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The morning dew was just as shiny and noticeable as ever. The freshly cut city grass glistening in the morning sun, with the newly painted sky as clear as the window panes. Along the sky, few clouds hovered majestically, their fluffy bumps a welcoming sight. Like pillows in the sky! This side of the city didn’t house many tall buildings, thankfully, so the view was just as beautiful as the country hillside.
Few gusts of wind blew past a colorful figure. Pink, blue, white. A quite odd selection to pick, but attention grabbing. This figured belonged to a young man, who happened to be jogging that fine morning. Average build and height, nothing too special. But wait! Anyone could recognize that hairstyle and breastplate insignia. And those unique arms! It was none other than the [somewhat] popular Spring Man!
He was venturing on his daily jogging routine, cutting corners and easily slipping through the busy streets. He ran alongside the coast, looking out to the rising sun and enjoying the view. The sun mirrored off the water, forcing him to look away if he stared too long.
A rhythm of tip-taps, Spring Man jogged for several minutes, not even breaking a sweat. His smile was contagious, with several fans of his waving him off and giving their best wishes. He nodded each of them off, even giving some of the kids a big goofy smile and a thumbs up! He found himself back on track again a few moments later, whistling to keep himself occupied.
Reaching another corner, Spring Man stopped to catch his breath, checking the time. He pulled out his phone, hitting the home screen button. The time was 7:44 A.M.
Smiling, Spring Man put the phone back in his pocket and continued onward. That was up until he noticed a familiar person up ahead of him.
“Yo! COBRA IS THAT YOU DUDE?” Spring Man called out.
He hadn’t realized the other two figures standing next to Kid Cobra were also familiar. Upon walking closer to the group, he recognized Ninjara and Min Min. The group was getting ice cream.
“Whatcha guys doin’?” Spring asked politely.
Cobra turned, his gaze narrowing. “…Getting ice cream.” His hunched body was in the way, so when he moved, it revealed that the cone had 5 whole scoops of strawberry flavored ice cream. It was a strange sight, considering Cobra had to pinch his fingers to hold the cone upright. He didn’t seem to mind, though.
“Ah… Huh.” Spring Man seemed troubled, tempted to get some for himself. “You guys up to anything today?”
The others seemed too busy with their cones to answer. Cobra dumped an entire scoop into his helmet, emitting a strange noise before finally answering.
“Nah, not really.” He seemed uninterested with Spring Man’s presence. Of course, Spring Man didn’t pick up on it.
“Oh, that’s uh, cool! I guess! You guys wanna jog with me?” He began again, jogging in place. “Just for a bit?”
The others looked at him apathetically.
“No, we’re fine here.” It was Min Min this time that spoke. She had her hair neatly held up with a beanie, different from her traditional one. It seemed that she was eating pecan flavored ice cream, which was somewhat surprising.
“Oh. Well, Uh, You guys mind if I chill with you?” Spring’s voice sounded hopeful, like a younger sibling waiting for the approval of their older sibling.
Everyone else sort of shrugged at each other as a proper response.
“Sure, why not.” Kid Cobra’s voice seemed friendly enough.
Spring smiled wide, and hopped on a neaby park bench. The others followed suite, sitting down. Cobra had swallowed another scoop in one go, the ice cream melting away at his hands. Ninjara had an unusual combination, mint maybe? It was a flavor Spring wasn’t familiar with. Min Min went away and ate her cone in silence.
Spring Man was just about to open his mouth, but before he could, Kid Cobra tapped him on the shoulder, his arm outstretched.
“Hey Spring, I got a question for ya.” His low undertone was something Spring never got used to. “Do you know what uh…”
Cobra cut himself off, snickering. Quickly, the other two knew immediately what was happening, and began giggling, too.
Spring Man sat confused, waiting for the question with a leg gently bouncing. “What? What’s what?” He asked.
Kid Cobra chuckled again along with the others, hurrying to catch himself. “Do you know what… Up Dog is?”
With a confident smile, Spring nodded, but quickly realized that he did not, in fact, know what Up Dog was. He sat for a moment, frowning.
Everyone else was trying their absolute hardest to hold back their laughter, Ninjara eventually hiding a small snort.
‘Up Dog…? What…. what is….’ Spring sat in utter defeat and confusion. He just could not figure what that was! After a few moments of pondering, Spring looked up. His eyebrows uneven, one low and one arched.
“What is.. Up Dog?” Spring Man asked quietly, his voice weak and lower than usual.
Within an instant, the other three fighters burst out in laughter, howling and holding back tears.
Spring Man was oblivious of the situation, and laughed with them, just not as loudly. When the laughter died down, he questioned it again.
“What’s Up Dog?” He asked again, sending the others off the bench with that one. Finally, he realized the joke. 'What’s up dog!’ He thought, and chuckled.
The others gave him a pat on the back, still laughing like crazy.
“Wait until I tell the ARMS team about this!” “Oh the news teams are gonna LOVE this.” “Ooooh man wow Spring you’re a tough one huh?”
The group began walking, urging the fooled Spring to follow along. Face a little red from embarrassment, Spring Man eased up and laughed it off again, following the others. They hung out for the rest of the day.