Riley Ross
Chapter 49: SSLBB

Chapter 49: Chapter 49: SSLBB

The Mega Academy of the United States of America—considered not only the largest of all Mega Academies, but also the largest campus in the world, spanning roughly 60,000 acres. It was, by all definitions, an entire city in itself. A true mega structure, and officially recognized as one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

But its sheer size alone wasn’t what earned it that title—no. What made it truly unique was that it was also the largest closed structure on the planet. The entire campus was encased within a hundred-foot wall, and its most impressive feature was that it was completely sealed beneath a reinforced glass dome, shielding it entirely from the outside world.

Truly, an engineering, architectural, and technological marvel.

It contained dozens of buildings, sprawling underground facilities, a massive mall, lush parks, wide-open fields, dense forests, and even entire mock cities built for training purposes.

And right now, Riley’s class was in one of those mock cities.

"...Can’t we just live here instead of waiting for the dorms?" Gary asked, staring down the eerily empty street in front of them. "We—"

He didn’t get to finish his thought. A sudden, thunderous rumble echoed through the air, shaking the ground beneath their feet and setting off car alarms all around them. And soon, a thick plume of smoke quickly began to rise from several miles away.

"Okay, maybe not," Gary muttered, taking a cautious step back toward the rest of the Baby Crew.

"Everyone!" Spectacular Mustache Man clapped his hands, his voice louder than the rumble. His mustache then stretched down and anchored to the ground, lifting him high into the air so all the students could see him.

"Settle down and minimize your chatter! As you’ve probably noticed, it’s difficult to hear each other in this place!"

He was right. Even though the buildings and streets were empty, the air buzzed with all sorts of random noises—car horns, pedestrian chatter, distant sirens—all artificial, designed to simulate the hustle of a real city.

"Are you... alright?" Hannah moved closer to Riley, eyeing him carefully. "Do you want my headphones?"

"No. I am surprisingly fine, Sister," Riley replied, shaking his head. "I am starting to appreciate the noise of the planet."

"Uh... huh."

"Yes," Riley nodded, then turned his attention back to scanning their surroundings.

The first thing he noticed? Cameras—lots of them. Mounted on street corners, traffic lights, rooftops. He initially thought this would be an ideal place to hide a body, given the density of buildings and the vastness of the area. But that idea evaporated almost instantly. Surveillance was everywhere.

Not to mention the three drones that had been silently hovering overhead ever since their class entered the mock city.

"Ah! Chieftain Amerika!" Spectacular Mustache Man’s voice suddenly rose with excitement.

Riley’s attention snapped back to the present as a group of people approached. Leading them was a tall, dark-skinned woman, and age in her eyes that couldn’t be hidden.

Spectacular Mustache Man eagerly descended, his mustache retracting as he greeted her.

[Chieftain Amerika | Hero Rank: C (Retired) |Powers: Enhanced Physiology, Faint Energy Manipulation, Energy Wing Manifestation, Combat Mastery, Decelerated Aging, Regeneration. A warrior born in the 16th century, said to be blessed by tribal spirits. She possesses peak human strength, endurance, and longevity, and can manifest ethereal wings carved of smoke, allowing swift aerial movement—up to Mach 3 in her prime. Hailed as one of the greatest heroes in history. According to netizens, during her prime, she may have ranked as high as S+.]

Spectacular Mustache Man extended his hand in greeting, but Chieftain Amerika swatted it away—only to pull him into a massive hug.

And massive was putting it lightly. Even with her back slightly hunched, Chieftain Amerika still towered over him at an imposing seven feet, ten inches. Her colorful poncho might as well have been a set of drapes; Spectacular Mustache Man all but disappeared beneath it.

"Mustache Boy!" She bellowed, patting him hard on the back with a laugh that echoed across the mock city. "These your new students? Why do they look like toddlers?"

"C-Chieftain Amerika," he coughed as he pulled away from her embrace, trying to recover his composure, "Wh—"

But before he could even say anything, she was already turning back to her own students.

"No more chatter. I’m picking my strongest student," she declared, pointing to one of the girls in her class. "You. Introduce yourself. The rest of you, to that building."

"Yes, ma’am!"

As the chosen girl stepped forward, Spectacular Mustache Man also turned to his class and motioned for them to move to the opposite side of the street—except for one.

"Mr. Riley Ross. Stay."

The moment he said it, Hannah’s eyes narrowed at their instructor. She didn’t say a word, but her expression said plenty before she gave Riley a nod before following the rest.

"Why’d he pick Riley?" Gary whispered. "Is he the strongest in our class?"

"Maybe," Bella muttered, recalling what Riley did during the demonstration. "But I think it’s because Riley said his name sucked yesterday."

"W-what?" Pauline’s eyes widened. "Is he... that petty?"

"Isn’t it obvious?" Bella rolled her eyes. "Anyway... that girl with the mask—isn’t that the one from yesterday? Silvie, right? Wait—this is the class with your old classmates, Hannah!"

"Great," Hannah groaned, closing her eyes with a sigh as she scanned for her old classmates.

And while Riley’s class whispered among themselves, the girl in the mask stepped forward to introduce herself.

"My name is Silvie Savelievna," she said clearly, her accent was thick but her words precise. "I was meant to enroll in my country’s Mega Academy, but I was told my future would shine brighter here. I am fifteen years old... and I believe that in the entire world, my powers are the closest to Megawoman’s."

"Huh?!"

That single declaration sent a wave of murmurs rippling through Spectacular Mustache Man’s students, while the students in Silvie’s class merely sighed or shook their heads like they’d heard it too many times already.

"Is she serious?"

"Closest to Megawoman? Is she crazy?"

"Why is she even wearing a mask? We haven’t even started designing our outfits yet!"

"Boo!"

And of course, being hormonal teenagers, most of the students immediately began jeering and taunting Silvie—even some from her own class joined in.

As for the instructors? Well, they just let it happen. After all, this was part of the lesson. One had to earn their place. Claims meant nothing without proof.

But Silvie’s expression didn’t so much as twitch even with all the jeering. If anything, she even smiled as her feet began to lift off the ground. She continued speaking, rising above the noise—literally.

"My powers are flight, super strength, super durability, super speed, enhanced senses, laser vision, and more," she declared, her eyes sweeping over the hecklers one by one, as if quietly telling them that she heard them loud and clear. "As I said, powers closest to Megawoman."

"You have the most common set of powers!"

"Maybe," Silvie replied, folding her arms as she looked down at the student who shouted. "But so does Megawoman—the only difference is the level. And since I am the closest to her level, I believe it’s only right that I choose the name... Megagirl."

"Pft!"

"Cringe!"

"It won’t be for long." Silvie’s smirk did not falter, lowering herself back to the ground before turning to face Riley. "And you? Do you have any snide remarks for me?"

"No," Riley quickly shook his head. "I’m only waiting for my turn to introduce myself, Megagirl."

"T—!" Silvie stiffened, almost choking on her breath. She clearly hadn’t expected the boy in front of her to acknowledge her chosen name so quickly, and without a hint of sarcasm at all.

Still, she recovered quickly.

"I’m done," she said, nodding toward him. "Your turn."

"Thank you, Megagirl," Riley nodded back.

And to her surprise, and everyone else’s, he, too, began to rise into the air.

"What the—" Hannah gasped as she watched her little brother gently levitate. She immediately turned to Bella and the others, a wide grin forming as she pointed frantically at him, "L-look! My brother’s flying! Look at him! Oi, I said fucking look at him!"

Oh, they were looking. How could they not, when Riley hovered above them like a ghost, his pale skin catching the light, almost glowing?

Riley then raised his palm toward the crowd, slowly spinning in the air as if to mirror Silvie’s entrance, but with a stillness that made him look incredibly... menacing.

"My name is Riley Ross," he began. "I was born on January 1st, 2013, somewhere in Ohio. My current address is—"

"Riley!"

"I only have one single ability—telekinesis." Riley skipped a large part of his introduction as he heard her sister scream at him,

"Even before I awakened my powers, Mother used to call me her hero. I do not know the reason for this. But there is a name she’s always used for me."

"Oh, fuck no..." Hannah clutched her head as soon as she realized what name Riley chose, "No... Riley..."

But Riley, Riley didn’t even blink.

"The superhero name I chose for myself is...

...Sweet Snowy Little Baby Boy."

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