Hero University - The Tournament Of Heroes

*This is a long, plot heavy chapter, setting up the next 40+ chapters. This will provide a massive amount of context, motivation, and relevance to the plot & characters of Hero University’s next arc, The Tournament of Heroes. However, this chapter has no ballbusting. Please feel free to skip if you do not care for the story, however if you do thank you for reading!*

[All Stories](https://www.reddit.com/r/BallbustingStories/s/czk1px9l2u)

The Combat Course classroom was a chaos of chatter and laughter, spirits among the hero class were high. This was the last class before Christmas Break, two sweet weeks of freedom. The air was toxic with excitement, Amber couldn’t resist it and she loved school more than most of her classmates. Even she was looking forward to the time off.

On top of all the class work from her professors, like the super biology and evolution work from Professor Lucid, or the rigorous fitness tests from Riptide, Amber had also been dutifully interning for Professor Wilkins on the weekends. She had been worked to the bone running around on missions. It was incredible working for the Number 1 Hero, quite literally no one had interned with him before. And he extended the invitation to her!

Yet, he was far more brutal a boss than a teacher, he was stern and relentless. She had gotten much stronger in just the few months she worked for him, and gained more experience than she could imagine.

All this to say, two weeks off was a dream. Amber was positive she was going to sleep through half of it.

“Wooooweee!” Maria yawned beside Amber, leaning back in her chair. Dressed much more casually than Amber was used to, pink sweats and sandals. “God last class of the day, and I can’t stay awake.”

“Hmph, me too,” Amber smiled, “I got a twenty four hour date with my pillow after this.”

“Tell me about it,” Maria replied, “I’ve still been doing hero work nights and weekends. I need my beauty sleep.”

Amber snickered, she was well aware. Maria was working more than ever, and it was all top secret. Stuff she couldn’t tell either Amber or Trevor, though they both tried to get her to spill the tea. She was uncharacteristically professional whenever it came up, alarming both Trevor and Amber.

“So, how’s working for my dad?” Maria grinned mischievously, “You kiss him yet?”

“Oh! My god!” Amber hissed, “I am never telling you anything!”

“Whaaaaat?” Maria beamed while she teased her best friend, “You mean to tell me you don’t daydream about *First Dimension?”*

“No, Maria, Jesus Christ,” Amber scoffed, covering her face with her pals, “It was a stupid crush, when are you gonna let me live it down?”

“Never,” Maria grinned, “maybe introduce me to your dad so I can try to sneak around with him.”

“Well, that won’t work,” Amber snorted, “he’s not around.”

“Oh…” Maria muttered, “my bad, is he-“

“I don’t know him,” Amber interrupted, “he left mom before I was born. Apparently he’s where I get my power from.”

“Really?” Maria asked frowning, “Huh, so what, he’s a deadbeat?”

“Never got a chance to be,” Amber replied, “he doesn’t even know about me.”

“Jesus,” Maria scoffed, “alright consider my last eight faux pa’s as evening the score, god.”

“No it’s not like that,” Amber said, “apparently my dad was some sort of criminal. Mom said they only knew each other for a while and he disappeared. She doesn’t even know where he is.”

Maria opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted by a sudden rift between dimension ripping in front of the classroom, a portal commanded by the greatest hero in the world, crackling with energy. Professor Wilkins stepped out of the dimensional gate, a lazy grin on his face.

“Good afternoon, class,” Professor Wilkins smirked, leaning against his desk with his arms crossed.

“Good Morning, Professor Wilkins!” The class roared back.

Professor Wilkins was in a grey button up, with his sleeves rolled to his elbows. The buttons on his shirt struggled to hold the fabric together, his muscles strained against it. He wore blue suit pants and black shoes.

“Now I know we all can’t wait to be done with the day and get to our break,” Professor Wilkins began, Amber and the rest of the class sank into their seats, hinging on each word coming out of the Number One Hero’s mouth, “so I only have two items on the agenda today. Once these are done, class is over and you are all free.”

The Combat Course erupted with applause, both Amber and Maria joining in the celebration. An hour and a half class just turned into a twenty minute meeting.

“Alright, alright, settle down,” Professor Wilkins rolled his eyes, “geez, you’d think we tortured you all here.”

Amber giggled with the students. She spared a glance at Maria who was not looking at Amber but instead sharing a glance of her own with her boyfriend, Trevor, from across the room. Amber had gotten used to the two of them being all over each other and often forgetting her. Months ago she’d feel insecure or hurt, now she just smiled at the two of them looking at each other so warmly.

“Okay, let’s get outta here quick,” Professor Wilkins began, bouncing onto his feet and sweeping over his desk to the dry-erase board mounted on the wall, “so first on the agenda- we’ve got ourselves a new student. Please join me in welcoming, Nevra.”

*A new student?* Amber’s eyes widened, there had already been five transfer students from the Support Class including Emily and Neko. Was this another? They couldn’t be, she didn’t recognize the name. In walked a blonde girl Amber’s age in a bright yellow miniskirt and a white, wool long-sleeved shirt. Her yellow striped sneakers squeaked on the hard floor.

Nevra had freckles that stretched from one cheek to the other, bridging over her nose. She had big orange eyes, hints of grey sparkled behind them. Amber almost couldn’t look away from their alluring glow. The boys, on the other hand, were focused on her more *ample* attributes. A chest that lifted the bottom of her top ever so slightly to show her skin, and an ass a skirt couldn’t hide. Nevra presented herself to the combat course, standing with one hand on a propped up hip.

Amber and Maria traded looks, this girl was \*not\* from the Support Class. Or HU. But she carried herself with a confidence akin to Maria’s.

“Hey there,” Nevra said coolly. “Nice to meet y’all.”

“As I’m sure you have all guessed,” Professor Wilkins continued his introduction, “Nevra is not from the Support Class, nor is she from any other Hero College. She has been an apprentice of Professor Riptides these last few months, he’s been catching her up on all the coursework she has missed before transferring her here.”

“That’s insane,” Maria muttered under her breath. Amber leaned over.

“What do you mean?”

“You don’t just get in HU in the middle of a semester,” Maria replied, “especially with no qualifications.”

“You did?” Amber raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah, but I’m First Dimensions daughter *and* I’ve been a hero for ten years,” Maria said, “I’ve never heard of her. And there’s something off… don’t you feel that?”

“I don’t feel anything,” Amber frowned.

“She’s strong,” Maria replied, “really strong.”

Amber nodded, scrunching her face in thought. Maria had instincts sharpened from decades of combat. If anyone had a sense for power, it was her.

“So, what’s your superpower?” Edward, the super with the ability to create objects out light, asked.

“I don’t know if I should say,” Nevra smiled mischievously, “do you all just spill your powers to each other?”

“It’s alright Nevra,” Professor Wilkins replied, “everyone here is an aspiring hero like you, you will be learning and growing with them. And one day you may be going on missions together. I know in your experience abilities are something to keep close to the chest, but here it’s something we all share.”

“Very well,” Nevra shrugged, returning her attention to Edward, “well cutie, I’m a very lucky girl. I get what I want.”

Edward blushed at the nickname.

“What do you mean?” Trevor blurted out.

“I mean my power doesn’t exist,” Nevra answered, “I can’t activate it or knowingly use it. I’m just lucky.”

The entire class stayed silent, Amber frowned along with them. She hadn’t heard of an ability like this either, then again with the new supervillains propping up, like Shift or that bad-boy Marcos, strange, intangible powers weren’t all that strange anymore.

“Well,” Edward mumbled, “I’m excited to see it in action.”

“I bet you are,” Nevra purred, turning to Professor Wilkins. He nodded, and Nevra skipped over to Edward, taking the empty seat next to him.

“Lightshow is moving up in the world,” Maria giggled in Amber’s ear.

“Yeah,” Amber snickered, “punching way above his weight class.”

Professor Wilkins clapped his hands together, snapping the attention of the room back to him.

“Alright!” Professor Wilkins shuffled his hands together excitedly, the atmosphere in the room suddenly shifted.

All the students traded looks, Professor Wilkins energy was completely different than seconds ago.

“With introductions over, it’s time to go over the real reason for this class,” Professor Wilkins began, “the time has come. Every few years all the Hero Colleges across the globe gather together to lay their pride and honor on the line, and test each other in spirited competition!”

The Combat Course was entirely silent, rapt by Professor Wilkins words and confusion.

“In three days times The Tournament of Heroes will begin!” Professor Wilkins spread his arms out, the largest grin Amber had ever seen him sport on his face.

“The Tournament of Heroes?” Pedro, the speedster of HU, asked.

“That’s right,” Professor Wilkins beamed, “your family has participated in these games.”

“I’ve never heard of it,” Pedro replied.

“It’s a closely kept secret,” Professor Wilkins grinned, “held on an island created just for it. It is not televised or publicized, simply a game between colleges to determine which class of heroes will become number one.”

“So it’s a bunch of games?” Amber called out from the back of the room.

“In a way,” Professor Wilkins answered, “specific rounds change each time the tournament is held. However, make no mistake, you will battle your fellow heroes.”

“Why?” Greg, the angelic hero with two pairs of giant wings, asked. “If it isn’t televised or anything, why do this? Just so we can say we’re the best?”

“That’s certainly a benefit,” Professor Wilkins said, “and HU has been the longtime victor, so it’s certainly a chance to defend our pride as a school. But no, this is not the reason.

As I mentioned to Nevra before, Hero Society above all has strength in cooperation. Through combat, you will learn one another’s strengths, weaknesses, and abilities. In the future, when you face super villains and syndicates, this will be invaluable for your teamwork. If you must partner with a random hero, knowing their abilities and strengths immediately will give you all the better odds in battle.

Finally, through competing against one another in hard-fought battle and games, you will build comradery with one another! There is no greater bond than one shared through similar experience, and the Tournament of Heroes aims to sow friendship and cooperation amongst all Hero Agencies.”

An excited buzz hummed through the Combat Course, each student was eager to prove themselves and participate in the tournament.

“I see you are all excited, good,” Professor Wilkins beamed, “have I answered all your questions?”

The students all nodded.

“Wonderful,” Professor Wilkins clapped, “then on to the next step, participation-“

“What about the rules?” Amber asked.

“Those will be provided upon arrival to Tornare Island,” Professor Wilkins explained, “for now, we have a unique problem. Unfortunately, only groups of thirty may apply for the Tournament, they will not accept any more. This is to keep colleges with larger student bodies from overwhelming smaller schools.

As I’m sure you all know, HU does not often hold more than thirty students in the Combat Course, however we have had several students transfer over and earn their keep. And so we must decide who from our class enters and who abstains-“

Professor Wilkins smile lost some of its shine, as he looked grimly amongst his students.

“I will not ask any of you to stand out,” He said, “I am proud of all your progress, and I believe in each and every one of you. You may decide amongst yourselves today who will not compete in the tournament. Do not worry, for those of you who will not participate, I will personally be paying for you to stay at Tornare island with us. You may not be able to join the games, but you are part of the team.”

The next hour was spent with the entirety of the Combat Course passionately deciding who would and wouldn’t participate in the Tournament of Heroes. There were certainly easy decisions.

“Maria is obviously our first pick!” Jorge, able to command repulsion and attraction, blurted out. The entire course agreed.

“Amber too!” Larry, HU’s shapeshifter, chimed in.

“Don’t forget Trevor or Pedro!” Ben, the super with the power to control his size, exclaimed.

“Are you all forgetting David?!” Beverly, the newest transfer from the combat course, a girl who could manipulate her hair, shouted.

The strongest members of the Combat Course did not even need to volunteer, they were chosen before they could even speak. Amber blushed, she couldn’t believe she was considered amongst the likes of Maria, Trevor, or David. They were powerhouses.

One by one, members of the Combat Course were chosen by the majority to participate in the tournament. Any chosen could of course reject the nomination, but not a single one did. To Amber’s surprise, all of the girls transferred from the Support Class were voted in to participate quite early. The total number of students in the Combat Course was thirty five, and before the class had even reached twenty five, they voted all the girls in.

Before long HU’s Combat Course had chosen twenty nine of its thirty competitors for the Tournament of Heroes. They were now voting for their final member Amber thought this would be the hardest decision, since they had to choose between six of their beloved classmates. However, the majority, including those left out of the tournament, seemed to lean toward Albert, his superpower was “Word”. He could affect his body and attributes, and even the world around him to an extent, by uttering single-words. Though it was possible to affect other people, for a reason unknown to Amber, this was harder for Albert to do than to change himself or inorganic matter.

“I’ll do it,” Nevra suddenly said, just before the vote took place.

A surprised silence fell over the room, the students looked at each other.

“Well,” Julio muttered, voicing what the majority of the Combat Course felt, “you just got here… are you sure you can handle it?”

“I’m sure,” Nevra replied, a glint in her eye.

“You don’t have any experience,” Albert warned, “it might be better to sit this one out and join the next one.”

“Nah,” Nevra said, “if you want to win, let me join the team.”

“Guys?” Julio asked the room.

The room erupted in arguments for and against between the boys, the girls remained silent. They all stood aside against the wall, watching the boys.

“What do you all think?” Greg asked them, the entire class turned to the seven girls of the Combat Course.

“You know what I’ll say,” Maria smirked, “I’m a girls girl.”

“Yeah,” Emily said, “I think our sparring matches speak for themselves.”

All the girls, including Amber voiced their support for Nevra, though most of the boys were ambivalent. However, to Amber’s surprise, one boy joined the girls side.

“I think it should be Nevra,” Edward said, “she said she’s lucky. That can help us.”

“She’s not gonna hit bro,” Ben rolled his eyes.

“Shut up!” Edward snapped.

“She also said she can’t control her powers,” Albert replied, sidestepping the comment, “that’s not very reliable.”

“How do we want to settle this?” Julio asked.

“Just let her join,” Trevor sighed, Amber frowned, she did not expect him to shut down.

“Why don’t we play a game?” Nevra asked. “Whoever wins joins the team.”

Trevor groaned, nodding his head at Maria and Amber with a tired look in his eye, and it finally clicked why he was so defeated. Amber smirked, he knew how this would end.

“A game, huh?” Albert smirked, raising an eyebrow.

“That’s right,” Nevra grinned, “a game of endurance. You can pick it too, you need the advantage.”

“You’re serious?” Albert asked, jaw dropping at her confidence. “The rules and everything?”

“That’s right,” Nevra shrugged, “whatever you say. We’ll compete, and no hard feelings.”

Albert snorted, shaking his head confidently. He dragged his gaze up and down her body, a mischievous glint in his eye.

“Let’s go to the pool.”

*The Final Selection for the Tournament of Heroes begins! Who will be the last member of the team? Albert, a man who can manipulate reality with his very word, or Nevra, a girl who always gets what she wants? Find out, on the first installment of The Tournament of Heroes- Taking His Breath Away!*