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The Life of Valor (Grave x Kat)

Scott nodded at Jessica's brave words.
"Yes, we will stop him."
He stood up, shaking hands with Alan.
"Thank you so much for your guidance, sensei. Know that you should not blame yourself for what happened to Jessica's mother. If not for Blood Wolf, that never would have happened."

Alan nodded.
"When Blood Wolf is defeated and her mother avenged, I will rest easier."
Scott walked with Jessica to the portal, stopping just before they went through.
"You should be the one to tell your father what happened upstairs while I stay downstairs with Enjela. When you are done, we need to return to New York and catch a plane to France."
They walked through the portal so that their plan could be acted upon.
 
Jessica nodded as she wiped the last of her tears from her eyes and proceeded to do just that when they got home. She told her father what had happened to her mother, and what she was going to do about it.
 
Scott spoke with Enjela of what he had heard from Alan. It seemed that stopping Blood Wolf was yet another task given to him on account of being Alan's successor. The Empress understood what he had to do, and they agreed that they could hold off on him returning to Kasha until that task was done. Once Jessica came downstairs, he gave her a hug and let her express the emotion that she had to be feeling.
"Let's spend the night here and leave in the morning. You could use some rest while you deal with this."

Empress Enjela stood up and bid them farewell.
"I wish all of you the best of luck in stopping Blood Wolf and fulfilling Alan's unresolved mission. When you are finished, call me and I will open a portal to Kasha. We must not wait too long to begin preparing for Vizharr and Jukei."
Enjela left and began walking back to Jessica's secret spot, where she had arrived. With a wave of her hand, she returned to her home planet.

Scott took Jessica up to their room and laid down with her.
"If you need anything, I'm here for you. I care deeply for you and how you feel."
He gave her a kiss on the cheek and held her close. It seemed that the two of them ending up together had been fate. Together, their love and support of each other would overcome the evil ambitions of Blood Wolf.
 
Jessica nodded in agreement at his suggestion to stay for the night. Once they were together in their room she snuggled into him, nodding silently, opening her mouth to say something before she burst into tears, clinging tight onto him as she sobbed whole heartedly.
 
Scott watched sympathetically as Jessica sobbed into him. He knew that all of this was taking a huge emotional toll on her, but he also knew that it was good for her to let it out. He gently rubbed the back of her head and did what he could to comfort her as she mourned the loss of her mother. He knew that words were not needed, that his presence, offering comfort and acceptance, was all he needed to show that he loved her and would be there for her.
 
Jessica sobbed for a good hour and a half before she eventually fell asleep in his arms from exhaustion, still lightly clinging to his shirt in her sleep.
 
When Jessica fell asleep, Scott gently rubbed the back of her head.
"For every tear that fell from your eyes, I will give one punch to Blood Wolf. He will be brought to justice for all the pain he caused."
He reached over and turned out the light before laying down to close his eyes. Though he had some trouble falling asleep, he eventually did. That night, he had a dream about his time at the Shadowgreen Institute.

The dream recalled a fight between him and Sandstorm, a friend of Shell-Shock and Rocky, who was a middle rank student. Scott had defeated all of the New Bloods and proved himself ready to accept that next rank. As such, this trio of enemies had decided to further test themselves against him. Mike had been confident that he could beat Scott, since his ability to turn to sand could keep him from being hit by Scott's Fist of Valor. Scott struggled until he realized that he could use nature against Sandstorm's power, using his brain like Alan and Chiang had taught him. Using the Million Punches of Valor that he had mastered not long before, he used the heat generated by his punches to turn Mike's body to glass and then knock him unconscious to win the fight.

The next morning, Scott woke up first and began packing their bags to head out. He went downstairs to have breakfast with Jessica, where he tried to keep things light despite the sad revelations of yesterday. Scott gave Jessica a kiss on the cheek.
"I'll be out in the car. You may join me when you're ready."
He went outside and began stowing the bags, now preparing for his own homecoming of sorts.
 
Jessica woke the next morning and smiled at him softly as she wiped the dried tears from her eyes. She ate breakfast with him and her father and then nodded to Scott, having a very extended goodbye with her father before he finally let her go. She grabbed her purse and headed out the door, hugging Scott. "Ok... I'm ready." She said after a deep breath.
 
Scott gently hugged her back, nodding at her newfound strength.
"Okay, babe. Let's go."
He got in the car with her and started it. They began driving back to New York City, talking and listening to music on the way. When they arrived in the city, he went to the airport and parked his car in long-term parking.

"Three years ago I flew from France to NYC in order to start a new, normal life after saving the world. Now I'm going back to the place that helped me discover my destiny. You're going to see a world that few people without superpowers ever do. Be sure to stick by my side at all times."
He got the bags and checked them as they were supposed to. Once they boarded the plane, he leaned back to relax as they ascended and began heading to Nice, France, home of the top-secret Shadowgreen Institute.
 
Scott felt Jessica's head against his shoulder and smiled as she fell asleep. He laid his head back and thoughts ran through his head. Memories of his time at the Shadowgreen Institute appeared in his mind's eye, making him smile. He remembered traveling to the ancient temple of Chiang Kaishu and doing balance training on water, traveling to Alan's realm and sparring with him, hitting the gym for hours, and more fights than he could count. He even battled with his teachers, overwhelming them with the teamwork that he and Valor had perfected. Lastly, he remembered burying the hatchet with his enemies and leaving the Institute ready to embrace a new life.

Now here he was returning to his home, the place he had grown from a boy to a man. He was excited to share a place so dear to him with Jessica. Of course, he could not forget the business at hand. They had to use Institute connections in order to find Blood Wolf, and he was determined that they would. When the plane touched down, he nudged Jessica awake. They stepped off of the plane and collected their baggage before renting a small French car to carry it all.

Scott drove through downtown Nice and took a turn on a dirt track. This took them into a forest that was dark enough to blot out the sun even during midday, and so he turned on the headlights. He took a sudden right that could not be seen and they emerged on a road that led to a very large building with an intimidating gate. The gate was closed, so Scott came to a stop not far from it.
"Hold on just a second."
Scott stepped out of the car and approached the gate, being able to see the man who was manning the guard kiosk.

After a brief conversation confirming his identity, the gate opened and the guard approached the car.
"Step out of the car, please, ma'am."
Scott nodded for Jessica to comply. Once she was out of the car, the guard removed his sunglasses to reveal purple eyes. He emitted a purple beam from his eyes that scanned Jessica from head-to-toe. He put his sunglasses back on and turned to Scott.

"We have a problem here, Mr. Young. Non-mutants and those without augmentations are not allowed inside Shadowgreen without permission from President Duchet."
"I knew that before I came here, Scanner. Call her and tell her that Scott Young and his guest are here on important business."
Scanner nodded.
"Give me five minutes, sir."

Scanner returned to his kiosk and picked up the phone that was a direct line to the President's office. Scott remained calm and encouraged Jessica to do the same. After a few minutes, Scanner returned.
"Go on in. Just, be careful, miss. Others here have powers like mine and won't take kindly to a normy being here."

"If they know what's good for them, they won't even give her a cross look," Scott said with determination.
"Of course, sir. Go on in."
Scott got back into the car with Jessica and drove to the parking lot. Once they were parked, he stepped out and looked around.
"Welcome to the other half of the world, where having amazing powers and doing things the outside world deems impossible is normal."
 
Jessica woke when Scott nudged her and helped him carry their bags to the rented car. She climbed in the car and blinked in surprise at the sudden right turn before gazing up at the gate in shock. Jessica then looked uncertain as she stepped out of the car and covered herself with her arms after she was scanned, feeling somewhat violated. She looked at Scott uncertainly as he tried to tell her to stay calm but slowly lowered her arms. She nodded at Scanner uncertainly before climbing back in the car then following Scott into the building, looking around curiously.
 
Scott looked around, smiling as Jessica took it all in.
"Huge place, isn't it? I remember being bowled over by the size when I first came here, as well."
He took her hand and walked forward, heading through the main building to the dorm building behind the main building. He walked with her up the stairs to the third floor of that building until he found his old room.
"Here it is, Number 367."

Scott put his arm around Jessica.
"I spent a lot of time in this room during the four years I was a student at Shadowgreen. Using Enjela's portals, I could travel to Chiang's Temple in Tibet and Alan's realm from here for training."
He walked back downstairs with Jessica and took a right to the sports building, where there was a room for weightlifting and exercise.
"I lifted weights here a lot when I wasn't being trained in the martial arts. Having my body in peak physical condition was part of my training to prepare for the Grymwar, as it helped my combat abilities immensely."

Scott headed back to the main building, pointing to the cafeteria on the first floor.
"Most students at this school eat here but I never did. Between the prejudice against me for not being technically a mutant and some of the people I was pissing off by fighting and defeating so many mutants, I avoided this place to avoid trouble. When I was ready to fight them, I went looking for them, and they were sorry I did."
Scott walked up the stairs to the fourth floor of the main building, which was an infirmary stocked like a hospital.
"Every teacher and student I shared the school with stayed here for a little while after I won a fight against them, and I recovered here after my battle with the Grymwar."

Scott then led her upstairs to the sixth floor, where President Duchet's office was.
"You are about to meet Yvette Duchet, the Principal of Shadowgreen and Ambassador of the Unusual, which is a catch-all term for everyone who is not a normal human being. Since the Shadowgreen Institute is like an independent nation, she also functions like a Head of State and has all of the political responsibilities of a President, as well. She was one of the toughest opponents I ever faced, since she can turn her body to shadow and make herself hard to hit. That's why she sometimes goes by the handle, Madame Shadow."
He opened the door and proceeded inside with Jessica.
 
Jessica nodded softly in response to his question and followed him, looking curious the whole way. She looked at his room curiously then looked in shock at the size of some of the weights in the weight room and followed after him. She looked at the cafeteria then at him sadly before she nodded and followed him into the room.
 
Scott sat down with Jessica in Yvette's office. She was dressed exactly like when he had last saw her, and he had to wonder, and not for the first time, whether she had any other wardrobe. She was sipping on a glass of tea, and two others had been provided for Scott and Jessica on the other side of the desk. She regarded them for a minute, and then sat back in her chair.
"Well, Scott, I was not expecting you to drop in today. The fact that you brought a regular human with you is also surprising, but then again, you always were good at surprising me."

Scott folded his hands.
"Her name is Jessica, and she is my girlfriend. From now on, I request that no one call her a "normal human" or "normy" as if the only thing that defines her is her lack of powers or augmentations. I had my fill of that kind of prejudice while I was a student here and won't have it done to her. So, if you would do that for me, I would appreciate it."
Principal Duchet nodded at his words, understanding why this was a sore spot for this alumni.

"Pardon my insensitive wording, I meant no disrespect."
She shook hands with Jessica.
"A pleasure to meet you."
She folded her own hands.
"Scanner said that you were here on important business. Does this mean that you have a break on the Blood Wolf case?"

"Yes, and I'm afraid that we don't have time for the Plan A you outlined. Blood Wolf's army is growing faster than I could travel to stop them. We need to find out his identity or something concrete connected to him and fast."
Madame Shadow nodded.
"I suppose you have a plan?"
"Yes, but I'm not sure you'll like it."

Principal Duchet gave him a quizzical look.
"I need one of our telepaths to peer into the mind of one of Blood Wolf's victims. They were under his control and have his blood in them. This can help us trace his location."
"And what if the victim is not cooperative?"
Scott gently took Jessica's hand.

"Jessica can help us greatly with that. She is a normal human, and will prove to them that we can be trusted. Her mother was also a victim of Blood Wolf, and I know for a fact that her heart is kind and caring enough to help the victim."
Yvette evaluated Jessica, but was still unsure.
"I have a telepath that can accomplish what you need, but I need to make sure that she will be safe. Tell me more about the town where this victim is located."
Scott nodded at Jessica, giving her the floor to explain the town where she had grown up.
 
Jessica glanced around a little nervously but quietly thanked the woman for the tea and sipped it softly, looking at Scott, confused by his distaste for 'normy.' She shook hands with the woman and nodded in respect. "Pleasure to meet you as well." She replied then looked at Scott curiously as he explained the plan and blinked in surprise at his confidence in her. She swallowed nervously and explained. "The wolf is in my hometown, probably still at the hospital, in Maine, it attacked us and Scott managed to transform her back to her human form by defeating her."
 
Madame Shadow listened to Jessica speak, nodding in understanding.
"Maine, huh? That's the extreme northeast of the United States, often cold and snowy. I need the name of your hometown and the name of the hospital."
She took a sip of her tea and knew she would have to explain the situation in detail.
"I'm sure Scott has explained the political technicalities of Shadowgreen."

She made a sweeping hand gesture.
"Just like Vatican City is based in Italy but considered a separate country, The Shadowgreen Institute is based in France but considered a separate country. When someone becomes a student here, they forfeit the citizenship of their countries for the duration of their time here. In order for one of my students to travel to the United States, I would have to meet with the U.S. government and negotiate this. To sum up, it is not legally and/or politically as easy as Scott made it sound. For this reason, I need every possible detail to put in a report to the American INS for my request, and I may even have to meet with President Obama about this."

Scott took a sip of his tea for the first time.
"I knew that would most likely be the case, so I came prepared to stay here for a while. Is Room 367 currently occupied?"
Yvette smirked.
"Your old room, Scott?"
"Yes, that's right."

"Fortunately for you, it is. I assume that both of you will be staying there?"
"That is correct."
"A highly-unusual arrangement, but for you, Scott, I will agree to it. After all, someone who saves the world should get some favors, wouldn't you think?"
Scott smiled gratefully.

"Thank you, Yvette."
He turned to Jessica.
"Give her every detail that is important about your hometown. Local landmarks, as well. There are many human beings out there that are very much against mutants and the augmented, and we have to keep the Shadowgreen student safe. Your local knowledge is extremely important."
 
Jessica nodded. "The town is Windsor, Maine and I'm pretty sure they must have taken her to the Maine General in Augusta." She then nodded in understanding at Yvette's explanation of Shadow Green and the measure's they had to take. "Well, although Maine in general is known as one of the most rural states in the country, the majority of the population from what I've experienced and understand are very open minded. We were one of the first ten states to legalize gay marriage back in 2012." She said somewhat proudly. "So I believe the majority of the population would not be completely adverse to mutants. The governer however, is horrible, I don't understand how he got elected. But he is bigoted, loud mouthed, and very close minded and self absorbed. He might be a more adverse if he were to learn of a mutant entering 'his state'." She thought a moment. "Where we found the werewolf was in the forests behind my house in Windsor, but considering the majority of the state is woods and rustic areas, especially the further north you travel, there could be dozens more just in the state..."
 
Yvette listened carefully as Jessica explained everything to her. With specific names, she could use Shadowgreen's sophisticated computer network to do research. She was thankful that she asked, since Jessica informed her that the Mayor of Maine could be a problem. The possibility of more werewolves was a frightening prospect, but one they would have to put on the back burner for now. When her explanation was complete, Yvette took a sip of her tea.
"Thank you, Jessica, you've been very helpful."

Scott gently squeezed her hand, expressing his pride in her. Yvette sat the tea down and regarded Scott.
"For years, the Unusual like myself have been sequestered at places like Shadowgreen. The normal hated and feared us, and many of my kind have been unjustly murdered around the globe. However, as times have changed and people have become more open-minded, hope began to stir that mutants might be able to live in harmony with humans. Scott took the movement forward a big step when he was captured on camera defending the planet from an alien invasion."

Yvette smiled.
"Ever since that day, people have been rejoicing the discovery of an actual superhuman. Scott's heroism brought much good PR to the cause, but inevitably, it also created hate groups. Just like the KKK still hates non-caucasians, the Mutant-Free Movement, or MFM, hates all non-normals. They're mostly still in the "angry speeches and not much action" phase, but that could change any day. With times changing for good and bad, I have to protect my people now more than ever."

Yvette stood up and shook hands with Scott and Jessica.
"I have to compile and send off a report to the U.S. government now. I will need approval and some high-ranking official's clout to overcome the close-mindedness of the Maine mayor. Come back to my office tomorrow morning, and you can meet the Shadowgreen Agent who will be accompanying you."
"Thank you, Yvette."
Scott left the room with Jessica, heading down to the parking lot to get their stuff out of the car.

Scott looked around his room after they had moved the stuff in, remembering his days as a student. He looked out the window and saw students headed for class. He turned to Jessica and gave her a hug before holding her close in his arms. It was evening time, about time for dinner.
"Are you hungry? I know this nice little French cafe we can go to if you are."
 
Jessica nodded that it was no problem to Yvette and she smiled a little at Scott before nodding at Yvette's explanation. She shook her hand and thanked her for her help before following Scott to the car and helping him get the luggage into the room. She then blinked in surprise and blushed a little as she was held before sighing in comfort, resting her head on his shoulders as she hugged him back lightly. She then smiled and nodded. "Sure." She said.
 
Scott smiled as she agreed to his proposal.
"One romantic candlelight dinner for the most beautiful woman in the world, coming right up."
He took her hand and interlaced his fingers with hers before walking with her out of the room.
"Shadowgreen gives each of their student a credit card for food and expenses that gets reloaded every month. I always ate at this cafe instead of the school cafeteria for the reasons I explained earlier."
He got in the car with her and drove a few blocks from the school.

When he pulled up to the cafe, the name Rose Cochon Cafe could be seen lit up in pink neon. It was spelled out in French using the bigger letters, and the English name was spelled out underneath.
"In case you're wondering, Rose Cochon is French for "Pink Pig". The owner was raised on a farm with lots of pigs, and he a little pink piglet as a pet named Rose. The name is sort of ironic, since the owner loves pigs so much that he will not serve pork products."

Scott walked inside the cafe with Jessica, and smiled as he recognized the waiter that would seat them.
"Hey, Jacques, how are you?"
The man's face instantly lit up in a thousand-watt smile.
"Scott, mon'amie, it is so good to see you."
The two men shared a hug, and Jacques turned his attention to Jessica.
"Who is this lovely cherie?"

"This is my girlfriend, Jessica Allen. We met in New York City."
"Ah, the Big Apple."
Jacques had a charming French accent, and he gave Jessica a hug and two "kisses" on the cheek, as was European custom.
"Right this way, both of you."
Scott took a seat at a nicely decorated table, which had a beautiful candelabra in the center.

Jacques handed them menus and opened a notepad.
"Scott, you're still abstaining from alcohol, yes?"
"That's right. Bring me my usual Pepsi, please."
"Of course. And for the lady?"
As he turned to take the order, Scott began to look at the menu.
 
Jessica giggled softly at his 'romantic candle-lit dinner' notion and smiled, following him to the car. She looked up at the cafe then smiled at the story of the owner. "Awww, that's so cute." She replied and followed him inside, smiling happily when Scott seemed to be friends with the waiter, she liked seeing him smile like that. She then blinked in surprise when the man suddenly hugged her and kissed her cheeks, she knew that the kisses were normal custom between friends in Europe but she had not expected that. She smiled at Scott as he didn't drink alcohol, which she liked, since she didn't drink it either. She smiled at the waiter. "I'll just have a water with lemon."
 
Jacques wrote down their drink orders.
"I'll be back in a few minutes to take your orders."
When he walked away, Scott looked over at Jessica.
"I came here every day for years, so I got to know Jacques and the owner, Anton Remierre, quite well. They were friendly people that helped me get through some of the loneliness I had during those years."
He looked down at the menu.

"I actually had everything on this menu once, and I can see that they've added a few things."
He looked at the items.
"Ah, here we go, I think I'll have this stew. It's really good and loaded with vegetables."
He looked at Jessica.
"What are you thinking of?"
 
Scott was puzzled for a minute and then looked over. Seeing what was going on, he chuckled.
"You're reading the wrong side of the menu."
He reached over and turned it around so that everything she had been reading was written in English.
"The English part is on the back. Sorry, I guess I should have told you about that."
 
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