Battle Heroes X: S02E02

A Step Forward is the seventh episode of the Battle Heroes X series, the second episode of season two, and the seventh episode overall. The plot has Zack, Julius, and Cloud learning more about their powers and an imminent threat. 
== The Episode ==
When the trio returned home from the store, it was very late. Nobody could keep their eyes open as they finally stumbled through the door. Shuffling to their rooms, they went straight to bed due to exhaustion. The next morning, Zack sat at the dining table, sipping a mug of coffee. Julius was eating a bowl of cereal, and Cloud was cracking an egg into a pan on the stove. No one had said anything about what happened last night.
After seasoning his egg, Cloud turned to Zack and Julius to break the silence. "Alright, I feel like we should talk about what happened last night."
Zack looked at Julius. "What you did was stupid, dangerous, and irresponsible. You could have gotten yourself killed. Not to mention us as well."
Julius swallowed a bite of cereal and pointed his spoon at Zack. "Did it feel good?"
"Did what feel good?"
"Taking down those would-be robbers like it was nothing! The adrenaline, the rush, man!"
"I gotta admit, it felt great putting them in their place. It felt like we were superheroes." Cloud said, flipping his egg.
"Exactly, Cloud! I was amazed when you pulled off that shockwave attack! When did you learn how to do that?"
Zack shook his head. "You guys aren't thinking about the consequences of our actions. There were cameras in that store. The cashier is bound to recognize us if we go back there.
Julius looked to Zack. "Man, you really know how to ruin a good mood."
Zack looked at his phone. "8:00. I gotta head to work." He got up and looked at his friends. "This isn't over, we'll need to cover our tracks and make sure this doesn't lead to us."
"We'll see you off," Cloud said, turning off the stove. He and Julius got up and the three went downstairs and left the apartment.
"Zack, Zack, Zack. You always look at the worst case scenario," Cloud said. "Maybe this won't be so bad."
Two pedestrians walking together passed by the boys' house. They were deep in a conversation. "You won't believe what happened last night! Some people tried to robbed the Snack Mart!" One said.
Zack turned to Julius and pointed at the couple with his head.
"I was jogging through the neighborhood this morning when I saw the place boarded up with yellow tape. Here's the thing, though. Somebody stopped them!"
"Really?" The other asked.
"Some police cars were parked there and three guys were being handcuffed. Here's where things get really weird. One of the guys I saw had, like, a block of ice on his arm!"
"That's crazy! Know anything else?"
"That's it, I had to get back so I could get ready for work. The news will probably give a better scoop."
The couple continued walking and turned the corner. As soon as they werre out of earshot, Zack sighed. "The beginning of the end right there."
Cloud patted Zack's shoulder. "Relax, man. After work, we'll get informed about the situation. Now get going, you don't want to be late for work!"
Zack nodded and walked away from Cloud and Julius, who went back into the apartment.
...
Later on, Zack and Cloud entered the Fowler City Mall's food court, where Julius was sitting at a table. He had a bag of Golden Palace in front of him and was enjoying a burger.
"I love their food. Hate working there, but love their food," He said, taking another bite as his friends arrived at his table. Zack pulled up a chair and had a seat.
"You're on break, right?" He checked.
"Yeah, but if my boss asks, I have explosive diarrhea and you guys came to give me my medication," Julius winked. "Now what did you want us all together to see?"
Zack turned on his phone and showed it to Julius. On the screen, a video was playing. A news reporter stood in front of the taped up Snack Mart.
Julius looked at Zack. "You watch it already?"
Zack shook his head. "Not yet, I wanted to get us all together to watch."
The three directed their attention to the news reporter as they spoke.
"I'm here at the Snack Mart, where a robbery nearly occurred, if not for some...strange circumstances. Last night, three armed men entered the mart, shot the cameras, and held the cashier and three other patrons at gunpoint while taking money from the register. According to the cashier, the last thing he saw was a blue light before he ducked for cover under the counter," Julius smirked when he heard this. "When he got up, all three of the robbers were knocked out and the other customers were gone. The cashier then called the police and the men were arrested."
The footage then cut to the cashier, who was sitting on the sidewalk outside the store. He rubbed his head and looked around anxiously. "It was crazy, man. I don't know what happened in-between those thugs running in and them being knocked up, so stop asking, ok?!"
The video finished there and Zack breathed a sigh of relief. Cloud smiled. "Looks like our secret is safe."
"Yeah, and the cameras aren't telling any stories any time soon," Julius said.
"It looks like you guys are right and we are in the clear."
Out of the corner of his eye, Julius noticed his manager looking around the food court. He got up. "I gotta get back to work."
"We'll leave you to that," Zack said, getting up. Cloud got up as well.
"Guys? How about tonight, we do some more training stuff? I wanna improve on my already deadeye aim."
"Sure, we can do that," Zack said, looking surprised at Julius taking initiative. "You interested, Cloud?"
"Hell yeah. To be honest, I have no idea how I did that shockwave thing last night."
As Zack sat and looked around, he noticed that the people were slowing down and moving as if they were in slow-motion. He quickly turned to Cloud and Julius, who were moving at normal speed and noticed the exact same change as Zack. Soon, the motion of everyone and everything but the three ceased. The mall was eerily silent.
"Uh...what's going on?" Julius asked, confused. "Is this you, Zack?" He looked at Cloud. "You? Or is it..." He pointed at himself. "Me? Well, I can control ice, and ice slows stuff down, so..."
"It is none of you, Julius Vladmire," An unfamiliar voice said from behind them. Unfamiliar to all but Zack.
They turned around and saw not a person, but a ray of light. A foot stepped out of the light, revealing the owner of the voice. It was someone in a white robe with light green stripes. Their eyes were covered by a green headband.
"Who are you?" Cloud asked, perplexed.
Zack immediately recognized the voice, however. "You...you're the voice from my dreams!"
"Correct, Zack."
Julius looked around at all the frozen people. "So what's going on? Are we all in Zack's head right now or did you freeze everyone?"
"I am telepathically relaying my mind with yours at this time. Everything that is occuring here is happening within a single second in the real world."
Suddenly, the world around them began to fade. The heroes were transported into another area Zack recognized. They were now in the crystal room that served as the setting for many of his dreams.
"Now this..." Cloud began, looking around incredulously. "...Is bonkers."
"Well, voice in Zack's head, it's an honor to finally meet," Julius said, eying the crystal refrigerator.
"Is everything alright?" Zack inquired.
"I am afraid not, Zack," The being answered. "I fear that not only you three, but the rest of the world are all in grave danger."
Julius crossed his arms and smirked. "Nothing we can't handle! Remember when we laid out ol' Bane on the pavement?"
"Bane has become much stronger and all the more dangerous since you last encountered him. It's time that I showed you my realm."
Once again, the room around the heroes began to fade. The walls and furniture melted into each other like paint and pixilated until it all began to reform into something else. The ceiling expanded and because a beautiful blue afternoon sky. The four were standing in a grassy field and up ahead was a large temple made of an ivory-like material.
"Dang, you're living it up!" Cloud said. "And I thought the crystal room would be the only thing to surprise me!"
Zack continued to look around the surrounding area. It was a bright sunny da. "This is all very surreal. Where exactly are we?"
Julius looked as well, impressed. "Probably the Fujis or the Caymens or some other tropical island! You sure know how to pick your home bases!"
"We are no longer on Earth," The figure said before turning ahead and walking towards the temple. "Come."
As their benefactor walked on ahead, Cloud turned to Julius and Zack, offering his fists.
"Bros, just wanna say, looks like we're in the big leagues," He said, excitement filling his voice.
Julius bumped his fist immediately, while Zack was distracted, in his thoughts. Soon, he came back to reality.
"It seems like it," He said, bumping Cloud back. The three then continued ahead.
When they reached the temple, they were met with a sight. Statues and shrines were spread out around the interior and tapestry adorned the walls. Crafted with various minerals, the statues depicted various scenes. A man on his knees, praying. An armored figure, waving a flag. All the statues shared a common theme, however. There was an ever present cloud of green light present, signified with a shimmering green material. A green crystal was embedded inside the cloud. Zack noted that the crystal looked exactly like the ones he wielded.
"Our destination is up ahead," The deity said, continuing onward. A wide staircase lead upwards to another floor of the temple. Everyone walked up the stairs until they reached the second floor. This floor was filled with display cases holding artifacts and relics. At the end of the room was an empty podium. The deity turned around to face the trio.
"I go by many names, but for now, I am Crystol. I have been a keeper and protector of all life since time primordial." As he spoke, silver crystals appeared from thin air and formed a mirror, which lit up and started showing an image of the universe. "But life has always been a neverending struggle between good and evil, and there are those who seek to upend the order it has been my sworn duty to maintain." 
The mirror's surface shimmered and now what was being displayed was a short montage of evil deeds. A man approached another from behind, a rock raised over his head. What appeared to be vikings were raiding a village. "I knew that I could not be everywhere at once, so I travelled from world to world, instating champions to defend their home worlds."
Inside the mirror, Crystol floated in space, a formation of crystals behind him. Spreading his hands out, the crystals zoomed away towards different planets, a green trail following them. The crystals landed on different surfaces, inhabitants of the worlds discovering them. On one planet, humanoid insects scavenging for food noticed a distinct green light coming from a bush. Cloud was wide-eyed and pleasently surpised. He turned to his friends and mouthed 'aliens'.
The crystal mirror now displayed (description of evil god).
"This is (name), my counterpart. For eons, he has fought me in an attempt to instill his will upon the universe. And that is one of destruction."
The mirror shifted and was now showing a battlefield. Armored battalions held their ground as a large shadow loomed over them. Above, a dark blue dragon flew in circles. The soldiers scrambled to form a shield wall as a scorching blue fireball was launched from the dragon's mouth.
"He too travelled across different worlds, recruiting his own champions. Our forces of good and evil fought for generations. There were many casualties on our side, but eventually we put (name) on the backfoot and he lost his foothold on the mortal realm."
The trio watched on the mirror as soldiers fought on another world beneath a dark night sky. Illuminated by torches, an armor clad fighter stood on a castle's ramparts, aiming a siege weapon below. Another form of (name) was laying waste to soldiers below. He was a colossal crocodile-like beast with a long, barbed tail. The fighter took aim and fired his weapon, a serrated spear finding a way in his back. While writhing in pain, another fighter surged forward, a sledgehammer in his hands. Raising it up, he leapt off the ground with supernatural strength and pounded the spear deeper into (name)'s back.
"After that, there were years of relative peace. Until recently, with Bane attacking. I fear that he was chosen as (name)'s latest champion."
"And that's where we come in, right? Time to track down Bane and end this mess?" Cloud asked.
Crystol nodded. "Yes. Eventually, you three will confront Bane in a battle where only one side will emerge. But that time is far from now. (name) has been whispering in Bane's ears since he was a small child, training him, nuturing his evil until the fateful night he did what he did to his family and others."
Julius and Cloud instinctively turned to Zack, who was keeping his composure. "You mentioned that Bane has gotten stronger since we last saw him. How much stronger is he?"
The mirror changed scenes yet again, displaying Bane standing in front of Chan and Hoji at the docks. Black energy tendrils held them in place.
"The magic that allowed Bane to control Chan and Hoji's minds required constant upkeep, which was the deciding factor that helped you three take him on. But now, he utilizes a new spell to keep them under his control. One that not only controls their minds, but manipulates their hearts."
In the mirror, Bane looked to his two captives. "Chan, Hoji, you know why you're here."
The brothers groaned in pain.
"Zack, Julius, Cloud. Those three are the reason you're here. They came to your home and lead you into danger."
Julius stamped his foot. "Aw, come on! That is total B.S!"
"Chan, I know you would do anything to not get hurt. Hoji, I know you will do anything to destroy whoever is in your path. Join me, and we will destroy all in our path. And you will return home."
"He's playing towards their personalities," Zack commented, remembering the brothers' personalities. Chan, fearful, and Hoji, aggressive.
The tendrils slipped from their bodies and they fell to their knees. Looking up to Bane, they stared at him blankly before bowing before him.
"With his newly assembled henchmen, an encounter with Bane in your state will spell doom for you. I'd know, because he came to this realm and stole an powerful relic."
Crystol's mirror was now spectating a conflict going on in the temple. On the second level, Bane, Chan and Hoji were fighting off guards in ivory armor. The brothers were significantly more animated than when they last fought the trio. Hoji had a red aura around himself, and it looks like it was increasing his strength. A guard thrusted his spear forward and Hoji caught the shaft right before it could pierce him and pulled it from the guard's hands. Holding it like a javelin, he threw the spear back at his attacker and pierced him through the armor. Bane briskly walked to the end of the room, where the last display case held a book with a dark blue casing. Anyone who got in his way was met with a shadow ball knocking them clear across the room. Chan was furiously reading through a black book. Finding what he was looking for, he handed the book to his master. Bane murmured an incantation and a white cage made of energy appeared around the display. Bane slowly placed his hands on it and the bars went from white to black. The cage dissapated and Bane grabbed the book, walking back towards Hoji.
"We're leaving now," He announced. Chan scurried to Bane's side, while Hoji raised a guard over his head and threw him at three others. He too made his way to Bane's side and Bane created a shadowy portal that everyone entered.
The trio looked at each other, then back at the mirror. "Did I just see Hoji throwing people around like it's Wrestlemania?" Julius questioned, wide eyed.
"If you want any hope of taking on your foes, you will need to begin your training. Your powers are constantly evolving, but you will need guidance in utilizing them to their fullest potential."
Cloud pumped his fist. "Guys, this what we've been dreaming about! A proper tutorial on using these powers!"
"Man, I have so many questions!" Julius started happily. "Can I only shoot ice? Can I fire snow too? Speaking of firing, can I fire ice beams from places besides my arms? Imagine me shooting ice outta my mouth like a yeti!"
Zack glanced at Julius, then turned back to Crystol. "We could really use a primer on our abilities. What was in the book?"
"We will get into all of those details soon. For now, you must return to reality. Telepathically meeting with all three of you is a taxing endeavor. The next time we meet will be in person, so that you can truly get a lay of the land."
Just like in the crystal room, the world around the heroes began to melt and pixilate until in a bright flash, they were back in the cafeteria. It seemed like only a second had passed in reality. All three heroes were adjusting to being back in Fowler City.
"...Woah. Now that was a lot to take in," Cloud said eventually.
"You can say that again!" Julius concurred. "We're champions of a god of law and order! And we're champions! Look at all that prestige, baby! Did I mention we're champions?"
Zack kept silent, lost in his head as he took in everything he had witnessed.
"So, when do you think we'll get this traning arc started?" Cloud asked his friends.
"I'm thinking next week. That's when I have a few days off in a row from the Palace," Julius said, turning back to the food court restaurant. His eyes widened as he locked eyes with his manager.
"Vladmire get off your pasty ass and get back in the kitchen!" He bellowed.
"Sorry sir, we came to drop off his diarrhea medicine!" Cloud yelled back over the sounds of the busy food court.
"Well then get your pills and get back to work, double time! I'm on enough meds to sedate an elephant, but you don't see me sitting down to pop 'em at a leisurly pace! Speaking of, need to put on my foot cream!"
As the manager rushed back behind the counter, Julius sighed and rose to his feet, putting on a blue and yellow visor. "Julius Vladmire, champion of earth...and frycook. I'll see you later!" He said as he got up and walked back to Golden Palace. Cloud turned to Zack.
"Hey man, you've been super quiet since we got back. How're you doing?" He checked in.
Zack ran a hand through his hair. Bane was as strong as ever, Chan and Hoji just recieved a power boost, and now there's a god of evil in play. Things just got a whole lot complicated. But meeting Crystol and putting a name to the voice in his head gave him some reassurance, for what little it was worth.
"I think...we have a lot of work ahead of us. And I'm not just talking about Bane. I gotta get back in 10 minutes..."
Cloud's eyes widened as he checked his phone's clock. "Oh geez, I gotta get back too. Catch you later, bro!"
The blonde hero got up and speed-walked out of the food court. Zack took a few more seconds to get up himself leave the food court and begin his journey back to work.
Category:Episodes
Category:Battle Heroes X: Season Two Episodes
Category:Japanimation Studios
Category:Battle Heroes X