NOVEL FROG Chapter 6: Caution to the Wind
Chapter 6: Caution to the Wind
It was a relatively uneventful dinner, with my friends and I discussing the fight. It was a lot to take in for the first day, so we were all understandably tired. I figured I would rest up a bit before my showdown with Daxston tonight. After exchanging contacts, we headed back to our dormitories. Kaede split off to the female dorm, while Jonah and I continued to the male dorm. It turned out that Jonah stayed only one floor below me.
“I’ll see you tomorrow dude!” Jonah waved as he got off the elevator.
I stepped back into my apartment, took a quick shower and lay on the bed, reflecting on the events that happened today. I was fortunate to form friendships with Kaede and Jonah, since I was able to vibe with them well. I continued idling my time by surfing the Net, texting Colleen about the fight, and researching more about time manipulation Abilities. But as expected, there was little to find.
Soon, it was 11:40 PM. I put on a hoodie and texted Kaede, letting her know I was heading down. She arrived at the dormitory entrance. "Ready?" she asked. I nodded.
We headed back over to the Colosso Dome. As it was nearing midnight, there was almost no movement around the campus. We walked by the lake en route to the Dome. Kaede didn't say much. I appreciated it, as I was busy psyching myself up for the fight. Right now it was quite peaceful. What was about to come next was anything but.
Even though I arrived with a couple of minutes to spare, I spotted Daxston loitering under a tree nearby.
“Looking very suspicious out there buddy,” I called.
Daxston scowled. “Looks like your girlfriend’s come to support you. Whatever, it doesn’t change anything.”
“It’s not like that!” Kaede meekly called out.
Daxston ignored her and turned his back, entering the Dome. We soon arrived at the lower levels of the Dome, which was completely empty.
“Why does it feel like we’re trespassing?” Kaede whispered.
“Relax, we’re not. The dome is open 24/7. People here have a wide array of Abilities, and some work better at night than others. It's only fair they keep it open at night as well,” Daxston growled.
Time-based Abilities were indeed a thing, though rare. Fortunately, it seemed like none of those people were in the Dome tonight. Still, the area was patrolled by guards and was under heavy surveillance by countless security cameras. It would do us well not to try anything funny even at this hour.
The private arenas were very different from the public arenas. They were slightly smaller, in enclosed rooms made entirely of the esper-resistant metal, Abizium. The rooms here bore the scars of previous battles, so they clearly did not have the self-repair feature the public arenas enjoyed. I filed that information into my memory.
We entered one of them at random, shut the door and turned on the lights. The lights and air conditioners whirred to life.
Daxston strolled to the opposite end of the arena. “Don’t make this too quick, sneaky boy.”
“I’ll try my best,” I replied.
Kaede went to the far corner. Despite it being a private arena, there was a small area with tennis bleachers, protected by a force field. I assumed it was for students to take turns and rest during group practice sessions, or simply for fight demonstrations.
“RARR!” Daxston thrust his hand out, an enormous shockwave of superheated air erupting from his palm. I stood firm, absorbing all the energy from the attack right before it came into contact with me. Instantly, I changed its direction, manipulating the kinetic energy in his attack. I released it, essentially blasting his own attack right at him.
Daxston leapt backwards, the air from my attack dissipating. “Just as I thought, you’re a fun one,” he grinned.
He sprayed the air in front of me, blocking my vision.
Almost immediately, a blast of heat shot at me from behind, at an extraordinarily high speed. I had prepared myself to absorb any large bursts of energy passively, so his attack got absorbed again. With this amount of excess energy, I converted it into electricity, and unleashed a large shockwave of lightning. I used the excess to manipulate the air currents in the room, dissolving the mist.
“Argh!” I heard Daxston cry. He fell to one knee, grasping his shoulder, which was now sizzling. “It’s not over yet!” he shouted. Still, I could sense the fear in his eyes. He was not able to understand how my power worked. To him, all of his attacks were simply getting absorbed, while I unleashed a variety of different attacks on my own. He must have been shocked to see his own attack directed back at him.
“Is that all you can do?” I asked.
Daxston smirked. He thrust out his hands behind him and blasted, the force catapulting him right towards me. He twisted in the air, and before I could move, unleashed yet another explosion of gas.
It was futile. There was no possible way he could harm me. With a sigh, I converted the energy in his attack into pure gravity and smashed Daxston into the ground with it. He lay flat on the ground like a gingerbread man, pinned by 10 times the force of gravity. I released my hold on him. The entire time, I hadn’t moved from my starting position.
I noticed Kaede staring in disbelief off to the side. My attention was brought back to Daxston however, as he tried to stand up. His legs wobbled. “You… you really are something else. You win this round.”
“Good game,” I said.
Kaede rushed over. “That was amazing. You made it look so easy!”
“It was fine. Anyway, it’s getting late. We should head back,” I replied.
Daxston said he would stay a bit longer. I understood that he would prefer not to walk back with us. With that, Kaede and I left the Dome.
I had tried to play it cool, but in reality, I was very hyped up as well. The thrill of combat was as reinvigorating as ever.
“Say, Cadel. Can I ask you something? Kaede said in a low voice.
I nodded, though I already had a suspicion of what she was about to ask. “What is it?”
“What’s your true rank?”
She had asked a similar question back at the stairwell, but I had avoided it.
I guess it wouldn’t hurt to tell her now. “I got graded 4-Stars during the practical assessment.”
“Only? Daxston was a 4-Star, and you totally wiped the floor with him,” she retorted.
“It’s the truth,” I replied.
“Okay… I wanna ask you something else, but please don’t take offence to this.”
I gave her the go-ahead.
“If you’re so strong, why are you in District 4? I think you would fit in perfectly in District 1.” Her tone was serious. I could tell she firmly believed that I possessed the quality to be in District 1.
“It’s a bit of a long story,” I warned.
“Try me.”
We were walking past the lake now, the scenery eerily beautiful. The reflection of the full moon bathed on the water’s surface.
“I’m in debt.” I bluntly spoke. “We’re talking about at least 5 digits. The government didn’t believe I could pay off my student loans if I applied for one, so they refused. I had to work part-time throughout most of my middle school to even enrol in District 4. It didn’t help that I had to pay for my own school fees in middle school as well. As for why I was in debt in the first place?”
I paused. This was a personal matter, and I did not have to share this with her. I was worried that she would change her impression of me if I told her my parents were criminals. Especially since it was my fault.
“Maybe another time, I said. I wondered how Kaede would respond. I hoped she wouldn’t judge me too much.
She gazed at the lake, silent for a bit. Eventually, she turned her focus to me, laying a gentle hand on my shoulder. “There’s a lot I still don’t know about you, but I at least know you’re really strong,” she assured me. “I’m sure you’ve made the most out of your situation. If there’s anyone who can excel in this District, on this Island, it’s you.”
I felt a chill run down my spine. Can it be called a chill? If so, why did it feel so warm? I was not familiar with that feeling. Since I was young I had only seen the world through dark-tinted lenses. Every day was filled with shouting, abuse and hurt. I wasn’t sure how to respond, so I stuttered an awkward “yeah, thanks,” and hastened my footsteps.
Kaede probably sensed that I was uncomfortable, so she decided to switch it up. “Hey, uh, maybe you could use your powers to train me? Like um, you know, since I probably won’t be able to hurt you even if things go out of my control…” she stammered. “I’m still not sure how your power works, - it’s okay if you don’t wanna explain it to me! - but… I guess I feel safe when I’m with you. Ah, don’t take it the wrong way though! It’s not like I’m asking you to be my bodyguard!” she blushed.
I cracked a wry smile. “Sure, I don’t mind. We can start practicing in the private arenas after school or something.”
Kaede’s eyes lit up. “Really? Thanks!”
Soon after, we reached the split between the male and female dorms.
“Thanks for today, good night!” she said with a subtle cheer in her voice as she waved goodbye.
I made my way back to my room, exhausted. You couldn't script a more action-packed first day of school. It was my first time attending class, witnessing a fight, and actually fighting someone. Well technically, it was my second day on the island, but it felt like my first real day here.
The urge to prove myself became increasingly stronger. There was still a while to the first tournament, but in the meantime we could still spar with other students. I eagerly wanted to have a go at Zoey, Kazen, or even Scarlette. Any 5-Star would sate my appetite. I lectured myself for not asking for Scarlette’s contact back then. She was the perfect match-up for me. I loved opponents who could supply me with the energy I need to throw back at them.
Thinking back, she did seem just as eager to fight me. I had refrained because I didn’t want to get into trouble. This reminded me that the problem of being forbidden from interacting with students from other districts still remained. There was the inter-District competition, but there were still a couple of months to go before that happened.
Ah well, unless we came across each other at the river again, it would be pretty much impossible to contact her. I decided to focus on the 5-Stars within my own school first. Kazen would be the easiest, provided he comes to class soon. As I mulled over the possible routes I could take, my fatigue finally caught up to me and I drifted off to sleep.
The next day yielded a welcome surprise. It seemed like my wish had been granted, for Kazen was actually present. He sat quietly at the last remaining desk, quietly fiddling with his phone. His cold aura deterred my classmates from approaching him. I figured I would ask him later, since he was catching a lot of attention right now.
It was a stalemate until Spencer arrived. He seemed to completely forget about Daxston needling him on the first day, and was back in high spirits.
“Hi, Kazen right? I’m Spencer Dallen, 1-Star! I can change the colour of objects!” He changed his glasses from black to white, then back to black again. “Could you introduce yourself to us?”
Kazen left him hanging, not bothering to reply. He continued using his phone.
“Er…” Spencer scratched his head awkwardly. “It’s fine! Some people are more reserved after all!”
The sound of high-heels click-clacked on the floor. Ms Reina marched in briskly, appearing quite flustered. The class went back to their seats, sensing some sort of urgency.
“Alright class listen up! I know this is unexpected, but we have a new transfer student in our class today,” she announced. “I hope you guys make her feel welcome. Please step in.”
A girl walked in, looking awkwardly at the floor. The class was quiet, apart from a couple of boys swooning in satisfaction. Meanwhile, I couldn’t hide my surprise.
The girl looked up. Her eyes were still downcast, though her voice stern. “Hi, I’m Scarlette Falcon, 5-Stars.”
Administration Notes
School: Waning Crescent Institute
Name: Kazen Rain
Gender: Male
Year: First-year
Rank: 5-Star
Division: Combat
Ability: Plasma user. Adept and experienced in controlling plasma, flexible in both offense and defense. Solid all-rounder.
