guy?" Kronos's semi-high-pitched, energetic voice said with a scowl as an italian-sounding, pissed off man gave the bare-chested alien an earful. They didn't know either of their names or even who they were, but he didn't need to; this was a situation he'd known all his life. Mom or dad or fuckall stomping into his room, breaking his toys, seizing his blueprints, screaming about how dangerous his experiments were, begging him to listen, even for a fucking moment. They would hate him every other day, every single part of him every other day, they'd be dumber and slower and weaker and then they'd still have the gall, the fucking nerve, to talk down to--
Before Kronos even realized what was happening, they had lept out the pavement like a jaguar and grabbed Maki's aggressor by the shirt, hoisting him five feet in the air while blowing the shocked man a raspberry.
"Oh no you fuckin' don't!" Kronos yelled with a cocky grin. "Strongest guy you've ever seen frequents your lame-ass studio and you blame him for shitty gym materials? I could design stronger stuff in my sleep. But fortunately for you, I've got more important things to do than flip ya like a domino. I'm workin' on a device that'll save this entire galaxy..."
"...and recruitin' for a group of guys cool enough to do it."
With the man still held in the air (surprisingly gently given how angry Kronos seemed), he turned to Maki and gave him a surprisingly earnest smile. "S-sorry. Got a little distracted with this goober, eheh...is your name really Maki? Haven't heard that before! That's cool!"
Mr. Silver was the owner and sole proprietor of Silver's Gym, the building Maki had just been 'kicked out' of. Truth be told the old man never sent the youngster off for long. Usually it was just to by time for replacement equipment. On his way out the door however, Maki's hair would practically stand on end, as he subconsciously detected a huge power near by! There appeared to be no one else around, except for some other kid who seemed to be looking at him from a distance...
The gap in distance was soon closed however, as this mysterious teen grabbed the gym owner by the collar!? Maki practically jumped back at the sudden display of strength. For someone who looked so innocent, this kid sure had some serious power. Maybe even more strength than old uncle Yurro! "W-wah!" he would express dumbfoundedly. Meanwhile Mr. Silver would squirm around mid-air "Unhand me kid! This is my gym and he's breaking the equipment! So what if he's strong, he's costing me money!"
A long of the 'sciency' things the tuffle mentioned flew right over Maki's head, but the mention of a device that could save the entire galaxy was a very bold claim. What was that about? "Y-ya don't need to rough him up or anything. It's no big deal honestly, I just come here to keep myself in-shape. Can't get much real training done without a proper training partner." The teen would say all this in an attempt to defuse the dangerous situation, and chuckled a bit at the absurdity of it all.
As the other youngster finally turned their attention to Maki, he would reply "Um, yeah. It's not exactly unique, but it's my name. I-is there something I can do for you?"
Post by Kronos 'Aspara Arti' on Jan 26, 2024 0:20:14 GMT -5
"If you were a real gym teacher, you'd be too happy that Maki's got a future ahead of him to start yelling about him knocking over a dumbbell or too!" yelled a very passionate Kronos. "You've got a lotta guts to be givin' me demands when I'm holding you up like a pin! Real entitled, aren't you--"
"Oh, don't worry; I'm not roughing him up too much," he responded to Maki, becoming infinitely friendlier at the drop of a hat. "I'm glad you're not too offended by it though. Gotta have a thick skin when the whole world's on you all the freakin' time...now gimme a second."
For three seconds, he spun the old man in the air like a spinning top, forcefully enough to dishevel all their clothes but gently enough to not permanently give them vertigo; with one final glare at the elder, Kronos put him down, waving his finger threateningly. "If ya really wanna value gym equipment over Maki, then go ahead--but don't expect me to put with it! 'Cause I'm a Teen of Tomorrow, and I don't look the other way."
They turned around to grin goofily towards Maki. "Was that speech just now cool? I've been practicin' that for a while. I think it's a good summary of our overall ethos, ya know...anyways! I'm not here to collect taxes or what have you. I think you'll see I have something more awesome in mind..."
He began to pace around Maki in a circle, making bright, vivid expressions to highlight every word he gave. "I think you're cool, eheh! I like your style, and ya showed a lot of potential. Those are the kind of qualities that I'm looking for, because, you see, I'm putting together a little...team. Somethin' that's better to do than moping around in school or waiting for adults to fix nothing. Something that's gonna stop living in the world and start making it instead! Something..."
Kronos stopped for a moment and sighed, giving a more earnest, somewhat sadder but still hopeful look at the alien. "I probably don't have to tell you about what's going on in Central City. Wish I had the words. But that's the thing that you and I are going to stop--as the TEENS OF TOMRROW!"
"...and that's the sales pitch. You're the first person I've tried it own! Or, well, the first to hear all of it. Rate it on a scale of one to ten, a-and be honest!"
Oct 20, 2024 18:31:30 GMT -5
Marimba: Yep. Better than ever too.
Oct 20, 2024 21:26:39 GMT -5
Rhuba: I wish I saw Marimba talk more in the Discord.
Oct 21, 2024 16:21:05 GMT -5
Yakito: Marimbus will perish by my hands.
Oct 22, 2024 2:13:57 GMT -5
Chomei: Marimbus will persevere by my hands.
Oct 22, 2024 4:38:31 GMT -5
Rhuba: Why is he preserving your hand?
Oct 22, 2024 15:18:52 GMT -5
Pom: Maybe he likes it?
Oct 22, 2024 17:04:34 GMT -5
Marimba: It'll come in handy some day
Oct 23, 2024 12:26:15 GMT -5
Mister Steel: Chomei's estate is vast, and marriage into the family can only benefit Marimba with access to cattle, pasture land, and much grain to feed his armies.