"So you finally caved, huh?" His sister's smug smile could probably be seen from orbit.
"Ugh," Rich grunted, changing out the plates for his own set. It didn't take long at all for Becca to get stronger than him. Reverse worlds were so unfair. "You saw her," he said over the noise of the gym. "If I told Julie 'no' too many more times, she would crash out."
Becca turned on her heel. "Crash out? Is that more Louisiana slang? What the hell are they doing over there? Just making up shit?"
He scratched the back of his head. "Eheheh, something like that." They finished loading the bar. His work sets were now forty pounds lighter than hers, almost a full plate. "Julie was getting possessive, a little obsessed." Borderline yandere, he thought. Best not to confuse his twin with that terminology, though. "That girl is not used to hearing the word 'no'. A 'crash out' is like a tantrum, sort of. We definitely don't want to see what she does when she doesn't get her way. Besides, who the hell else am I gonna date? I'm taller than most girls. A giant like Julie just matches, you know?"
"You two do look good together," Becca allowed. "I wish I had a boyfriend."
Things were awkwardly silent while his sister spotted him through five reps of squats. He walked forward and reracked the weight. Clink! "I think," Rich gulped some air, "you'll do," another gulp, "just fine." He leaned on the squat rack tiredly, trying to catch his breath. "Once you're jacked and tan like Jackie Chan, and especially once you're starting on the football team, boys will notice."
"How would you know?" Becca asked bitterly. "You don't even have any boyfriends. The most popular girl in school was instantly obsessed with you, and-" she snapped her fingers, "boom, instant relationship. You think it's easy cause it was easy for you."
Rich couldn't exactly disagree with that assessment. Being in a reverse world definitely had its tradeoffs. Yes, he was relatively weaker, at least compared to a strong woman, but some things were much easier, like getting tips at work or getting interest from girls. "Would any boys even want to be friends with a mollygirl like me?" he wondered aloud.
His sister snorted. "Probably not. The fact that you just transferred here and a month later you've got Julie Cohen wrapped around your little finger has got to piss them off. And, well, you don't exactly like most boy things. You're into video games, sports, cars, you know, girl stuff. I thought it was just an act at first, but after living with you for a while, I can tell. It's like you're a girl in a boy's body sometimes."
Oh shit...they're on to me! "I like some girly, I mean, boyish things!" he claimed. Rich held out his hand in what he hoped was a feminine gesture. "Look at my pretty ring! Don't boys like cute stuff like that?"
Rebecca's flat look was answer enough. "We both know the only reason you wear that ring, bro." The rest, she left unsaid.
Right, Future Hero, fighting Stinger, that was supposed to be his mission, wasn't it? "Touche, sis. We've got shoulder presses and power cleans after this. Then we'll go home and eat lunch. After a short rest, it's agility and speed drills in the park. Let's not waste this Saturday!"
They knocked out the rest of their sets, and this time Becca didn't need assistance as they walked back to Tony the truck, their silver Tacoma.
"When are you gonna teach me to drive this thing?" Becca asked on the way home.
Rich checked the rear-view mirror. This would be a great time for Stinger to ambush them. Usually, they'd run into the bad guys when moving from point A to point B. "Anytime, sis. There's only like a month and some change left of school. It's not like driving a manual is rocket science. But right now, the priority is getting you ready for summer football practice, two-a-days and stuff. You've already changed a lot, you know, but that doesn't mean we can go easy now."
"I know, I know," Becca said tiredly. Maybe he'd spoken too soon about her adapting well. "What about after running in the park?"
"No idea," he said lightly. Their homework was done. Stinger had been weirdly quiet lately. "I guess we could just chill. Maybe invite Julie over and play video games? Or even have her over for dinner? I'm gonna start making her lunch, too. We need to discuss her nutrition plan so I know what I can and can't make, match her macros, any allergies, etc."
"You're making her lunch?" his sister asked in surprise. "Well, aren't you a good little house husband?"
"It's not like that! She's been taking bites of my lunch anyway. This way, she'll have her own. You know I'm about efficiency."
"You're trying to get that ring," Becca teased him. "Don't tell me she didn't tell you the head coach from the University of Texas was over here last week. She's being recruited heavily. Who's to say the NFL isn't in her future? Imagine marrying a girl who makes ten million dollars a year. That could be you. I'm serious."
Rich really didn't like the implication that he was a gold digger, but he knew Becca meant well. She just wanted the best for her brother, which was sweet, in a way. "One day at a time, Becca. Cooking for you and Dad is easy. One more won't make much difference. It's what I do."
Speaking of which, it was the weekend, so Dad was home and they got to eat lunch as a family. Rich was pretty smart about utilizing leftovers, had a whole system in place, so the prep took no time at all.
"These barbecue chicken sandwiches are insane," his twin complimented, and began devouring hers without ceremony.
And cheap as hell to make, he thought. Something like this might cost five dollars at Arby's. Ingredients probably ran him less than one dollar a sandwich. 2005 prices were heaven.
"You know, I just did the budget, and Rich cooking for us probably saved three hundred dollars this month," Dad said. It seemed he and his father were of the same mind.
His sister paused mid-bite. "No way. That's like, three thousand plus a year!"
Dad chuckled. "I can do math too, sweetheart. A computer science PhD has tons of it. With the food savings, plus you two having jobs, we're doing well, astonishingly well. I'm saving money to help you both with college, now. Things might just work out."
"I still eat a lot, though." His sister went back to her food.
"Eat as much as you want, Becca. You're bulking now, and we've got cardio later," Rich told her, not that she needed to hear it. Becca was destroying her food. He served her half a cup of almonds on the side, for something crunchy instead of chips, as well as for the nutrients.
While his family ate, Rich thought about what he was doing here. For the most part, he only reacted to Stinger, countering their evil schemes when he found them. But wasn't he sent back in time specifically to oppose them? This wasn't a vacation where he could just chill with his family, marry a rich woman, and live a soft life. If Stinger won, this world was just as cooked as the AI hellscape from his first life. He had to focus.
***
They loaded Tony the truck with a bunch of random crap: old books, toys, and other brightly colored things that could be used as markers.
Rich laid them out in a few key patterns like "X" and "L" on the grass in the public park near their house. "We're going to use our imagination, Becca. Pretend these are traffic cones. It's all about speed, footwork, balance, and being able to rapidly change direction. We're working on it all today, but first, warm up like I showed you!"
He was copying the exact drills he remembered from his own high school football days, but his old coaches weren't complaining. They didn't exist in the reverse world, or maybe their genderbent versions did.
Becca ran it all. Sprinting up and down the field, doing high knees in a little area where he laid out some old jump ropes to mimic those boxes you ran through, and lots of other little things that had her huffing and puffing and soaking with sweat. With most of her pudge gone now, she was surprisingly fast.
"Rich," she gasped, "how much longer?"
"Here, have a Gatorade." He handed her one from a cooler in his truck.
While they took a break, Stinger decided to finally show up. "Well, well, well, if it isn't..." The nazi biker chick froze.
"Is that?" another Stinger soldier asked.
"It is! Nyte will kill us if we mess with him!"
Wait, what did Nyte have to do with this? Did she know his secret identity? Did she want to fight him herself?
They ran away. Rich looked from his panting sister and the fleeing mooks, completely at a loss. Should he pursue?
"Ichi! Ni! Ichi! Ni!" a powerful woman's voice called in cadence. The sound echoed across the park.
Rich looked at his sister. "What the hell is that?"
"Oh, that's the local karate class. They take it outside on nice days."
Karate class! The Stinger thugs fled in that direction! There could be kids there!
Rich ducked behind his truck and held up the ring:
"From a future dark
To a post not set,
Stinger hasn't won just yet,
With Pureheart Power, a noble mission,
Come forth! Future Hero! Henshin!"
Clad in the Endram Armor, Future hero ran in the direction of the karate class.
"OSU!" they called out in unison, before bowing to their teacher, a tall and strong-looking blonde woman with a ponytail.
Rich saw that the karate class included all ages, from five to fifty. No way would he let Stinger touch a hair on their heads. He pushed forward, scanning for hostiles, his body tensed for battle.
"What is the meaning of this?" demanded the karate teacher.
The Stinger soldiers looked like they didn't quite know what to make of her. "Who the hell are you?" one asked.
"You will address me as Alice-sensei!" she barked.
"OSU!" called the class like a battle cry.
"Listen, lady," the Stinger soldier began, "we have very specific orders..."
"To interrupt my virtuous students as they seek the path of the warrior? I think not! Yurusenai! Unforgivable!" The woman sank into a fighting stance. To Rich's untrained eye, it looked uncomfortable but also perfectly balanced. Her knees were bent and her feet were light, ready to react to anything.
Who does she think she is? Stinger soldiers are stronger than humans! Future Hero ran to her rescue-
POW! Alice-sensei's arm cracked like a whip, striking a Stinger thug in the chest with her heavy fist. The villain went flying.
A human could do that?
"Get her!" commanded the Stinger sergeant. "Stinger Sieg!"
"Osu!" cried Alice-sensei.
"Osu!" echoed the class as they stood at attention, watching the fight.
Stinger knives came out, and this time Future Hero really would need to intervene-
No! Alice's arms swept aside each attack, moving in precise patterns. No angle was uncovered, no openings given!
She's...she's toying with them! Rich observed. The more Stinger attacked without being able to land a hit, the more frustrated they became.
"You have fighting spirit, but no technique!" Alice-sensei criticised them. She began effortlessly weaving counterattacks into her absolute defense, punishing each attempt to touch her with a swift kick or a knifehand chop that thudded like a sledgehammer.
It was...beautiful! Could Rich learn to fight like that? Even outside the suit? With training, Future Hero would be even stronger. Stinger could never win!
When it was all over, and the Stinger soldiers lay on the ground, beaten and broken, Alice-sensei bowed to them. "It was fine exercise, but you are still lacking. If you would be strong, you must first become virtuous!" The blonde woman finally noticed Future Hero. "Will you be my opponent as well?"
From the way she looked, Rich wasn't sure he could win, even in the Endram Armor. She radiated fighting spirit. "No. I fight for justice."
Alice-sensei's eyes went wide, then she smiled. "Well spoken. Osu!"