It was a few minutes past eight the next morning, and Jayden was still running the school hallways in search of the lecture hall he was supposed to be sitting in by now.
"Damn, what a big school!, It would have been easier if I'd followed the guys, but I had to delay since I needed to privately hide the only lead I have on the MAGEO, until I'm able to get a device to it."
He took a sharp turn, following the path of the hallway,
"Yes, that's it, Beast Ecology lecture room 101"
He increased his pace with excitement, the egg cradled in his armpit as always. He was neatly dressed in a white button-down shirt beneath a sleeveless black sweater, also wearing black trousers.
Just as Jayden almost neared the door, three figures appeared from the left side of the doorway.
His eyes widened, fighting against his momentum as he slid across the tiles, his teeth clenched, praying he wouldn't bump into them.
"Phew, that was close", he whispered, stopping inches behind them just before one of the boys burst into laughter from what his companion said and bounced backwards, bumping into Jayden.
"Hey, watch where you're going!!" Troy, the boy grinned as he turned around.
Jayden took a step back, shocked by the terrifying gaze all the boys shot at him, accompanied by a devilish smile. Worse, he could see the number "1" written on their uniform badges, marking them as the highest year 1 students.
'I don't remember crossing anyone's boundaries, especially top potential students, so why the fuck are they looking at me like that?'
"Well, well, well", said Troy, now he wasn't just smiling devilishly, but he was cracking his Knuckles, black and yellow leopard markings spotted his body and long claws extending from his fingers.
"If it isn't Jayden Logan, the year's smartest kid in the United States. I see you haven't been advised to put that egg in an incubator." He winked at Jayden's armpit.
Jayden shrugged, exhaling a sly breath. 'So that's what all this is about. If only they knew I could take them out with just a punch in the right spot'
Jayden straightened his posture and said. "If you'll excuse me I've got a class to attend,"
He attempted to walk past them, but Rowen, one of the boys beside Troy yanked him backwards.
"Where do you think you're going? We have unsettled scores."
Jayden easily retained his balance and raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"
The three boys laughed in unison.
"Don't play innocent here, what did you think being the smartest, most famous and cutest baby face guy would cause other guys?" Troy snared.
Then Benjamin, the third boy with octopus-like tentacles flowing down his waist added, "I had to watch my girlfriend praise you almost every day"
"Yours is better," Rowen added, his large gorilla fist smashing together and his skin was exceptionally hairy, "my bae asked me to try sounding like this moron, saying he sounded sweet and indirectly telling me I sounded bitter."
"That's considerable!" Troy clenched his fist, "Both my sister and my girlfriend used him as their profile pic, always worshipping his face like those ancient BTS Korean boys."
Jayden was in a state of 1000% confusion and disgust with his mouth left open and eyebrows lifted.
Like,
"Do I even know your girlfriends or your sister?"
He stretched out both arms, as if asking a question.
So even being attractive and smart was now a crime. What about being ugly and dull? You'll still be secluded and mocked, so what the fuck did humans expect from each other?.
"What do you three want?" Jayden muttered without looking them in the eye; his voice was deep with authority.
Troy shrugged. "Well, since you have nothing but an egg, that would make you appear less smart" Then he stepped closer and smiled widely, "but we'll have to reshape that handsomeness of yours."
They began circling Jayden with bared teeth like predators.
Jayden's fist was clenched; he could only think of how annoying this was, making anger bubble beneath his skin.
Troy threw the first strike, aimed for Jayden's face with his claws, but Jayden was twice as fast as him despite his leopard beast.
Jayden immediately ducked below the punch and prepared a fist for a counter strike.
But then the door to the lecture hall opened.
"What's the noise all about?" The lecturer, Mr Williams muttered, studying the scene from behind his glasses.
It wasn't hard to picture that they were in a fight.
They all immediately straightened their posture, placing their hands behind their backs and forcing innocent smiles.
The lecturer watched their faces one by one as if searching for something.
"Are you all not year one students?"
No reply came from the top students, but Jayden replied 'Yes' to that.
"Didn't you know beast ecology is a general subject, no matter what course you're offering?"
Sweat began crawling down their skin; who knows what would be the consequences if the old man really got a view of the scene?
"Hmmm... Sir, that was what I was trying to explain to my comrades here, but they insisted that Beast Ecology classes were only for certain students."
Jayden pointed at the boys behind him
"So this year's top students are morons." The lecturer smacked them on the head one by one, but what could they do?
The man was just a Toldstool tamer, one of the lowest plant beasts, of which even at their lowest level they could beat crap out of him, but that would only get them expelled.
"You. The man pointed at Jayden, "Get in the class, and for coming late, that's a minus five points from your test scores, and as for the rest of you top morons, that would be a minus 10 for thinking such a way.
Now get in the hall"
They all walked in, feeling the gaze of the other students peering at them.
Jayden could feel the anger from his new friends; worse, they were giving a minus ten points because of Jayden's fake excuses, although if the lecturer had known they were about to fight, it would have been worse.
But that wasn't his main dread. Jayden held the fist he had almost shot at Troy.
Cold was biting into his skin.
'W-Where did all that rage come from?'
He had never raised a hand to fight someone before, so how come all of a sudden?
What happened to hiding his potential and acting weak?
'Draco!!!' Jayden called in his mind but no reply.
'Draco!!'
"Can't you see I'm taking a nap, you bitch!"
"Tell me, when we bonded, did we also fuse emotions?"