Knighthawk carefully eyed his students, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't focus at all. And that's because each and every class that was supposed to attend the school orientation was there in the school track field. It's as if all the teachers talked to each other, and told everyone that they would be doing the fitness test all at the same time. It's as if they all had the same thought and when their gazes met, they all shrugged...
... and then covered their mouths in shock. Realization had hit them! If all of them were in the track field of the school, then that means the principal is all alone in the main hall of the school where he was supposed to give the school orientation!
"Well, what has happened had already happened. We will continue on with the fitness testing." Knighthawk announced at the dozen or so students he had. "And to add to the challenge, you all get to sign these papers!" Knighthawk then handed out a few sheets of paper to the students he had. In response, Satoshi and the others immediately read through the paper—
Which is surprisingly an excuse letter! For one month!
"Um, is this supposed to be... " One of the timid girls in the class tried to ask but when all the attention focused on her, she stopped short, and then backed away. There was something about her that's so soothing that for a moment, all of them just stared at her before finally getting back to their senses.
It was probably her superpower at work.
"Yes, these are excuse letters that you all would sign. Why did I let you sign these, you may ask? It's because the student with the least amount of points would be excused from school the whole month!" Knighthawk felt rather confident with his explanation that he was genuinely surprised to see everyone staring at him as if he were some sort of alien who landed on earth.
Hiroshi was the first one to speak up. "Isn't this more of an award than a punishment? How could a one-month vacation be a punishment, Knighthawk-sensei?"
"Heh," Knighthawk smirked. He didn't want to explain himself since that would just make the actual situation meaningless. He felt full of himself as he looked forward to watching his students make a fool of themselves.
Satoshi raised his hand.
"Knighthawk-sensei, if you think that missing one month of school is counterproductive for a student, then you thought wrong." He said out of the blue. "Not only would he or she get more opportunities to be scouted at an earlier date, he or she would also be a hot topic in the city. And once his or her publicity skyrockets, they could get more offers from different agencies. It's not going to halt the student's growth at all, but rather, it would boost it to the next level."
"You're just saying that because you think this is unfair. Don't get me, wrong kid. I may be condescending but I know reverse psychology when I see one. All right! We'll start with the stationary high jump."
"You don't believe, me, sensei?" Satoshi asked. He couldn't put his finger around it but somehow, the arrogance of their homeroom teacher was getting on his nerves a little bit. He knew that it was wrong of him to challenge their teacher into anything but he went for it nonetheless.
"Yep, I don't. This is the top school in the whole of Japan! The USA! Missing one month of school would be deleterious to your future career as a superhero."
"Then how about a bet, sensei?"
'This brat, he doesn't know what he's getting himself into. But oh well, might as well entertain him and his fantasies.' Knighthawk said to himself as a smile plastered on his face. "Let's hear it."
"If I can top each and every fitness test you have right here, then I'd like for you to approve of this excuse letter for all of us." Satoshi laid out.
Knighthawk eyed Satoshi up and down multiple times before arriving at a conclusion... well, more like an assumption. "I've seen plenty of kids like you... getting all high and mighty just because you've got a superpower in your hands. And I know just how reliant one could actually get when it comes to superpower. Just take a look, I'm one of the top high-ranking superheroes even without a superpower. Doesn't that fact alone scream anything to you? Anyone can be a superhero. And not all with superpowers are actually destined to be one."
"And so, I'm going to accept your deal if you accept my terms."
"Deal!" Satoshi said out loud, fully knowing what Knighthawk was already implicating.
"Heh, you're biting off more than you can chew, Satoshi. For this fitness test... there will be no superpowers involved. Now let's see what you got."
With a wide grin on his face, Knighthawk turned his back from his students and led them to a nearby wall where they can measure the first fitness test... the stationary high jump. By then, all the students felt rather crestfallen due to the sudden change of the rules. Just like any other third-generation superheroes, all of them were heavily reliant on their superpowers. And thus, they didn't really concentrate on building their body. That's why this fitness test was a first for them, and they shudder to think how shameful it would be if he or she were to place last.
The only one who was confident about the upcoming fitness test was Satoshi. All of his life, he had pushed his body to the limits, trying to squeeze out every bit of strength in every fiber of his muscles just so he could stand at an even ground with those his age. And now that his superpower has finally surfaced, he could finally use his physical strength to his maximum potential. What Knigthawk didn't know was that both he and Satoshi had the same mindset— only those with strength could wield a sword. Be it a sword or a superpower, it can only be as strong as the wielder.
It was his time to shine.