About two weeks later, Josh underwent the Hero Association's registration procedure. He wondered if he might be given the rank of B or even A, since he had managed to easily take on several B-Rank villains all at once and even traded blows and survived an onslaught against the Steel Titan.

  But when he was officially handed his papers by Mason, he couldn’t help but gawk as if gotten the wrong paper by mistake.

  "E-Rank?" Josh exclaimed, a frustrated edge to his voice. "Are you serious? After everything I've done, I'm starting at the very bottom?"

  Blue Lock, however, offered a patient explanation. "It's standard procedure, Josh," he said while folding his arms. "All newly registered superheroes start at E-Rank, as it isn’t solely about power; it's also how successful you are as a hero." He paused, then added, "In fact, you should actually consider yourself lucky that the Association didn’t make you go through a two-year training course just to earn that bottom rank."

  Josh sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I guess that makes sense," he muttered grudgingly, "but still..."

  Blue Lock clapped him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, you'll move up quickly enough. And speaking of teams, given your skills, you've been assigned to an exceptionally experienced team led by Kaiju-Man: the Rollers."

  Josh was then led to an enormous, gym-like room. Inside, he saw Kaiju-Man in his massive, part-Kaiju form, lifting colossi, weights that were the size of two houses. The hero was only wearing a thin green tank top that strained to contain his huge, bodybuilder-like chest, shoulders, and arms, while his scaled legs were clad in black shorts.

  Whoa... Josh thought, his eyes widening. This guy is pretty strong.

  Kaiju-Man noticed the two heroes and immediately lowered the weights, transforming back to his human form with a cheerful chuckle. "Well, hello there," he said, his lighthearted voice contrasting with his massive physique. He strode over to Josh, a wide grin splitting his face. "You must be the recruit! Welcome to the Rollers, kid!"

  Josh managed a smile, though he felt a bit overwhelmed by the sheer size and energy of the man. "Uh, thanks," he said. "It's... an honor.”

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  Homerr is all mind! And please, call me Koji."

  Kaiju-Man gestured to the others in the room. The first was a spiky-haired, green-haired young man who looked to be around eighteen. He wore a black, sleeveless shirt with a purple stripe, showing off his lean but clearly muscled physique, and a pair of blue jeans with a black cap over his head. He was intently focused on his phone, barely glancing up as Koji introduced him.

  "This is Electro Punk," Koji said, clapping the young man on the back. Electro Punk casually waved his right hand in greeting, his eyes still glued to his screen.

  Next to him stood a large, burly, yet muscular African man with red hair styled in cornrows, eyes as brown and natural as the earth, and gleaming dark skin. He wore a tight, dark red spandex costume with brown cargo pants and grinned at Josh with a warm, welcoming smile. "Canyon Shifter," Koji announced, and the big man gave a friendly nod.

  "Nice to meet you, boy," Canyon Shifter said, his voice deep and hearty. "Always good to have some fresh blood on the team."

  Josh nodded, feeling a bit more at ease with Canyon Shifter's friendly demeanor. "Thanks," he replied.

  Beside Canyon Shifter was a tall, slender woman with long blonde hair and a strand covering her left eye. She had dark purple eyes and wore a tight dark blue leather suit that accentuated her curvy figure, the top of which was daringly open. She regarded Josh with a dismissive roll of her eyes as Koji introduced her.

  "And this is Beatrice," Koji said, seemingly unfazed by her reaction.

  Just as Koji was about to introduce the last member of the team, a blur of motion caught everyone's attention. Starlight, her pink hair streaming behind her, launched herself from a hidden corner, landing gracefully in front of Josh. Koji, with a laugh, reached out and caught her mid-air, spinning her around in a playful twirl.

  "And here's the last but not least of our little group, the ever-so-dramatic Starlight!" Kaiju-Man chuckled, clearly amused by her antics.

  Starlight, still grinning, disentangled herself from Koji's grasp and turned to Josh, her light hazel eyes sparkling with excitement. "It's so great to finally meet you!" she exclaimed, her voice bubbly and enthusiastic. "I can't wait to learn everything about your magic!"

  Josh, faced with her overwhelming enthusiasm, could only manage a slightly nervous smile. "Uh, sure, nice to meet you too, Starlight," he said, feeling a bit swamped by her energy.

  Blue Lock, who had been watching the introductions with a wry grin, clapped Josh on the shoulder. "Well, kid, it looks like you'll fit right in," he said, offering a genuine, if slightly weary, smile. "Good luck climbing up the ranks.” He then turned to leave. "I've got to head back to the city. League business. You'll be in good hands with Kaiju-Man."

  Josh watched him go, then turned back to his new teammates, his expression a mixture of apprehension and excitement at his new start.