I teleported to the spot near the café Mark had told me about—a little place tucked on a busy street, all glass windows and warm lights.
I figured I'd stroll in, grab a seat, and wait for him, licking the last of my ice cream off my fingers. But he wasn't inside.
I glanced at my watch—huh, I was a few minutes early. With how excited he'd been last night, I'd half-expected him to be camped out here already, bouncing in his chair.
Guess I'd misjudged that. No big deal—I didn't even need to step into the café, because right then, I spotted someone zooming my way through the sky.
It was a kid in a makeshift superhero getup—ugly goggles slapped over his eyes, a handkerchief tied around his mouth like a mask, and some baggy old clothes and sneakers that looked like hand-me-downs.
I knew who it was instantly: Mark, decked out in the goofy outfit he wore in the show when he first tried fighting crime solo.
In the original story, he'd taken on some small-time crook that day and won—pretty impressive for a newbie. But I figured my showing up might've thrown that off.
He was supposed to tangle with a rock-skinned guy named Titan, who'd been helping two robbers somewhere in the city.
Without Mark there to stop them, Titan might've pulled it off this time—or would soon.
'Oops,' I thought, smirking. 'Guess I messed with the timeline a little.'
Before Mark could zip past, I teleported right into his path, popping up mid-air with a grin. He jolted, startled, flailing for a second as he almost crashed into me.
"Whoa!" he yelped, his voice muffled by the handkerchief, but then he saw it was me and slowed down, coming to a wobbly stop a few feet away.
I hovered there, hands in my pockets, giving him my usual playful grin as I checked out his outfit. Kid looks like he raided a thrift store, I thought, holding back a laugh.
I tilted my head, eyeing him up and down. "Well, well, if it isn't the pajama hero! You're flying around all geared up, but… huh, you don't look as hyped as you did at midnight. What's up, Mark? Something bad happen, or are you just not in your best mood today?"
Mark floated there, scratching the back of his head through the goggles, a half-smile tugging at his lips. "Hey, Gojo. And can you drop the pajamas hero thing now… and Yeah, uh… the day didn't go exactly like I thought it would. I was training with my D… I mean by myself this morning—y'know, learning to fly better, figuring stuff out, y'know it's all new to me. But it was… tougher than I expected. Not bad, just… not what I pictured." He shrugged, his voice a mix of disappointment and that awkward Mark charm, like he was trying to play it cool but couldn't quite hide the letdown.
I nodded, softening my grin into something a little warmer, and floated closer. "Hey, pajama hero is a very nice name and… no sweat, kid. At least you've got the flying part down—mostly. And, uh… stopping? Kinda? You'll get there. Look, the team I'm gonna introduce you to—they're pros at this stuff. They'll help you train, teach you some tricks, maybe even keep you from face-planting again." I winked, tossing in some comfort with my usual Gojo flair.
"You're already doing better than most newbies put there, trust me. Mobile phones and other things just weren't invented in one try, kid… it took them hundreds or thousands of trials."
Mark's half-smile grew a bit, his shoulders relaxing as he hovered there, the handkerchief flapping a little in the breeze. I could tell he was still bummed, but my words were sinking in—he wasn't alone in this, and that perked him up just enough.
Mark's eyes lit up a little, some of that excitement creeping back in as he nodded. "Yeah, you're right," he said, his voice picking up steam.
"I just need to practice more—get the hang of it. Today was Jist the day one, but I'll figure it out." He flashed a small grin, hovering a bit steadier now, like my pep talk had flicked a switch in him.
I smiled back, feeling pretty good about cheering the kid up. His goofy energy was infectious—those wide eyes, that awkward half-smile—it was like watching a puppy get its first treat. Not bad, Gojo, I thought, smirking to myself as I adjusted my sunglasses.
Mark tilted his head, suddenly looking a bit puzzled. "So, uh… where's this team you mentioned? Are they coming here, or do we have to go somewhere?" he asked, scratching behind his goggles, his voice a mix of curiosity and confusion.
I smirked, leaning back in the air like I was lounging on an invisible couch. "Oh, them? If I'd told them to come meet some new hero, they'd probably think I was joking. One of 'em—probably —would curse me out over the phone, like, 'Quit messing around, white-hair!' Nah, we're gonna crash their base instead. Surprise them for real—way more fun that way."
Mark blinked, his goggles slipping a little as he processed that. "Wait, you didn't even tell them? We're just… going straight to their base?" He paused, then added, "Won't they be mad at you for showing up unannounced with some random guy?"
I laughed, waving him off with a flick of my hand. "Mad? Nah, don't worry about it, kid—they're gonna love you. Besides, they're a bit short-handed right now, so a new teammate's like a gift. They'll thank me later—trust me, I've got this." I grinned wide, all confidence, cutting him off before he could overthink it.
"C'mon, follow me!" I said, kicking off into the sky toward the Teen Team's base. Mark hesitated for a split second, then shrugged and zoomed after me, his thoughts shoved aside as he focused on keeping up.
We flew for a few minutes, the city blurring below—streets, lights, the occasional car horn fading into the wind.
Soon, we reached a big, rusty bridge stretching over a quiet river. I dropped down onto the top, landing light as a feather, and Mark followed, wobbling a bit but managing to touch down without crashing.
His sneakers scuffed the metal, and he steadied himself, looking around with a mix of nerves and excitement.
I spun on my heel, throwing my arms out like a game show host. "Here we are—the super-secret superhero base!" I said, voice dripping with Gojo flair, all dramatic and goofy.
Mark glanced around, confused—we were just standing on top of a bridge, nothing special about it. He opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, the metal beneath us rumbled.
A hidden panel slid open, and the ground dropped out from under us. Mark yelped, flailing as we sank down, startled by the sudden shift. I just grinned, floating steady as we descended into the Teen Team's real hideout below.
'Showtime, I guess!' I thought, watching his wide-eyed reaction.
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A/N: so, next chapter teen team meeting mark. Make sure to comment and vote with piwer stones.