A Saga of Heroes (Worm/HSR)

[ethereal-23ar]

Japan was a nation lost.

The sinking of Kyushu by that monster, a calamity on its own, had spiraled a long chain of tragedies for their people.

The refugee crisis, the loss of life, and infrastructure. Losing Kyushu had crippled Japan's economy, leading to its technological progress and advancements grinding to a halt. Economic investments disappeared soon after, and instead, Japan required other nations' aid to stay afloat.

Corruption had spread like wildfire amidst the chaos. Villains and gangs ran rampant, with officials having their hands full and many among the Sentai Elite dying with the fall of Kyushu. Many people were forced to flee Japan; those who remained had to deal with a country that had been steadily falling into anarchy, having no choice but to live under the iron fist of warlords. Their own leaders were incapable of providing the protection the people needed, of giving them the peace they deserved.

Tetsuo had been very young when Kyushu sank. He had grown admiring the Sentai Elite, like many kids. He was old enough to understand what happened to the island... what happened to the Sentai team.

Japan felt abandoned by its protectors, for some who survived had chosen to leave.

The ideals of brightly colored heroes dedicated to justice had died with Kyushu. Now, people had no hope.

Tetsuo never lost hope.

Parahumans were broken people, but out of their fragments, they reforge themselves into something better. That something was broken once didn't mean it couldn't be beautiful.

Even as he stared at the cracked helmet in his hands, he never forgot what this suit meant. What the name Sentai meant for Japan.

More than a responsibility. It was a promise.

Sentai Elite were meant to inspire Japan, and Tetsuo grew up believing in that promise with all his heart. He had never given up, not even during the worst day of his life.

He'd uphold that promise to the very end.

...Even if the end came knocking at their door.

Dust fell from the ceiling as the building trembled. Their defenses would collapse any moment now. Obsidian Yoroi and his forces were at their gate, seeking to end this last ember of resistance in his territory.

Tetsuo looked at his team, his family... they all looked so tired, they had fought so hard, given up so much. What right did he have to ask more from them?

He sighed, standing up and placing the cracked helmet over his head, making for the door.

"Wait" Blue, Kiroshi, stopped him. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to fight," He replied, the cracked filter in the systems making his voice sound a bit garbled. "Yoroi won't go away; it's time to end this."

The others walked closer to him, fear etched into their faces. "You'll die," Yellow, Maiko, hissed. "We'll all die!"

"You don't have to," He shook his head. "I can distract them long enough; the rest of you can escape."

Protests rang throughout the group. "No!" Green, Hinata, his lovely butterfly, cried out. "I won't let you! I won't let you throw your life away!"

"And I can't ask you to do the same!" He fiercely said. "I need you to live, to carry on the name of Sentai."

"Sentai?!" White, Tadayoshi, barked in disbelief. "Who are we trying to fool here?! Sentai died! They all died with Kyushi! Those of us who remain... we're just kids clinging to ghosts."

Crestfallen looks befall the group.

"We never could make a difference, Tetsuo," Kiroshi muttered, heartbroken. "We just pretended we could because living in a fantasy was better than facing reality..."

Tetsuo's gloved fist tightened.

"No, I don't believe that. I know none of you believe that."

If he was going to die today, he'd make sure the heartbroken faces of his teammates were not his last memory of them.

"We joined Sentai because we wanted to help people, we took up the names, the costumes, because they all mean something to us!"

The Red warrior, who had inspired him so much as a child... he swore to never dishonor her memory.

"This land deserves more than pain! These people deserved more than to live under the whims of tyrants and corrupt bureaucrats!

A dream, so distant, almost impossible... but worth fighting for all the same.

A land where kids could grow up safe and happy.

Where people smiled.

A reborn Japan, carrying with them the pain of their past and reforging it into something beautiful.

He had never faltered in his dream; he was not going to stop now.

He'd fight for it till his dying breath. He'd rather die a naive child than another jaded and broken man.

Tetsuo didn't care if it meant his end, so long as his family could live out their days... for he believed wholeheartedly in them to continue the fight.

"I'm going out there not because I want to beat them, or because I'm desperate! I do it because it's RIGHT!"

His shout echoed throughout the building, even as this one rumbled from the constant bombardments.

"Because... I believe in what this suit means."

He paused, taking one last look at the faces he loved so much.

"Thank you for everything." He muttered, taking off his helmet so that he might smile at them one last time. "You all made me who I am today."

"...Fuck that," Maiko growled, stunning him. "Fuck your self-sacrificing bullshit. You're not going out there alone... because I'm coming with you."

"So am I," Tadoyoshi swore.

"Me too," Kiroshi promised.

"We all swore to be by each other's side," Hinata smiled at him with so much love it hurt. Her gloved hand on his cheek felt like a kiss from the gods. "We're not gonna break that promise now."

Tetsuo sobbed even as he smiled, touched by his family's devotion.

"Thank you," He muttered brokenly, part of him greatly relieved he would not be alone in this final moment. "Thank you all so much."

Hands joined upon his shoulders.

Five brave hearts.

"I love you."

Beating as one.

In Harmony

Power flowed through each and every one of them, shared between the five, multiplied by each other's presence.

They felt each other's souls beat with such harmonious symphony that it made them gasp at just how strongly this group felt for each other. The lengths they would go for each other.

The strength of their beliefs, shared by a common purpose.

They stared at each other, shocked by this wonderful new sensation. None of them possessed a power even remotely similar... and yet it was real. Like a shared heartbeat between the five of them, making them stronger just by being near each other.

Tetsuo looked at his cracked helmet with renewed determination and placed it on his head.

"Time to go." He said, and his squadron stood resolute at his side. "Obsidian Yoroi and his lackeys are waiting for us."

White rolled his neck. "Let's not keep them waiting then."

Sentai Red smiled, and the five stepped outside.

Japan would remember this for years to come. Not another tragedy to be piled up among the rest.

But a victory... a pivotal point that would change the course of their country to a brave new tomorrow.

The name Sentai Elite would be cried out with courage and pride once more.