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Henry stood on one side of the arena, and on the other side, Red Rush was ready. Henry was feeling a bit nervous—his test was against a speedster, and he wasn't sure if he'd be able to react in time.
Cecil, who was in the observation room, pressed a button that activated the microphones.
Cecil: 'Alright, everyone. You can start now. When it's over, I'll take you to meet the other Guardians.'
Red Rush said with his Russian accent:
'Kid, don't be nervous. I won't hurt you. Cecil just wants to see what you're capable of.'
'You're right. This isn't a real fight, but I don't want to lose.'
Cecil: 'Start.'
The first test Cecil had prepared was one of speed, so he thought it would be a good idea to pit Henry against perhaps the fastest person they had.
As soon as the fight began, Red Rush disappeared from Henry's view due to his immense speed. Henry could only notice a red blur moving at incredible speed around the room. He had never seen anything that fast before. He had the reflexes and ability to react, but the problem was he hadn't had to rely much on his senses before.
Red Rush kept moving at high speed, circling around him rapidly. Henry started focusing on his senses. As he concentrated, everything around him began to slow down. It felt like time had frozen. He looked at his aunt in the observation room and saw that she and Cecil were completely still. Slowly, he turned his head and saw Red Rush coming toward him. He wasn't as fast as before, but now Henry could at least react.
Cecil, Holly, and Donald were watching the fight, but soon, more people showed up to see it.
One of them was The Immortal. He was tall, white, with black hair, and wore a blue suit with white and yellow stripes. His face was covered in a beard.
'Is this the new kid? He looks promising, Cecil.'
Green Ghost also appeared.
She wore a full-body green suit, covering her from head to toe.
'A new member? Don't you think he's a little too young, Cecil?'
'I'm not planning on putting him in the Guardians yet. This is just a test. If he's worthy, maybe one day he'll join.'
When the fight began, Red Rush circled the kid at lightning speed. To him, everything around him seemed to stop. He was so fast that it felt like the world was frozen in time. Sometimes, even a simple conversation seemed boring.
The kid couldn't react to his speed, like most people. But then, something surprising happened.
At first, Henry was completely still, but at a certain point, he focused and turned his head, locking eyes with Red Rush.
Almost no one was fast enough to keep up with Red Rush—maybe only Nolan. But this kid saw him.
Henry turned his body, and tried to punch him. Red Rush easily dodged, but as time went on, the kid became faster. At first, dodging was easy, but soon enough, Henry cornered him against the wall.
Red Rush tried to retaliate, but the kid felt like he was made of steel—his punches had no effect. When Red Rush realized what was happening, it was too late. The kid had grabbed his uniform.
Red Rush deactivated his super-speed, and so did Henry. He didn't feel like he had lost—not for now, at least. If he wanted, he could've gone faster, but it was just a test, and there was no need for that.
For them, the fight had lasted a few minutes, but to the others, who didn't have their speed, it ended in an instant.
Cecil could only see two speed trails moving in the room. A moment later, he saw Henry holding Red Rush's uniform. He pressed the microphone button.
Cecil: 'What did you think, Red Rush?'
Red Rush: 'He's pretty fast for a kid. Well… I took it easy on him anyway.'
'Be clear—did he pass or not?'
'He passed.'
'Cecil: 'Alright... Take the kid to Test 2.'
Henry heard what Cecil said and couldn't resist asking:
'What test is that?'
Cecil replied:
'A strength test. Let's see how much you can lift. Is that okay? If you want, we can take a break.'
'Better do it now.'
'Great. Red Rush, take the kid over there.'
'Got it.'
Henry followed Red Rush to an open room with a giant weight-lifting machine. The machine had four supports, and underneath it was a place to lie down with two handles for grip. The goal of the machine was to measure the strength of the Guardians of the Globe. It weighed several tons.
Henry: 'This looks heavy...'
Red Rush walked over to Henry and gave him a few light pats on the back.
'Good luck, kid. It was nice meeting you.'
'I'm not going to die, right?'
'Maybe.'
After a while, Cecil and Donald showed up. Donald was holding a clipboard where he would record Henry's strength data.
Donald: 'Lie down here. Don't worry, the machine won't fall on you. It's totally safe.'
Donald pointed to the iron structure.
Henry walked over and laid down beneath it.
Donald: 'Let's start with some lighter weight. If you feel like you can't handle it, just let us know, and I'll take some off.'
'Got it.'
Donald adjusted the machine to the minimum weight.
Henry grabbed the bar and lifted it as if doing a bench press.
He lifted it effortlessly.
Donald just kept recording, while Cecil watched with interest.
Donald: 'Let's add a little more weight. Is that okay?'
'Fine.'
Donald kept adding more weight. Henry showed no signs of weakness, and the machine was now well over several tons.
Cecil watched the results on Henry, which were already close to Nolan's.
Donald added more weight, getting close to the limit, while taking more notes.
'Can I add more? Is that okay with you?'
'Go ahead. I can handle it.'
Cecil decided that was enough. The kid was reaching the machine's weight limit, and he had already gathered all the information he needed.
Cecil: 'That's enough. Okay, you can get up now, that's sufficient.'
Henry, who had been holding several tons with ease, slowly lowered the machine, making a loud sound as it moved.
'Think that's enough? I feel like I could lift more.'
'That's more than enough. Besides, the machine can't register more. Now come with me. I'll take you to meet the other Guardians. They all have incredible stories. Most of them see each other as family. But tell me… one day, you might join this family. What do you want to do?'
Henry and Cecil walked through the corridors of the GDA.
'I think it's amazing to join the Guardians, but I don't want that. I'd rather help the people in the city who need me. But I'd be happy to help whenever you need me.'
'I understand. But I wasn't planning to put you to work with them yet.'
'Why not?'
'You're still too young. We'll train you first, and when you're old enough, we'll call you. Now, tell me… is it okay if we stay in contact?'
'Of course.'
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