Time Traveling Hero

"Listen up you damn brat, I'm gonna be the one to put you back in your place!"

I was in the middle of training grounds, and my opponent, a man with flowing locks of black hair, had just proclaimed his resolve to beat me.

I turned around to the spectators. Anna, two other girls, and one boy were watching us in earnest.

I turned back and faced the man, his ripped muscles overflowing from his tanned body. Such a menacing look on his face, wouldn't this count as child abuse? I shook the stupid thought from my head and sighed.

How did I get myself into such a predicament? Well, let's go back to this morning...

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I yawned before stretching my tired body, trying to shake off the last remnants of sleep from my body. It was early in the morning, the sun just peeking its head over the horizon. I was standing outside the house, dressed in a t-shirt, shorts, and tennis shoes. I glanced over at the house, where I was waiting for Anna to come out so we could leave.

Although I hated the idea of leaving Luna alone, Eris should be coming over later today, so it should hopefully be alright. I was only going to this base for a little bit anyway, planning on returning home before dinner. Ah well, that didn't happen.

Seriously, what's taking her so long? I thought as I glanced at my phone, looking at the time.

"Master Hiro, sorry I am late." said the usual flat voice.

I put my phone away and looked at the late Anna. She was wearing some sort of uniform instead of her usual clothes. That was what had probably taken her so long.

"Yeah, whatever. Let's get a move on. I wanna get back before dinner," I grumbled before jamming my hands in my pockets and walking away.

"Master, you know where to go?"

I stopped, slightly embarrassed. "You know what, just lead the way then."

"Affirmative, Anna will guide Master Hiro to the base." And then she was off, walking away from the house at a brisk pace. I followed suit, and we weaved our way through the neighborhood, making our way to this so called base.

We eventually left my neighborhood and were walking towards a large plain, away from the city. Reaching the outskirts of the city, I looked back towards the now illuminated city, the sun reflecting off the buildings and tinting them a yellowish-red.

And now for a geography lesson! The city that I live in is in a valley of sorts, like a half-formed crater. On one side was the giant mountain Olympus (and no, not the one in Greece), towering over the city, it's reach extending up and over the clouds. It was also forbidden for anyone to climb it for whatever reason. I think people consider it sacred? Anyway, the mountain was to the north of the city. To the south was a similar mountain, riddled with cave entrances. Many people thought witches and the sort lived in the caves, which (no pun intended) is just ridiculous. So, the city was surrounded by mountains from the north and south, forming that half-formed crater look I had mentioned. To the east, toward the rising sun, was the sea in the distance, although you had to pass through hilly areas to get there. And finally, to the west, where me and Anna had made our towards, was a long, seemingly endless plain, with the its rolling hills here and there. No roads, no paths, just grass and maybe the occasional tree. I was at the top of one of said hills and was watching the sun rise. Okay, geography lesson over!

"Hey Anna, are you sure that your base is over here, in the wide-open plains?" I asked after satisfying my need to overlook the city.

"It's perfect hiding place for base. Hidden in plain sight," she said, not even realizing the pun.

I just shrugged and continued to follow her. It had taken us about two hours to get here. Luckily for me, all the running I did when I was late to school seemed to have pay off. And Anna was superhuman, so she was fine.

"We're here now," she said, stopping in front of me.

I walked up next to her and stopped as well. I could see the now small city in the distance, almost covered by the hills we had continually walked over. In front of me was just an endless plain of grass as far as the eye could see. This much open space, I wonder why the city never uses it?

"Follow me," and then she was off, her hair blowing to the side from the wind. And then she was gone.

Wait, gone? I looked around to see where she had went, even checking the sky, but she was just gone, disappeared from existence. Well, logic dictates that I walk forward too right?

I took a deep breath before walking forward 3 steps. And after my third step, I was met with a completely different scene than the one I had just been in.

It was dark, and rain was pouring down from the heavens, lightning flashing in the sky, the only real source of light. I stood there shocked, and that wasn't even the most shocking thing. Because where the once flat plain had been, was now a sprawling base, filled with people walking around with coats and uniforms similar to what Anna had on. The base even extended all the way up into the sky, looking as if there was an elevator to a space station.

"Master Hiro, I can give you the tour later, so please stop gawking." Anna was in front of me, her long, silver hair glistening from the flashing lightning and the rain. "We must hurry. The boss is waiting for you."

I managed to shake off my shock and nodded in agreement. I have questions, a lot of questions, but I guess those can wait until after I meet these folks.

I followed Anna through the base, getting odd looks as I walked past the uniformed people. I just ignored them and made my way inside the base.

Inside was a desk area, with many doors leading out to different areas of the base. Anna simply nodded at the clerk, who waved both me and her through, and we walked down the only hallway, making our way to the center of the base. More people were inside, walking in formation or just gazing out the large windows that encompassed the hallway. Some were chatting, but in hushed whispers.

"We lost to them again."

"Who is the boy with that Model over there?"

"A civilian? How did he get in?"

"We keep on losing people. At this rate, we may just needlessly lose people to these trials..."

And more such comments pervaded the air as me and Anna made our way to the center room. Most were about me, although there were some interesting ones as well. Trials and them, what might that mean?

Before I could think anymore, we had reached a large set of double doors. Anna stopped and turned back to me. "Play nice, as my special friend once told me," she said, trying to give me sage advice.

"Whatever, I'll be nice if they're nice," I said in response.

"Master Hiro, that is not a very good ideal to live by," she said, shaking her head. She put her hand up to the door, and it scanned her hand before a click was heard, and the doors whished open before stopping with a giant boom.

I scratched the side of my cheek. I mean, could they really be any more imposing? And with that final thought, me and Anna entered the room, the doors closing behind us. The room was circular, with a currently vacant throne-like chair at the end of the room. To the sides were two long tables, with six seats at each one, facing toward the center of the room, for a total twelve seats. They were mostly empty, and only four out of the twelve seats where occupied. Two guys sat on the left, with a two-chair distance between them, while two girl sat on the right, with a one chair distance between them.

The first guy, probably in his mid-thirties, in the chair closest to the throne-like chair, had long black hair, bushy eyebrows, and almost black eyes. He was also incredibly ripped, his tanned body overflowing with muscle and scars. It was almost like he had as many scars as muscles, except for his face, which struck me as odd. He looked at me, and a quiet type of anger filled his eyes as he crossed his arms.

The second guy looked to be about my age, with his blue hair in braids, the manly kind obviously. He looked over at me, and I saw two different colored eyes stare at me, a bright blue and a dark yellow, before turning his gaze towards the girls.

The first girl, the one in the third closest chair to the main chair, had dark brown skin, a little darker than mine. Her red hair was in a frizzy type of afro, tossing a knife up in the air with one arm and the other crossed under her moderate c.h.e.s.t. I felt a certain expectation from her as she looked at me with her knowing white eyes.

And last but not least was the last girl, a seat away from the first girl, and was short to boot. Short purple hair, purple eyes, the only thing not short about her were the two mountains on her c.h.e.s.t. She looked younger than me is the most surprising part, maybe even younger than Luna. Of course, this is the part where she tells me that she's actually the oldest in the room.

"You just thought I was younger than you, didn't you?" she asked pouting. Even her voice sounded childish. "I'll have you know that I'm 15 for the record!"

"A twist!?" I exclaimed, the situation now exceeding my expectations.

"So, who's the kid you brought here?" The man with the long locks of black hair asked.

"This is Master. Say hello Master," she said nonchalantly, using that damn nickname again.

"Damn it Anna, at least let me introduce myself first before they think I'm weird!" Ah well, I had gotten used to being called Master now, so I guess it wasn't that big of a deal.

"Anna...?" The dark-skinned woman asked, confused.

"Correct, I am Anna," Anna responded.

"Oho, a Model having a name? Who would've seen the day," blue boy replied, his eyes glistening in fascination.

"Well, my introduction is kinda botched now, but I'll try anyway," I mumbled before straightening my back.

"Hello, I'm the Time Traveling Hero, and you can call me Hiro, spelled with an 'I' instead of an 'E'," I finished, my short introduction straight to the point.

"So, you're the kid then? So young, can he really take up the mantle?" the dark-skinned woman muttered.

"This is the part where you introduce yourselves," I said, a hint of aggression in my hint.

"Ah, sorry about that!" the short girl proclaimed. "I'm the woman's fifth seat Hebe Quinn! Hope we can get along!" she said, her face clearly nervous as she introduced herself to me.

"Hmm, guess I'm next. I'm the woman's third seat Astraea Von Pietas Tressa. Just don't disappoint," she said, that look of expectation weighing me down.

"So, looks like I'm up. I'm the men's fourth seat Deimos Ivy," he said before cackling with laughter. "And you say you're the Time Traveling Hero? Don't make me laugh any harder!"

"Ahem, in any case, I am the men's First seat Mars Primos. And you boy have a lot to learn before you can spot nonsense like that," he said, his voice rumbling with a slight edge of anger to it.

"I mean what I say. I'm the Time Traveling Hero. I promised Anna here that I am, so I am. Deal with it or get lost," I said in response before pointing at the empty seat in front of me. "So, is that throne for me? I'm glad you guys kept it warm, but it's my time to shine," I said before making my way to the seat. Deimos started to cackle even harder, slamming his fist onto the table.

"Can you believe the balls on this guy? F.u.c.kin' insane this one!"

The two girls to my right seemed shocked at my sudden actions, and Mars rippled with anger as he shot up from his seat to stop me.

"Watch yourself brat. You don't deserve the likes of that seat," he growled, his body tensing up in anger.

"Well, clearly it's the only seat left, so of course it must be for me," I responded coolly before continuing.

Mars stopped in front of me, his dark eyes glaring at me. Actually, his eyes might actually be black. "I had heard from that Model that you had the capability of being the TTH, but the arrogance of this brat is pissing me off."

I looked up at his face. He was at least 6'4'', towering over me in both height and strength. "It's 114141."

"Huh?"

"That's her model number. Model 114141, otherwise known as Anna," I said, clenching my fist in anger. "Is that all she is to you? Just some disposable Model?"

"I could care less about some Model. It's not like they matter anyway," he responded, throwing up his hands in an uncaring manner.

And then he got down on his knees, holding his stomach in pain. I put my hands behind my back before glaring at him. "Asshole."

"You damn punk, if it's a fight you want, it's a fight you'll get!" He roared out before Deimos and Astraea held him back.

"Calm down Mars. He's no use to us dead."

"As much as I would love to see a fight, we have bigger things to worry about. Although, I do have a suggestion," he said as a crazy smile appeared on his face.

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And that was how I got into this situation, ending up in a fight against Mars Primos, men's first seat.

Damn, this really was annoying. And it'll be tough too, I thought as I rubbed my knuckles. Even after that last attack, he had barely taken any damage at all. Just how strong is this guy?

"Are you ready brat!? It's time we put you in your place!" He roared out from the other side of the training mat, his muscles bulging out in rage.

"Sure, I'll even let you get first strike," I said c.o.c.kily. I obviously wasn't going to let him hit me, but he didn't know that.

"C.o.c.ky lil' bastard!" And then he rushed at me, covering the distance so fast that I almost didn't have time to respond.

I just barely managed to pivot out of the way, feeling the force his punch whoosh past me as I dodged.

"Hmph! Seems you ain't half bad!" he said. Mars turned his head back around towards me. "Next time, I won't miss punk."

Crap, he's right about that. If I don't react in time, I really might die, I thought before chuckling. Yeah, as if I would let that happen.

"What's so damn funny!?"

I shook my head. "I'll beat you without even touching you," I said, putting my hands in my pockets.

His veins started to bulge out of his neck as his face turned red from anger. "The hell ye sayin' punk!? I'll kill ya!"

And he rushed me once more, his fist hitting me in the face as I soon became a puddle of blood...!

Yeah, not really.

Before his fist could reach me, he stopped short before collapsing on the ground, defeated.

"I win."

And I walked back towards the gawking three and the calm silver.

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"Good job Master. I knew you were not going to die," said Anna.

We were in the infirmary, where we had taken Mars after his crushing defeat. They were looking him all over to find a reason why he was knocked out. Well, they wouldn't, but they didn't know that.

"What would've happened if I had actually died then?" I asked curiously, sipping my juice box.

"Anna would try to avenge you and then die immediately."

"Not even a fighting chance?" I asked incredulously.

"Affirmative. Anna would be destroyed in seconds."

Huh, how strong are those guys anyway? I wasn't expecting that out of Mars, but if the others are like that, then I can't even begin to imagine how strong the other three were if they could take out Anna in seconds.

"Well, he should be waking up now," I said, finishing my juice box and throwing it in the trash.

"AGHHHHH!!!!!!"

"Yep, there he is," I said. I looked over at his bed, where he was screaming as the other three calmed him down.

"Come on Anna, let's go gloat," I said with a smile.

"Affirmative, Anna will follow."

I made my way to his bed, where he had finally managed to calm down somewhat. He was checking himself out, trying to find any injuries.

"You won't find any injuries," I said, trying to help him out.

He just glared and continued to look. "What did you do to me!? I'm about to smash your face in, and the next thing I know I'm in the infirmary!"

"That's none of your concern, but I beat you, so deal with it," I said coldly. Then again, not like I had much choice. It was the only way to get his respect after all.

"Well Mars Bars Boy? He seems to be the real deal, doesn' he?" Deimos said.

"Yes, he does." he muttered. "As a warrior, you have beaten me fair and square. I was wrong to misjudge you like that," he said, bowing his head in shame.

"Yeah whatever, it's not a big deal." I said. "I probably should've followed Anna's advice anyway, so forgive me for my prior behavior."

"Well, looks like he didn't disappoint after all," Astraea said, nodding in approval. The expectation in her eyes were still there but had lessened by several degrees.

"You really were incredible!" Hebe exclaimed, excited by my victory. "If you're strong enough to take out the men's first seat, then you may really have the caliber to take the trials!"

That word again. Trials. "What do you mean by trials?"

"Oh, no one told you?" Hebe said, frowning at my question. "You didn't tell him, uh... what's your name again?"

"Anna, the name that Master Hiro dubbed me. Anna is Anna, and Anna loves her name," she said, a slight hint of pride in her usual unemotional voice.

"Right, why didn't you tell him?"

"Anna forgot, that is why Anna never told him."

I sighed. This girl really was going to be a handful. "So, what are the trials that you keep talking about?"

"Before that, we need to check his qualification," said Deimos. He grabbed a nearby device, that had a meter from 1 to 100 on it and pointed it at me. The device went off with a ding, and it was done.

"Whoa, the hell? It's 100!" Deimos said, cackling with laughter. "Where did you find this kid?"

"Wait, what the hell was that?" I asked, confused on what just happened.

"Well, it's margin of error isn't exactly negligible, but these results should be enough for you, right Mars?"

"Yes, I must agree." Mars mused. He looked at me, I gave him a look of confusion.

"To actually become the Time Traveling Hero, there are some requirements," he started.

"Okay, it'll be a breeze. What are they?"

"Three trials. Conquer the Past, Subdue the Present, and Take the Future."

And thus, started the beginning of his trials.