Chapter Text
It was a beautiful Monday morning, and Destiny quickly rolled out of bed and threw on her clothes. As she did, her enhanced hearing caught the sound of a car pulling out of the driveway.
"Haha, Mom isn't ditching me..right...?" Destiny nervously chuckled, peeking out her bedroom door to find herself home alone.
"Mama...!" Destiny called out, looking around.
She heard a chuckle from downstairs and looked to see her older sister, Bea, with a smug grin on her face.
"Oop! Ha, it looks like ya got left, twerp. You better move fast because your only chance of getting a ride is either me or the bus, and I'm leaving at five. I'm stopping at Starbucks for breakfast, so if you want any, you better have money," she said simply. "Oh, and here is your uniform; just wear it on your wrist," she says, tossing it up to her.
"A bracelet is the uniform...?" Destiny questioned.
"It's the age of high-tech twerp; don't think too hard about it. You only have four minutes now," Bea said before finally walking out the door.
Lucius, Bea's boyfriend, held the door open and smiled his usual bright, welcoming smile. "Hi, Des! Don't worry girlie, I got ya; anything you want is on me!" He winked.
Destiny nodded and internally sighed in relief before rushing back into her room to get dressed. During the car ride to school, Bea harped over how Destiny should act.
Bea gave her a blank stare. "I'm going to give you some advice for school because you're already prone to acting like a fool. Number one, pick your fights wisely and never do shit on school grounds." Bea said sternly.
"Just ask Lucius; that's why this boy had to bounce from so many schools; this boy can't stop fighting," Bea snarked.
"Hey now, Ah still won them fights, tho nobody can stop me while I’m armed and dangerous.~" Lucius smirked, flexing his muscles.
Bea blushed a little, rolling her eyes. "Keep your hands on the wheel, Vreedle. Anyway, don't let the snobby vermin at this school make you feel like shit. Keep your head high, you're my sister, and you belong there," her sister said as they pulled in past the golden gates of the school.
Destiny would occasionally glance from the side of her peripheral vision to see the school grounds. As they drove in they would see a long memorial being prepared for the students that were lost. Flowers were being planted around all the statues of the students in the attack months ago. At the entrance of the school.
As Destiny got out of the car she looked around in awe everywhere she looked she would see familiar faces she grew up watching in tv. "Oh my gosh that's she hulk….she's prettier in person….I wish I brought something for her to sign…."
"That would be weird Des don't be weird…" Bea warns
"Bea…. There are A-list heroes here…what if I'm not ready…..like I think I saw the Scarlet Witche's son I know he must be classically trained! What if I-I do that thing and people think I'm a monster..!?"
"Calm down everyone here is a normal human being here. There is nothing to worry about Des." Bea explained
Destiny looked around. "Actually I spotted a few aliens, a girl that looked like an ice fairy, and a pig girl so…you're wrong Bea."
Bea smirked "we'll have nothing to worry about, all freaks of nature and so are you twerp." Bea says, nudging her sister towards a table.
At the welcome committee table with a couple of students greeting the new faces; one of them was smiling as if she were crowned 'Miss Universe'. "Welcome to Phoenix Academy; I'm sure you’ll be a wonderful hero," she said delightfully, shaking their hands, and making her sleek ebony hair bounce.
Destiny smiled as she walked towards the committee table to get her schedule. "Hi! I'm Destiny; what's your name?" She asked, looking up at the girl in front of her. The girl operating it looked at her with a disposition as cold as ice, her dark violet stare piercing into her. Clearing her throat, Destiny spoke again. "I-I would like my class schedule for this semester…I'm a new student." The girl would simply slide the paper over and turn away from her; as she did, Destiny would take it and quickly walk away, letting the next student go, and like a switch, the girl went back to her delightful mood.
"Well, that was weird…" Destiny muttered as she tried to brush off the feeling of not being welcome at her new school.as she walked to the warp pad entrance of the school.
She and a few of her fellow students would step onto the glowing podium. Destiny waited and would look around to see what was supposed to happen. "Bea, am I doing this right?!"-
Before she could react, Destiny's body would be sent through the portal. Surrounded by light, she was gently held up into the air, spinning gracefully around in silhouette form. Strips of ribbon begin to wrap around her body, forming her school uniform, measured to her size. As the portal opens on the other end, Destiny loses her footing and falls smack dab on the cold tile floor in front of the other students. She looked up from her fall to see the other students looking at her, some snickering while others straight up laughing at her.
"How did the floor taste? Hehe word of advice loser look before you leap." The pig girl she saw before her teased.
She quickly got up, dusting herself off before she briskly left, feeling rather embarrassed. As she did so. As she walked around the halls Destiny would take in the sights. Out a window she could see out to the vastness of space. And take witness to planet earth down below.
Later on, Destiny was opening her locker when she discovered a rather chintzy-looking gift bag. Taking it out, she looked inside it to see some body-cream, shampoo, conditioner, and a red velvet cupcake. She noticed a note attached to it saying, "Well, here you go. Signed Wanda Zatara."
"OMG, thank you, Wanda!" A voice exclaimed Destiny turned to see Makayla receiving a more luxurious gift basket containing body wash, body lotion, assorted flavored tea cookies, and a school teddy bear. "Think of it as a welcome with open arms," Wanda said.
Destiny looked down at her bag with a dejected look before she noticed a large, towering, lumbering figure walk past her. She beamed, recognizing the boy immediately. She would briskly walk up to him and tug on his arm.
"Da-fuq….!? Hmm, huh?" The larger boy would stop to look down at the girl.
"Manny, it's me, Destiny!"
Manolo would squat down to her level to get a better look. "Damn….it really is you shorty. What are you doing here?"
"Long story one rather not have to tell…”
“Fine by me you lost?”
Destiny nodded " Yeah, I know, hey can you show me to my class?" Destiny asked, holding up her schedule.
Manolo before taking the paper and glancing over it."Oh wow, we got the same classes,"
Later during their first period, Destiny would look around in awe as the high school classroom looked big enough to be a college-level one. While distracted she would find herself walking to a large hulking figure. She heard a warm chuckle and gasped as she gazed upward to see the former avenger. "Oh my gosh…you're my favorite avenger…"
Jennifer chuckled, helping the small girl up, lifting her up with just two fingers. "Wow, then I'm pretty honored, kid. I hope you do well in my class. You are Bea's little sister right?" she asked.
Destiny nodded. "Yeah, this is my first day too.”
Jennifer nodded. "Great, I'll get you caught up with everything you missed with these notes, it gives a good summary of past units with some highlighted vocabulary sprinkled in."
"Thank you, Ms. Walters!" Destiny beamed, sitting beside Manolo. As Ms. Walter was teaching the lesson plan, Destiny was writing down notes when she felt something hit the back of her head. She notices that it is a neatly folded piece of paper and secretly opens it, revealing a cute little note.
"Hey Des, welcome to the school : 3–Dorian"
She looks to see that Dorian gave her a quick wave and a smile. As the class went on, she felt as though a small weight had been lifted off her shoulders, and she felt hope that things could finally be looking up for her. Her pink orbs beamed with joy and optimism.
She smiles a bit before another note lands on her desk, and thinking it was Dorian, she opens it. Her eyes shine brightly as she carefully opens them, only for them to lose their shine and fade into sadness.
A heavyweight would drop into the pit of Destiny's stomach. Her hands trembled as she crumpled the piece of paper.
As she did she could hear the cheeky giggles of the three behind her. The sickeningly wicked giggles belonged to Wanda and her friends.
"Hehe look at her I think she's gonna cry! What a big baby." One of them giggles
"Oh my god Priss your so mean….I love it." A guy snorts
Destiny groans, laying her head on her desk. She could feel an otherworldly presence looming over her like a weighted blanket
"Why are you sulking!? Destroy your enemies child! That girl is challenging you! " a familiar voice shouted in her head.
Destiny gritted her teeth
"Please just shut up you old dinosaur. I do not have the time to deal with you and I lack the emotional energy to deal with your crazy ass. Also, I'm not going to snap at her; she's not worth it…."
"Where is your rage?! Where is your vengeance?!"
Destiny growls under her breath, ignoring Aku's voice as she tries to take her notes.
She pushes him deep down into the abyss of her mind. The bell rings as the students are let out into the hall. The pep in her step was replaced with a slow march to her next class. She felt a tap on her shoulder as she turned to see Dorian and Manolo next to her.
"Hey Destiny, did ya see my note?" Dorian asks
"Yeah…" she said, her tone laced with tiredness.
"You all right?"
"Yeah totally." she lied, not wanting to complain.
Manolo looks at her before giving her a pat on the back. "Look on the bright side; the next class might be fun." He said, "You might get to use some nunchucks."
Dorian’s eyes lit up, floating a bit. "Yeah, and you can be like hiyah kiyah woopah!" He did some karate chops and kicks in the air. Manny chuckles as he reels Dorian in.
"Chill dude." Manny teased Dorian, rustling his hair.
As the two boys were joking, a crack of a smile appeared on Destiny’s face. She snorts, covering her face, a soft giggle escaping her lips.
The students would gather in a large, padded room. The walls would be adorned with weapons of many kinds. New and from worlds of old, some looked like they came from places never seen before.
Destiny looked around in awe. This class was not what Destiny thought it would be. The walls were teaming with bright colorful designs of stars and glimmering lights.
A large figure with luminous long locs of colorful hair approached the children. Her booming voice commanded the attention of all of the students.
"Hello, kiddies, I'm your teacher Bismuth! I'm here to help you guys learn how to safely use weapons in battle."
She beams, holding up a polearm. Bismuth would flip it up into the air before catching it and slashing a dummy’s torso in half. The students were in awe as they clapped.
Manny's eyes widened, "where did you get that?"
The blade gleaned from the light, “Oh this? Made it myself with my own two hands.” She said pridefully. Placing it back she picks up another weapon, a massive war hammer slinging it over her shoulder.
“Some of you might fight better with a weapon, some are more hand-to-hand combat oriented but one thing's for certain…”
Suddenly a projectile flies towards Bismuth and as she dodges she swings the hammer at the object and it breaks on impact.
“You choose the weapon, the weapon doesn’t choose you.”
“Now then spar with each other and get a feel of the weapons.” bismuth said.
The students were in awe as they went to the weapon wall, grabbing whatever works with them. Monolo looks at Destiny, “Guess we’re partnering up then?”
She shrugs, “I don’t mind, it might be fun.”
As the two went to one of the mats, Manolo looked at the weapon wall, from axes to maces to swords they were many things to choose from. He noticed a pair of metallic clawed gloves hanging about, and grabbing them he put them on. They fit snuggly upon his hands as he looked at Destiny who was waiting for him.
"Heh, nice gloves," she complimented.
"Thanks, but these are actually called gauntlets," he said in a matter-of-fact tone, humming as turns to her. "Have you chosen a weapon yet?" he asked.
Destiny smiled, manifesting a wall of military weapons behind her. Stunned, Manny looked back down at her. "You ain't gonna use all those on me, ...right?" he asked, taking a nervous gulp.
Destiny scoffed. "Of course not, that would be overkill! But it's still gonna be fun watching you run." She winked while reloading a weapon as she walked towards the fighting mat. "I use my magic to manifest weapons that channel my spells. Some girlies use staff or wands. I found it more efficient to use a gun! It shoots the spells out faster, plus I like the look on people's faces when they see it. It's much more terrifying than a glowy stick, don't you think?"
Manny smirked, walking towards her. "You could say that, don't think you can scare me that easily, though," he said as he looked for an opening to attack.
"If you're not scared, then come at me already!" She playfully exclaimed, "If you don't, I'll have to blast you in the face and make you fight me."
"This looks too easy," Manolo thought as he made himself bigger. Rushing towards her, he raised his fist for a jab. His hand seemed to move like it was in molasses as Destiny moved to the side.
"Oh boy, better make every second count," she thought to herself as she let herself fall into an opening portal, the inky darkness consuming her.
As the portal closed, Manolo heard something opening from behind him and from the corner of his eye, he could see an object being pointed at him. "Hehe, too slow, kitty!" She giggled.
He whipped around, crossing his hands to block the attack, only for it to explode in a cloud of thick black smoke in his face. Waving away the smoke, the gauntlet's claws lengthened and began to glow. He charged toward Destiny, who jumped away from the slashes. She shot multiple magical flash bullets, making the room explode with color while Manny covered his eye from the attack while quickly making a shield using one of the gauntlets, blocking the spell bullets.
As this happened Destiny opened another portal. "Okay, I need to take him by surprise and get him down then this fight can end quickly…that's easier said than done," She gulped nervously as she attempted to quickly charge in for another assault. Through the smog Manny heard her footsteps and heavy breathing
"Heh, amateur hour, she's making this easy." He chuckled as he used his lightning-fast reflexes to grab the smaller girl by her face and slam her body into the mat.
The world slowed down as Destiny's body hit the mat. "I guess this is how I die, my head crushed by a dude built like a mountain," she thought. Another voice would tsk in disappointment and Destiny groaned knowing it was Akus. "Child you are aware I blessed you with godlike abilities correct?"
"Oh yeah….This isn't even going to hurt…Well not that much."
Other on-lookers winced in pain at the sight of the mere sound of the body hitting the mat with such force that could not be anything but agonizing. Manny straightened up, letting go of her. “You give up?” He received a hard kick to the stomach as a response, knocking him back and into the wall, leaving a hefty Manolo-sized dent in it.
The students cheered and clapped for Destiny, she got up and cracked her neck. "It takes more than that to knock me down kitty," she taunts, her eyes darkening.
"Hehe, Yes, destroy this boy, show your lessers your power!" Aku cackled.
"Shut up, let me have fun!"
Destiny lunges towards Manny, cracking him in the jaw with a few punches. Manolo came back at Destiny blow for blow, returning a few licks. He went in for another jab to Destiny's face but the girl dodged it, throwing Manny on to the mat behind her.
"Ha too slow….again," Destiny huffed from exhaustion. She looked back to see if her friend was okay but before she could react the gauntlet's claw met with her face and she immediately went down her, head hitting the floor and knocking her out.
Manolo could smell the coppery scent of blood as he saw the repercussions of the attack he did. Destiny’s face was bleeding. His eyes widened as he stepped back, a dark memory resurfaces as he sees the body of a banker laying on the ground clutching their face. The sound of panic and fearful scream ringing in his ears as Mammoth barked orders at him to get the money from the safe. His mind fades from reality as he panics unaware of the small crowd forming around him.
Bismuth breaks up the crowd, checking on Destiny and patching her up. All of the students started to spread out, all except Manolo who was frozen with fear. “Manolo…Manolo!” Bismuth called out, “It’s okay, just take a break I’ll bring destiny to the med-bay.”
“Y-Yes ma’am.”
After weapon class ended the students poured out into the hall, Manolo was replaying the scene in his head. Destiny and Dorian, seeing this, approach their classmate.
“Hey, manny…that was a pretty good sparring we had.” She chuckled playful as she held an ice pack to her face. “Had to admit, You got me real good.”
He flinched, not wanting to see the damage he did to her.
“Come on big guy, we’re still your friends,” Dorian said.
Destiny smiles sadly as she gently takes one of his hands, they were larger compared to hers. “Hey kitty, look at me it's okay, And besides this wasn’t my first time getting cut in the face,” she said half joking.
Manny's face perked up his amber orbs, lighting up a little. "For real you ain't mad?"
Destiny scoffed "Psh!, of course not! Besides, I definitely got more hits than you.”
Tears start to leak from his eyes as he wipes them with his sleeve, Dorian hugs him as tightly as his little body can. “Yeah you got me there.”
She joins in the hug before giving Manny a pat on the back. Suddenly a couple of students approached her.
“You Destiny?” one of them asks
She nods confused.
“I have to say your strategy was interesting, especially your use of portals.”
“Oh uh thanks, I guess.” She said, rubbing the back of her neck. As the other students asked her questions about her strategy, Destiny felt in control. Maybe Phoenix academy won’t be so bad.