Enter Hero's of the Next Generation!
In the small port town of Roswell, a cool breeze from the ocean covered the town. The people were extremely busy, rushing every which way. In the midst of this chaos, a small group of salesmen was found chatting among themselves.
"What's with all the attention today? Someone catch something good?"
"You haven't heard? Apparently, the Knight masters exam is starting soon and a examine boat is coming to this port on the way to the Equestria."
"No way! I guess that means that a lot of people will be coming here to take the exam! Think I can convince a few of them to buy some fish?" One of the merchants joked with a hearty laugh.
As the shopkeepers continued to gossip suddenly they didn't notice a boy running towards them. He was young maybe around the age of 12 wearing very loose fitting armor and shaggy pants, however, the one characteristic that stuck out the most was his crimson red hair and eyes.
One of the shopkeepers noticed the boy and saw that he was running towards the port.
"HEY KID WHERE YOU GOING!"
Suddenly the boy stopped and turned to the salesmen and flashed a goofy grin.
"Where else? I'm heading to where the knight master exam is being held!" The boy said in an upbeat tone as he continued running towards the port.
The men looked at each other in shock as they watched the child run towards the port. Thoughts running through their heads of why a boy like that would be going there.
"No way that kid's gonna try something."
"Yeah, he would have to be crazy to try that!"
They laughed at the thought as they once again started talking about recent events not noticing that another man was hiding in the shadows watching the child closely.
"Well then.....Good luck to you Zeno. You're going to need it."
Portside
"I can't believe it! I finally made it!" Zeno shouted as he stared at the ships docked at the port.
The portside was littered with ships, mostly fishing boats, and people which he assumed to be participants in the exam this year. He had heard that hundreds of applicants appear every year but this was ridiculous. Young people around the same age as him, middle aged people, OLD PEOPLE!
"Wow when grandpa said that a lot of people try out for this exam he wasn't kidding! Alright, I had better go turn in my pass." Zeno thought to himself as he made sure he had his recognition pass.
This pass was what every applicant needs to even begin the exam. Not only that but to get a pass means you would either have to be well respected in some field of study or being written a pass by another knight master. They are extremely rare and very valuable some even sell their passes in exchange for a ton of Gil, the currency of Equis.
As Zeno ran past some of the other applicants he quickly gained the attention of the crowd. Suddenly a man stepped in front of him before he could react and bumped into him.
"WATCH WERE YOUR GOING YOU BRAT!" A large man said as he glared at Zeno.
He was easily 7 feet tall and was larger than a fully grown grizzly bear. He wore heavy set armor but it couldn't cover his huge stomach, other than that he wore an eyepatch covering his left eye which bore a large scar and his hair braided into a ponytail.
"O-Oh! Sorry about that! Guess I got too excited." Zeno said with a chuckle as he walked past him.
Zeno once again started running only taking a second to glance back at the man, noticing a particularly large grin on his face. After that, He made his way to the front of the group and found a man taking passes.
"Next, please! Next, please! Next pleas-?" The man said repeating himself every time he tore a pass only to stop when he suddenly realized who was giving him a pass.
Zeno smiled at him with his usual goofy grin, however, the man just stared at him with a doubtful expression.
"Um, kid? You do realize this is the ship for those wanting to participate in the knight masters exam, right?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Well this exam is brutal and there is no guarantee that everyone will survive. Your just a kid so why do you have a pass?" He asked as Zeno glared at him.
Before he could explain suddenly the pass he was holding was yanked from his hand from the large man from before.
"YOU LITTLE PICKPOCKET! YOU THINK YOU CAN STEAL MY PASS!" He shouted as Zeno glared at the man.
"That's my pass you jerk! Give that back!"
"This is the Knight Masters exam brat! I've taken this exam 8 times and trust me a kid like you will get slaughtered in the first test!" The man sneered as he waved the pass in front of him.
Zeno snarled as he continued to glare at the man. Once again before he could do anything someone else appeared from behind him. He was at least in his early 20's, he was skinny and had bright blue hair. Finally, he was wearing a dark blue coat which covered his armor.
"Hey, pal why don't you give back his pass. I know he didn't steal it from you." The man said as the crowd gasped.
"*Tsk* Do you know who you're talking to!? I am the boar master Tork! I've taken this exam at least 8 times and made it to the finals at least 3 times!" The now named Tork shouted at the top of his lungs as he pulled out a large metal battle ax off his back.
The man smiled as he looked at his opponent with a cocky expression.
"Really? Nice to meet you then, my names Shido! This is my first time taking the exam and it will also be my last too." Shido explained as the crowd grew deadly silent before erupting into a fit of laughter.
"This idiot thinks he'll pass the exam on his first try!"
"What a fool!"
"He looks like he couldn't survive a stiff breeze!"
The crowd continued to burst into a laughing fit while making insults, however, Shido didn't falter in fact he smiled even bigger. Suddenly the crowd stopped laughing as a voice shouted at them louder than anything they had ever heard before.
"DON'T YOU DARE MAKE FUN OF HIS DREAMS YOU JACKASSES!!!!"
Shido turned around with a shocked expression as he saw Zeno glaring daggers at the crowd, now completely silent.
"Haha~! I needed that! Now then......How do you plan on taking this pass from me you little worm?" Tork said with a sneer as he looked at the pair with a belittling stare.
Shido laughed as he turned to Zeno and gave him a gentle nod. It had been a long time since he felt such honesty from one person. This young man was definitely someone to help.
"Don't worry kid....I can handle a guy like this." He said as he moved his coat to show he was carrying three swords.
"HA! What do you plan to do then worm!" Tork shouted as he lifted his mighty ax into the air.
Instantly Shido gripped one of his swords and vanished in the blink of an eye. Faster than anyone could track he reappeared in front of Tork and thrust his blade still in its sheath into his stomach. Instantly there was a large shockwave as the blade made contact and in an instant, Tork was sent flying.
The crowd was speechless as the monstrous man in front of them was knocked unconscious by a single attack from a single swordsman. Shido walked up to him and pulled the pass from his hand and walked back to Zeno.
"I believe this is yours?" He offered as Zeno gladly took it.
"THAT WAS AWSOME! MAN YOUR STRONG!" Zeno exclaimed as Shido rubbed the back of his head.
The crowd watched as the two handed over their passes to a now shocked pass keeper as they boarded the ship. Meanwhile, on the ship, a few of the participants watched the event with mixtures of either shock or just annoyance much like the woman on the far end of the ship's stern.
"Bunch of idiots."
"By the way what's your name? You already have mine, so..." Shido asked with a smile.
"The names Zeno! Nice to meet you!" Zeno said offering his hand which Shido gladly took.
They might not have realized it right then but this encounter would change their destiny's completely! This was the beginning of an adventure that would shape history! This was his tale....
THE TALE OF THE STRONGEST KNIGHT MASTER!
The First Trial! Survive The Monsters sea!
As Zeno and Shido made their way on board, the entire ship instantly turned to them. It was startling how many applicants were allowed on board, from the sheer size one could guess over 300 people were onboard.
"Jeez, there is a lot of competition this year." Shido said with a sigh as he stared out into the crowd of soldiers, warriors, and bounty hunters.
"Really? I was kinda expecting a lot more, to be honest." Zeno said with a blank expression as Shido laughed a little.
"You're pretty blunt aren't you?"
"Is that bad?"
Suddenly there was a loud static sound of a speaker turning on as the ladder both Zeno and Shido had climbed to get aboard suddenly flew on board the ship.
"Welcome you scallywags! You be sailing upon the famous vessel of Captain Kid the Knight Master who traveled and documented the vast ocean!" A scruffy voice shouted over a speaker as a man clearly in his 60's came out on deck wearing what many would expect what a kid thought a pirate would wear.
"Now than three hundred and fifty of you came on board to take this exam! Let me be the first to tell you all...." The captain shouted pausing at the end.
"Not even half of you will survive till the second trial of the exam!" He exclaimed as the crowd gasped in shock.
"Let me explain! The first trial of the exam has already begun! You must all survive on this ship for at least 1 month!" The captain explained as everyone started getting restless and were shouting at the man.
"I have no other crew mates so it will be up to you all to keep this ship afloat! This means that you must also feed and protect yourselves! This is a test of survival! Of course, you could always go on a rampage and start trying to kill each other! But I wouldn't advise spilling any blood if you can help it!"
Everyone was now in a panic and were screaming at the captain at how unfair this seemed but were quickly silenced by what he said next.
"We be sailing to Equestria which is North-East to the port we jut left from. Which means we be sailing through the black sea! I'll navigate and get us there no problem but it's up to ya'll if we run into any trouble!" The captain explained with a hearty laugh.
Zeno looked over to Shido for an explanation only to see all the color drained from his face.
"T-The black sea! That's the most monster-infested waters in the whole world! We can't survive a week let alone a whole month!" Shido exclaimed as the rest of the crowd voiced their agreements.
"Heh to late now we've already left port! If you lot can't survive something as trivial as this you have no right to be Knight Masters!" The captain exclaimed as the crowd continued to grow more and more restless.
Suddenly Zeno felt something strange and he turned to the front of the ship. Shido looked at Zeno and followed his gaze only to spot what he was looking at.
"T-That's Impossible! We aren't even that far from port yet!"
Out on the water, a large dark shadow slowly began to appear and grew bigger until something began to emerge from the water.
"Dammit! I was hoping not to show off my real strength until after we had got into the second stage of the exam! But we won't survive unless I act quickly!" Shido thought as he grabbed his blades but quickly stopped once he noticed Zeno was walking towards the front of the ship.
Now everyone had finally seen that a sea serpent had crawled out of the water and was staring right at them. Instantly everyone began to panic as they looked for any way to get away from the monster.
"WERE ALL GONNA DIE!" Everyone seemed to shout as the sea monster got closer and closer until it looked like it was right in front of them.
"HEY CAPTAIN!"
Suddenly everyone stopped as they noticed Zeno standing right in front of them. He looked to the captain who raised an eyebrow.
"You said we need to survive 1 month on this ship right!?" Zeno asked as the captain nodded with a chuckle.
Zeno flashed a big grin as he looked to the sea monster with a determined look in his eye. Now everyone on board was staring at the boy with fear and confusion written all over their faces.
"I trained for 3 years so I could take this exam! I finally got permission from Mrs. Cheerile and grandpa! Not only that but I made a promise that I would pass this thing and show it to them all!"
The crowd stared in shock as the boy slowly got into a fighting stance as the beast looked at him with its blood red eyes. The woman from earlier now stared at the boy with a shocked expression as she slowly removed her wizards hat revealing her long pale blue hair.
"SO I'D BE DAMNED IF SOME OVERGROWN LIZARD BEATS ME!" Zeno shouted as the monster let out an ear-piercing screech as it lunged forward towards the ship.
Everyone screamed in horror as the snake-like beast came closer and closer, but not Zeno. He stood firm and with a deep breath, he pulled his right arm back.
"DRAGON STYLE: COMET HAMMER!!!"
Within a split second, the beast was face to face with Zeno. Then swinging his arm around he punched the lizard with enough force that the ship was pushed back from the shock wave.
Everyone on board was either pushed over or left awestruck by the unbelievable strength the boy possessed. The beast's entire body was nearly pulled out of the water as it fell back into the ocean with a loud thud as a geyser of water rose from where the monster fell.
Everyone rushed to the front fo the boat to see the sea monster only to find that it was killed by the force of his punch. They all turned to the boy and saw the boy give off a big goofy grin as he gave a thumbs up to the crew.
"JUST LEAVE ALL THE MONSTERS TO ME, EVERYONE!" Zeno shouted with a big goofy grin.
Almost if by divine intervention everyone was saved from death but at the same time, no one could believe it that a boy was able to kill a sea monster of that size.
Even the captain felt his jaw agape without realizing it as he stared at the redheaded boy as he just smiled at his feats.
"It can't be....Could that boy related to....No?" The captain whispered to himself as an old distant memory played back in his head.
Shido quickly recollected himself and rushed over to where the beast was. Quickly he analyzed the beast and finally decided to act.
"Captain! You have a kitchen on this ship right!?" Shido exclaimed as the captain quickly recollected his thoughts and nodded.
"Alright! Everyone help me real in this monster were gonna need the meat!" Shido explained as he drew two of his swords.
"Sword Art: dancing cutless!"
Shido quickly jumped off the side of the ship with his two blades in hand. Suddenly before he could hit the water he spun his body around violently and instantly sliced through the beasts hide sending chunks of meat flying into the air.
Shido, now standing on what was left of the body of the sea monster, quickly leaped back on board in just enough time to sheath his swords and caught some of the meat he had cut.
Quickly some of the other crew members caught on and tried to follow his lead and picked up what meat they could.
"Follow me, everyone, we need to preserve this as quickly as possible!" Shido exclaimed as he looked to the captain for directions.
Meanwhile, some of the others were still trying to shake off the shock of what they had just seen. A child being able to kill that beast with a single punch but a single swordsman being able to slice into that beast almost effortlessly left many of them concerned fro their chances in this exam.
Before they could dwell on the thought any longer they heard a loud female voice shout across the ship.
"What the hell are you idiots doing!? Get to work! You realize we have to survive on this damn boat for a month right!" The woman with blue hair shouted as she placed her hat back on.
Instantly everyone scrambled to work wherever they could, however, she quickly walked towards the front of the ship towards Zeno. He was a little overwhelmed by her at first, she had the kind of look that said: "If you mess with me I'll cut you" it reminded him of how Mrs. Cheerlie would glare at him from time to time.
"That was an incredibly reckless move kid! Next time be more careful!" She exclaimed as Zeno just laughed nervously.
"S-Sorry about that Mam!"
She sighed in frustration as she looked the boy over. The more she examined him the more familiar he looked to her the problem was she just couldn't remember from where she met him.
"Anyways I'll have some of the others work on some other defensive measure just try not and get in the way, ok?" She explained as she started walking away until Zeno spoke up.
"Um excuse me?"
"What?" She asked turning back towards him.
"What's your name again?" He asked with an inocent smirk.
"Trixie Lulamoon, and don't you forget it, because once this is over I'll become famous!" trixie exclaimed as Zeno looked at her with a determined look.
"No problem! My names Zeno I hope we can make our dreams come true!" He said witha chuckle.
And so the First test of the Knight masters Exam had begun and with an exciting twist to boot! How will the exam play out? Will there be even more dangerous trials after this? Who could know, but you can bet that these three new dreamers will soon find out!
TO BE CONTINUED!
