Thread: The Life of Valor (Grave x Kat)

Scott Young shielded his eyes as the blaring sun came through the open window. His head was still cloudy and his vision swimming, but he could just barely make out a shape standing at the foot of his bed. After his vision cleared a moment, he saw that it was a nurse filling out a chart. That let him know that he was in a hospital, but where that hospital was remained a mystery. Where am I? he managed to croak out. The nurse turned to him and regarded him with a smile. Well, it's good to see that you're awake. You've been sleeping for two days. That doesn't answer my question. You're in the medical wing of The Shadowgreen Institute, Mr. Young, the nurse replied patiently, and you may not be familiar with it, but it is familiar with you. In preparation for his battle with the Grymwar, Scott had battled with over a hundred of his fellow students during his time here, and they had always ended with his opponent being sent here. He guessed it was his turn to pay a visit, maybe as some sort of karma. His thoughts were interrupted as Yvette Duchet, the Director of Shadowgreen, came striding into the room. She was dressed in her characteristic all-black, from her stylish heels to her leather jacket, but the black shades that she usually wore were off to reveal bright blue eyes that took in all around her. Welcome back to the land of the living, Scott. Scott sat up, wincing as his body disagreed with that move. Yvette sat at the end of the bed and regarded him with a neutral stare. Do you remember what happened? Scott closed his eyes and thought back on how it all began. He had once been a regular teenager from Detroit, but the day he decided to protect a little girl from a drive-by shooting was the day his life changed forever. An alien race known as the Kasha had been searching for a noble being that could wield the power of the Voltari, another alien race native to Planet Kasha. Seeing Scott's heroic actions, they protected him by imbuing him with the soul of a Voltari and allowing its impenetrable armor to manifest itself on his right arm. When the danger had cleared, they explained what had happened, but warned that their gift came with a terrible price. The Voltari Soul was the ultimate weapon of the Kasha, but their age-old enemies, the violent and dangerous Grymwar, would come to Earth to either seize it or destroy it. This danger could not be ignored, and Scott would have to master his new power if there was to be any hope of repelling the Grymwar. He was sent to a special school for metahumans in Nice, France called the Shadowgreen Institute, where they taught him about his power. To assist his learning, the Kasha linked him to cosmic beings that would teach him their combat abilities. One was a former human hero turned God of Fire named Alan Arnan, and the other was a Buddhist Bodhisattva named Chiang Kaishu. Years of training by several talented metahumans and battles with his classmates gave Scott and his Voltari Soul, who he named Valor, the power to face the Grymwar. When that day came, it was absolute chaos. Scott's training had allowed him to manifest Valor several times, but Dulzak's Cutting Magic made it possible for him to shear the armor off and leave him vulnerable. Having exhausted his supply of manifestations, Scott was forced to attempt a dangerous and forbidden new manifestation. His right arm was nearly destroyed and he nearly bled to death, but he finally managed to find a strong enough connection with Valor to manifest the Forbidden Tenth Fist. This gave him access to a powerful new attack, the Shining Fist of Valor, which he used to utterly obliterate Dulzak. In the aftermath, news agencies scrambled to get pictures and video of the superhero that had repelled an alien invasion. Someone shoving a microphone in his face and asking him questions was the last thing he remembered. Scott turned to Ms. Duchet. How did I end up here? After you collapsed on live TV, you were rushed to a local hospital. I personally flew to the US and took you into custody after the doctors there said you were stable. It's not that I don't trust American doctors, it's just that Shadowgreen is better equipped to deal with the 'unique' conditions of metahumans. Thanks, Scott replied, not really knowing what else to say. Yvette nodded. Well, it's the least we could do for the Protector of the Earth, as some newspapers are calling you. Now, you should rest. You'll probably be discharged as soon as you get your strength up. Scott nodded and laid back down. The Director and the Nurse left the room to tend to other matters, and all was quiet. Scott... Scott opened his eyes and found himself in a dark room with the only illumination being the spectral presence of Valor. The Voltari appeared as he had in life, an armored worm about the size of a tennis shoe and about a foot in length. Scott smiled, relieved to see his close friend. Valor, we did it. Yes, and there are those who wish to offer us congratulations. Another form appeared, this time in the form of the Empress of Kasha. She was humanoid in appearance with bright red hair like dreadlocks, and her dotted skin and tail were the only things that prevented her from being mistaken for a human. Scott and Valor, all of Kasha rejoices at your victory. Earth is saved from the threat of the Grymwar, and perhaps in time, both of our planets will be rid of them. The Empress vanished, and Alan and Chiang appeared in her place. They had adjusted their appearance to their previous forms as regular humans, and they smiled at them with pride. We knew you guys wouldn't let us down. The Grymwar have been set back considerably, and their like may not be seen again for many years. There are new threats on the horizon, but Earth is in the safe hands of The Man of Valor. Alan vanished, and Chiang made a hand gesture that implied 'meditation', a mark of his Buddhist identity. Walk always in the light. Chiang vanished, and a blinding light obscured Scott's vision. When he was next awake, the sun was starting to descend into evening. He felt like his normal self, and stepped out of bed with ease. He looked at his headboard and saw that Director Duchet had already filled out his discharge papers. Scott picked them up and headed out of the medical wing, following the hallway back to the regular school. When he stepped out, he was greeted by three familiar, but not completely welcomed, faces. What are you guys doing here? The people he was talking to were three metahumans that had once been his enemies. One named Richard Baker, who went by the nickname Rocky, had been in his graduating class and could encase his body in stone. His younger brother Nick, who called himself Shell-Shock, could fire energy blasts. Their friend Michael, who called himself Sandstorm, had the ability to control sand. Scott had battled with and defeated all three, and though they had not been a problem lately, he was not entirely ready to bury the hatchet. Rocky shuffled his foot a bit, and then stepped forward. Look, Scott, we want to apologize for how we treated you in the past. You helped us see how the way we acted was wrong, and we just want to make peace. We've both graduated, and I'm not planning to stay here for too much longer, but before I left, I wanted to square things with you. Scott looked at each of them, and he got the feeling that they were sincere in their desire to be friends. With everything that had happened, he guessed that the past was not really important anymore. All right, we're cool. He shook hands with each of them, and they began telling him about what the television had shown. A brave camera crew had caught his final blow against Dulzak, and there were several shots of the Grymwar as definitive proof of alien life. The international media was buzzing about him, and Scott wasn't sure he was real comfortable with the sudden fame. After conversing with them a while, he excused himself to go to his room. It was here that he began to pack his things to leave out of Shadowgreen. It was time for him to go to New York City and make a regular life for himself. It was fortunate that he had big enough suitcases that he could fit all he had in two of them. He walked out of his room where he had lived for years, looking back only once to say a silent goodbye. As he headed for the elevator to the ground floor, he passed by the training room where he had spent uncountable hours in training with Alan and Chiang. As he rode the elevator down, memories flooded through his head, and it dawned on him that he was really going to miss this place. Scott stepped out of the elevator and left the building, heading for the exit gate. Departing students would be offered a ride to the local airport or bus station if they desired, but after two days in bed, Scott was ready for a long walk. The scenery of France was nice, and he began to feel a sense of tranquility that he had not felt in a long time. There was no longer an apocalyptic threat to prepare for, and it seemed like a big weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. He was free now to do as he pleased, and a big smile crossed his face. When he reached the airport, he bought a ticket from a ticket lady who was trying to keep it together around him. The ticket was for a nonstop flight to New York City, which was exactly what he wanted right now. As he boarded the plane and got settled in, he let out a big sigh of relief and thought about what he was going to do to support himself while he pursued a quieter, normal life.