Chapter 101: 98. The Calm before the Storm (Part 17)

It was a mess.

Rai’s gut feeling was on the money.

Him and his friends sat in the stands and watched as students tried to do as the teachers said. Their attempts were... pitiful, Rai thought. No matter what they did, it didn’t work out. Students trying to be agile were implementing strength training theories, but it just made them stumble over more as they became more stiff. The students that tried to strengthen their bodies, tried to be nimble like they would in mobility training, but it only hindered them.

Colt and Jacky were slowly starting to get frustrated that the class couldn’t adjust to the different styles and implement the theories behind either of the fields to their training.

“Are we actually going to do anything in this lesson?” Sin asked.

“I wanted to dash around and actually train my mobility skills, but this is really just...”

“Disappointing.” Someone finished Rai’s sentence.

They turned to see who it was.

Hiron? Rai couldn’t believe it.

“You’re agreeing with me?”

“I might hate your guts, but... you were right.”

Sin’s eyes widened. Hiron is admitting that someone else was right about something... I can’t believe this. Considering her thoughts on Feris just shortly prior, the irony was clearly lost on her.

Hiron stared at the teachers who were evidently finding it hard to teach the class under this new concept.

“They didn’t think it through. I bet they’re just stuck in their own fantasies without a clue about actually teaching.”

Feris felt something stabbing his shoulders. He looked up at the Academy building. An owl perched itself atop the edge of the roof. Feris sighed. The headmaster was watching.

“Why don’t you two do something about it then?” He asked Rai and Hiron.

Rai and Hiron stared at him with questioning expressions on their faces.

“Do you need me to spell it out for you?! Go and prove them wrong, dumbfucks!”

“Why should I listen to a no-name like you?! Fuck off.”

Feris was about to punch Hiron’s face, but Rai stopped him. Rai had thought about this before, when he first asked the question to the teachers. They had to do something, but he couldn’t figure out exactly what. Feris had just given Rai and idea.

“He has a point. Feris might be an asshole, but he’s right about this.”

“Yeah right! I wouldn’t help you in a million years.”

“Hiron. For once in your life. Get your head out of your ass, and do something helpful!” Sin shouted at him.

Hiron stared back at her. He wanted to rebuke her in some way. Put her down with his own words... but he couldn’t. Hiron was furious. But he didn’t know why he was furious. Something within him caused this anger, but it had no clear direction that he could understand.

Rai noticed Hiron’s anger. He was clenching his fists, and his expression betrayed the fury that was hiding just beneath the surface. Rai didn’t ever think much of Hiron, but he clearly had emotions of his own, at least.

Hiron looked over at the teachers.

They were stumbling through this lesson. They went and needlessly complicated things. If there was one thing that Hiron didn’t like, it was needless complications.

Their incessant need to be right, even when they were wrong... it reminded Hiron of his father.

He punched the back of the empty chair beside him with the bottom of his fist.

Under his breath, Hiron growled.

“... Fine. C’mon then, freak.”

“That’s more like it.” Rai smiled at him.

He moved over and whispered the plan in Hiron’s ear.

“... That’s the plan? That’s awful! Dreadful! Who made you the leader anyway?!”

“I beat you so I’m the lead. Just follow the plan and it’ll all work out.”

Sin turned to Maya, “You’ve been quiet this whole-...” Maya snored, “time.”

Feris giggled a little like what Sin imagined a hyena to sound like.

“Let the mad dog sleep. She’ll just miss out on the entertainment.”

“That’s a little cruel. I’ll wake her up.”

Feris’s giggle quickly turned into a disapproving snarl.

Sin ignored him and shook Maya’s thigh. Woah... her leg’s so... thick. I never realised...

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Maya broke Sin out of her stupor, “Huh... ‘Sup Princess.” She wasn’t all that groggy since she’d only slept for about 10 minutes.

“Rai and Hiron are gonna do something fun, you’ll wanna be awake to watch it.”

“Hiron? That gloomy guy?”

Sin nodded.

“I didn’t expect that. Should be fun to watch those two try to work together.”

By this point, Rai and Hiron had walked over to the teachers on the middle of the field. Rai got their attention.

“Mr. Colt and Miss Jacky. We’ve been watching the lesson go by so far, and you’re both obviously finding it difficult to actually teach what you said you would.”

The class went silent. All of the attention was on Rai now. Even Hiron didn’t expect him to open like that.

Colt and Jacky stopped what they were doing and turned to each other. They looked like they were trying to hold back their anger. The frustration from being unable to bring their plan to fruition, added together with Rai’s painfully true words, made for a pair of very annoyed teachers.

They walked over to Rai together. Hiron stood just beside Rai.

“You see, Rai. We’re learning just as much as you are, so of course it would take time to adjust.” Jacky tried to justify their difficulties.

“You’re just not seeing it, are you? What if we could prove to you that your ‘theory’ doesn’t work? Would you return the classes back to how they were originally? Or at least make it so people can choose between the two at any given time?”

Colt placed a hand on Jacky’s shoulder. The look he gave her screamed ‘this is our opportunity’. He turned to look Rai in his eyes. “That’s a great idea! If you can come up with a reasonable way to prove your words, then we’ll agree to your terms.” Rai was a student, but he was also one of the headmaster’s mentees. That meant he carried a certain authority wherever he went. Respect followed such an honour. That was the only reason that Colt wasn’t scolding Rai then and there.

Rai grinned. The other students listened intently.

“It’s simple. We’ll have a match.”

Feris heard a feathery cough come from above him. He looked back at the owl, who seemed to be coughing. Feris imagined the headmaster choking on air upon hearing Rai’s proposal.

Colt and Jacky’s eyes widened in surprise. They burst out laughing.

“You must be joking!” Jacky wheezed out. The students, however, were quiet. They knew of Rai’s shenanigans by now. They knew that he wasn’t joking.

Rai smiled and shook his head.

“Nope! Not joking. You two versus me and Hiron.” He pointed at Hiron, “A contest of both mobility and strength. Here’s the catch: since you’re so invested in this idea of mixing and matching the two ideas that don’t work together... you’ll both be competing in the opposite’s field.”

Jacky and Colt had, by this point, stopped laughing. They stared at Rai.

“That’s ridiculous. How is that fair at all?”

“So you admit that the two fields don’t actually work together?”

Jacky tried to save Colt from embarrassment. “Fine. We accept your terms. How do you want to do this, exactly?” Colt turned to her with a look of dismay on his face.

“I’ll face you in a battle of strength.” Hiron said to Jacky.

“And I’ll face you in a battle of mobility.” Rai said to Colt. “If me and Hiron win, then you two have to stick to your words.”

Hiron looked at the group of students that were stood on the field, taking part in the lesson.

“Scram!”

They all quickly moved back to their seats. Upon doing so, they kept silent so they could hear Rai and Hiron talk to the teachers. Some of the students were still confused, since Rai and Hiron clearly didn’t like each other and everyone knew as much, but they waited until after the conversation to even think about mentioning it.

Despite the situation they were in, both Colt and Jacky were impressed at the authority that Hiron beheld. He commanded far more respect from the students than they did.

“Then, you two can choose exactly how we do this.” Rai declared.

Jacky and Colt discussed it for a moment amongst themselves.

They came back to Rai and Hiron with the proposal. Jacky started. “Hiron. In a battle of strength, the one to budge is considered the loser. We can use any technique we want. It will be timed, and the fastest to make the other move from where they stand will win.”

Hiron simply nodded in agreement. He couldn’t even believe that he was actually doing this. With Rai of all people.

Colt spoke to Rai. “For us, the only rule is that the flight spell is not allowed.”

“I don’t know it, so that’s fine.”

Colt continued, “We will start from one end of the field. Both of us will have to manoeuvre through small hoops in the air in a pre-determined path, and reach the other end without touching the ground.”

“Sounds like fun.”

“Then, we’ll start with me and Hiron.” Jacky turned to Hiron, “You ready?”

“Yeah, whatever.”

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