"I was expecting this... Just didn't think it'd be on day three," Sensei Pwain groaned as he was dragged across the hall by three of his first-year students.
"It wasn't Gerald's fault, sir! I swear! It wasn't! The Marcellonia guys started it!" the trainee who had found him first tried explaining breathlessly.
"...I see."
"Yeah, Sensei Pwain! Gerald and I, with a couple of our friends, were just leaving our dorms for our Spiritual Energy Reconstruction and Manipulation class when those Marcellonia guys showed up. They started making fun of our school, talking trash. I told them to stop and go away, then the guy they called Dylan punched me. That's when Gerald stepped in front of us and called them out."
"Yeah! They were merciless. They started fighting us. We fought back, but they beat all of us easily! So Gerald—Gerald sacrificed himself for us, choosing to stay behind while we escaped!" the second trainee said dramatically, even adding fake tears and expressions.
Sensei Pwain blinked, considering for a moment whether he should give the boy an award for "Best Supporting Actor."
"Okay, I get it…" Pwain muttered, rounding the corner with the trio.
The hallway opened into chaos. The trainees of Four Stars Academy and the Hero Academy stood on opposite sides, glaring daggers at each other, ready to start an all-out war.
Both schools had their main instigators front and center, and from the looks of it, Four Stars trainees outnumbered the Hero Academy's nearly two-to-one — yet the visitors didn't back down.
"We'll wet you up, you Four Stars wimps!"
"Says the freaks from Marstatopia!!"
"It's Marcellonia, you buffoons!!"
Pwain could barely contain his laughter as he listened to the childish name-calling. He had to admit — the Hero Academy trainees had spunk. Much more, at least, than his own students' sorry attempts at insults.
The two trainees who had brought him there had already slipped away to their group's side. Pwain sighed, realizing this could explode any second. All they needed was a spark — and he was not going to let that happen. The Headmaster would chew his ass out if it did.
"These brats have lost all sense of respect, haven't they? To argue like this in front of me."
Pwain sighed, removing his concealment skill. The air changed instantly. A dense, freezing surge of Spiritual Energy flooded the hallway.
It was heavy.
The kind of pressure that bent space itself, sharper than anything the students had ever felt. Every trainee froze in place. They couldn't breathe, couldn't talk — some couldn't even think. The weaker Four Stars students dropped unconscious on the spot. Only six remained standing, while all the Hero Academy trainees managed to stay conscious — barely.
After all, these were the top Hero Academy students, handpicked to represent their school.
Pwain's brow rose slightly. "Impressive. You survived that."
And survive was all they could really do.
He reduced the pressure slightly, allowing them to breathe again.
"I am truly disappointed in you all," Pwain said, voice calm but cutting.
"But Sensei! They—"
"—Are your guests," he interrupted sharply. "You treat them with respect and dignity, even if they don't deserve it."
A few Hero Academy trainees chuckled under their breath.
Pwain turned his gaze toward them, eyes narrowing. "And you—don't get too comfortable. You're visitors in a foreign academy. That means your posture should be one of respect and gratitude, not pride and pestilence."
The Hero Academy trainees fell silent, bowing their heads slightly. Pwain allowed himself a small, proud smile.
"In our academy," he continued, "we have a special way of resolving problems between students. And that's duels. The two of you who started this argument—" he pointed toward Gerald and Dylan, "—to the training hall. Settle it there, and let's not hear of this nonsense again."
---
Sensei Pwain led the boys into the training grounds. A small crowd had already gathered — word of another duel spread fast.
Kutote stood at the edge of the ring, observing. He didn't know what started the fight, but he knew one thing: any chance to study the Hero Academy's combat style was worth his time.
Inside the ring, Gerald and Dylan stood tense, Pwain standing between them like a zookeeper trying to calm two wild beasts.
Gerald Stecham — one of Four Stars' strongest first-years — felt his heart hammer. Ever since his loss to Itekan Líe, he'd learned not to underestimate anyone. He hadn't even been able to go all out before Itekan crushed him.
So this time, he wouldn't hold back.
He'd go all out from the start—
Right?
Right!?
Then why was he already on the ground?!
The instant Pwain stepped away, Swaine had launched his technique — Warrpole.
The ground beneath Gerald softened, turning to sludge. His legs sank like he was trapped in quicksand.
"What—!?" Gerald's eyes widened. He barely had time to react before his knees were swallowed by the earth.
Panic flickered in his chest. He'd seen that kind of reaction speed before… back when he fought Itekan.
But he wouldn't lose like that again.
"Arrrghhhh!!!" Gerald roared, releasing his Spiritual Energy in a furious surge.
He was a Beast Walker, one of the few born with the bloodline. His body began to twist and shift, his family's technique awakening — Emperor Wolf Form.
His nose and mouth elongated into a wolf's snout, his ears stretched upward, the hair on his body thickened in wild tufts. His legs bent backward as his bones reformed, and a feral energy burst from his core.
His howl tore through the arena — a raw, primal blast of SE that shook the floor.
Swaine's technique faltered for an instant.
And in that instant, Gerald leaped.
---
At the same time the duel was going on inside the training grounds a pair sat atop the academy watchtower overlooking the lake.
It was one of the most quiet spots in the academy. It's view of the lake during the sunset was divine. Several guys had been caught bringing their girlfriends here.
"Heyyo Togira, what's up you ignoring me?" Itekan asked the 12 horned beak flying a few meters away. Togira had just evolved again growing it's sixth horn. It's wing protrusion has finally been broken sporting two obsidian wings about 5 feets wide.
Togira turned and looked at him with a grunt, Itekan could've sworn he saw him roll his large crimson red eyeballs. He had to admit it seemed with everything evolution he became more smug.
"Hey come on! What's this about?"
"Dunno. If you can't figure it out then there's nothing to talk about."
Oh yeah, one more thing that came with his recent evolution, he could now properly replicate human language.
Itekan was behind himself wondering what he did wrong, it's even worse than handling ladies. Then it hit, every lady wants attention at least that's what his dad taught him. Is Togira's being fussy because he's been ignoring him recently.
"Wait—Wait! Togira you're male aren't ya!"
"What! How does that even—You know what. We don't have genders like you humans do cus we reproduce asexually but I think of myself as a male so what!"
"Nothing, we're good—Cus I don't do that gay stuff" Itekan said mummering the last bit.
"What was that?"
"Nothing! I'm guessing you're upset cus I haven't really payed much attention to you for a while now..." Itekan slowed watching Togira change expression from nonchalance to fury to annoyance all in one second.
"So you noticed, stupid. You went to the Archem Ruins without me."
Itekan didn't meet his gaze. "You'd have been bored."
"You say that, but you enjoyed it, didn't you?"
He exhaled with a small laugh. "Yeah."
"Traitor! You left me with your silly female classmates while you guys went treasure hunting!!"
"…Sorry." Itekan mummered
Togira's tone wasn't angry — it was heavy, like quiet hurt pressed into thought.
Itekan rubbed the back of his neck. "Alright, fine. You're right. I shouldn't have left you behind. That's on me."
Togira smiled at that.
"Then how're you gonna make it up to me?"
---
"What is with you people and fights?" Korimer groaned as Ronga pulled him into the training grounds to watch the fight.
"Shut it dog face! We both know duels between trainees are the best way to improve power levels."
"Still this is only the third day" Korimer said, the sounds of cheering and names echoed around even as the reached the edge of the crowd.
"Who're the guys fighting?" Ronga asked One of the Marcellonia trainees who stood beside them.
"Lady Ronga! I—It's Dylan and a guy named Gerald" The student said with a bow and a frightened look on his face. Korimer did not miss that, but kept to himself. He could question her later.
"I bet it was your boys that started the fight." He said as he left the way to the second floor, there were fewer trainees here and it gave a much view of the duel going on down below.
Gerald seemed to be holding his own quite all right, he was faster and stronger than Dylan in his base form. And with his Beast walking transformation, the gap in stats all the more obvious.
Yet Dylan's technique gave him more versatility, he used his Warrpole technique to escape attacks as well as trap Gerald. They were equally matched.
Pwain had already lost interest in the fight, he could already guess the winner. In fights where both opponents are equally matched, and a winner isn't clear based off overwhelming power alone, the winner of such duel usually wins because they are able to use the environmental conditions to their favor.
For example two lion cubs fighting in a valley. Both being equal in strength and speed. The one who would win is the one who was able to adapt first to the conditions of the valley. He tricks the other and corners him to the wall making retreat or any other action nigh impossible while giving himself more room for attack.
The same was being to happen here. Dylan noticing he couldn't win by brute force alone switched tactics, he created explosion sinkhole traps behind Gerald and forced him to move in that direction. Gerald wasn't able to react on time to escape but just before they went boom Sensei Pwain stopped the fight.
"Dylan of the Hero Academy wins!" Pwain said and left, the cries and cheers of both schools grew louder as the announcement was made.
On the second floor, Ronga was smug her hand out as Korimer dropped the bill into her hands. They had bet that their schools representative would win.
"Told ya we'd win! Ohh I can't wait for this tournament to begin!!"
"Same here" Korimer agreed though for a different reason. He was tired of babysitting.
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Spiritual Energy (SE)
Spiritual Sea (SS)
Spiritual Signature (SST)