"Ms. Petrovna," the woman said, her tone impressed, "Your qualifications are excellent, and you are more than qualified for this role." She then leaned forward slightly, her expression curious. "Tell me, Ms. Petrovna, what specifically interests you about becoming a reporter? Especially one covering superheroes?"
Sasha smiled, her eyes sparkling with genuine enthusiasm. "I've always been fascinated by the power of storytelling," she explained. "Such as the way it can shape public perception. And let's face it, the stories of superheroes – their triumphs, their struggles, the sacrifices they make – those are the stories that capture the world's attention. The fact that I might have a chance to report on those stories, even before I finish my senior year, is a dream come true."
The older woman smiled, nodding in understanding. "I appreciate your enthusiasm, Ms. Petrovna. It's refreshing. Now," she paused, tapping her pen on the desk, "is there a particular hero you'd be most interested in interviewing?"
Sasha blushed, a delicate flush coloring her cheeks. She hesitated for a moment, then admitted, "There is someone… someone I have in mind, yes."
Meanwhile, back at the gym in Hero League HQ, Kaiju-Man was giving Josh a more personal introduction to the team.
"Alright, Josh," Koji said, clapping Josh on the shoulder with a friendly grin. "Now that you're officially part of the Rollers, there are a few things you should know. Once any hero manages to reach B-Rank, they earn the right to form their own team, comprised of heroes of equal or lower rank. By working together, we gradually accumulate the points needed to rank up."
He paused, then asked, "Have you worked with a team before?"
Josh nodded, a wry smile playing on his lips as he rubbed the back of his head. "Many times, actually. More often than not.”
He remembered his experiences in Alleran: following the battle plans of the Oni warrior Kunshu to defend a village from an Orcish horde, Gurk's terse lectures on stealth during scouting missions, Urui's precise instructions on maintaining magical barriers against lesser dragon drakes while preparing a large-scale ritual to wipe them out, and finally, the time he had to lead a group of refugees and soldiers against the Dark Lord's forces when his mentors were engaged elsewhere.
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Josh snapped back to reality when he realized that Kaiju-Man was staring at him.
"Well…” Koji chuckled, slightly amused. "If you're already familiar with team dynamics, then you should be like a fish in water when it comes to missions." He paused, then clapped his hands together. "Right then! How about you show off some of those skills you used against Black Hold to the recruits, eh?"
Josh shrugged, a hint of his Alleran confidence returning. "Sure, why not?"
He changed into some gym gear – a gray tank top that showed off the scarred muscles of his shoulders, arms, and chest, paired with matching sweat shorts.
Kaiju-Man started him off with a set of heavy weights, the standard workout for E-Ranks. Josh lifted them as easily as if they were empty plastic bags.
"Whoa," Koji whistled, impressed. "You've got some serious lifting strength there, kid." He gestured towards an even larger set, the one he usually used. "Think you can handle a bit more?"
Josh nodded, a spark of challenge in his eyes. He approached the weights and, with a grunt and a little effort, lifted them with ease, much to the surprise of the other heroes.
Electro Punk, who had finally put down his phone, admitted with a grudging tone, "Okay, I'll admit it. That's pretty strong for an E-Rank. Lifting our leader's usual set…"
Canyon Shifter chuckled, a deep, rumbling sound. "Looks like we've got a new muscle man on the team."
Beatrice, however, remained unimpressed. She watched Josh with a critical eye, her arms crossed. "Just because he has above-average strength doesn't change the fact that he's still only an E-Rank hero," she said, her voice dismissive. "I find it insulting that the League would let an amateur join the Rollers."
Starlight, ever the optimist, bounced to Josh's defense. "But Beatrice, Josh was able to hold his own against three B-Rank villains and the A-Rank villain Steel Titan! So I don't understand why you're so upset that he's on our team."
Beatrice scoffed. "That's based on little more than second-hand information, Starlight. Likely exaggerated. And what makes it even more suspicious is that this teenager," she gestured dismissively at Josh, "who, from what I hear, was miraculously revived somehow, suddenly gained enough power and experience to match Steel Titan within a week? How does any of that make sense?"
Starlight, her expression earnest, tried to explain. "Well… from what I heard, Josh was transported to a magical world called Alleran," she said excitedly. "He defeated the Dark Lord who terrorized it!"
Beatrice stared at Starlight, a look of incredulous disbelief on her face. Electro Punk simply shook his head, muttering something about "crazy magical girls." Canyon Shifter, however, looked at Josh with a newfound curiosity.
Beatrice finally spoke, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I don't know if you're playing us, Starlight, or if you actually believe that nonsense. But either way, if this Miller kid screws us up just because one of the higher-ups decided to play favorites…” she then turned and walked away. “I want nothing to do with it.”
Author’s Note: > Just to give you guys some perspective on the power scaling in the Rollers' gym:
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Average E-Rank: ~800 lbs (The size of a large motorcycle)
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Average D-Rank: 2 to 10 tons. (The size of a car to a large African bush elephant)
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Kaiju-Man (Partial-Form): 500 to 600 tons (The weight of a small office building).