Chuck, Jay, and Flu looked around cautiously. They were surrounded—ten of their captain's clones.
No one truly understood how Bumi's powers worked. All they knew was snakes.
He could create them out of thin air, transform his limbs into them, summon them from his body… and apparently, he could make identical clones. That was just what he had shown them. The true extent of his talent was unknown—and terrifying.
'There's no way these are as powerful as the original Bumi,' Chuck thought. 'If they were, he would have used them against Craven.'
If the snake clones were as strong as Bumi himself, why not against his greatest enemy? It wasn't quantity—ten clones against three kids was easy. It had to be a matter of quality.
"They're not as strong as the original," Chuck said confidently. "We can take them."
The ten clones closed in simultaneously, circling, cutting off every escape.
"Stay close. If they're not as strong as him, this should work." Jay stepped forward, clapping his hands together. A wave of repulsion rippled outward, distorting the air. Everything moved—except the three of them.
The wave pushed the clones back a good distance. Not enough to hurt, but enough space to act.
"I'll handle the ones behind us." Flu turned, darting toward three clones approaching from behind.
"Leave those four to me," Chuck said, running left. If Jay's field could push them back, they weren't too strong to handle.
"I guess that leaves me with you three," Jay said, crude smile on his face, facing the three clones in front.
The fights were brief. Snake clones were stronger than the trio, but fragile. A strong strike anywhere and they dispersed into snakes—gone until Bumi chose to regenerate them.
Jay focused. Two clones rose against him. He repelled them into the air. At first, fighting three at once had been difficult—but after taking down one, it got easier.
He threw his shield. It hit the first clone, killing it instantly, ricocheted, and struck the second. Dead. He caught the returning shield with an exhale—the first moment of rest in the fight.
Flu was nearly done as well. He blinked rapidly, switching places with clones at critical moments, letting them knock each other out, and finally delivered a punch to finish the last one.
Chuck struggled. Two clones left, and he was out of Chi. But he refused to yield. With just his blades and the boost from his Deviant gear, he kept fighting.
Jay and Flu saw it—exhaustion etched clearly on his face. They stepped in.
Jay hurled his shield at a clone—it dodged. But it didn't expect it to materialize again directly in front of its head. Strike landed. Dead.
The other clone fell shortly after, struck down by Chuck.
They panted, exhausted—but the fight was far from over.
"Where's Bumi?" Jay asked Flu, knowing only he could locate him.
Flu didn't answer. His eyes scanned a tree. Bumi had been watching all along—but Flu didn't have enough Chi to teleport him.
"I'm right here," Bumi said, descending, walking toward them. "And I've seen enough."
Bumi had noticed their fatigue. No point in playing any longer. The three narrowed their eyes. Bruised, tired, but Bumi? Not a scratch. Not a rumple. Not even a hint of strain—just boredom.
'How strong is he?' Chuck clenched his jaw.
Bumi felt it first: a strong force trying to pull at him. Jay's hands were pointed at him, sweat sliding down his forehead. Repulsion. Bumi resisted with ease.
"You want me to come? Fine." Bumi smiled, dashing forward.
He was too fast. One moment he was distant; the next, he was in front of Jay. Even Flu with his sage eyes couldn't keep up.
Before Jay could raise his shield, Bumi's fist connected with his gut. He flew into a tree. Not enough to knock him out, but enough to rattle him inside.
As Jay's back slammed into the bark, snakes burst from the tree, cocooning him, strangling, suffocating.
"Shit!" Chuck and Flu watched helplessly. Jay struggled, but the snakes didn't yield.
Flu lunged to teleport him to safety—but the ground cracked beneath his feet. Snakes surged, wrapping him completely, dragging him underground.
It happened too fast. The moment Bumi stopped playing, they didn't stand a chance.
Jay passed out. Flu vanished. Chuck turned—and Bumi was gone.
Alone in the forest, Chuck's voice echoed.
"Come face me like a man! Show yourself!"
"Who said I was hiding," Bumi whispered, inches from his ear.
Chuck's eyes widened. How had he moved so fast? No sound, no warning.
Before he could react—a hard whack on his head. Darkness consumed him.
Chuck's eyes snapped open, and he gasped, only to squint against the harsh brightness that seared his vision.
Dazed, he blinked rapidly, waiting for his eyes to adjust. When the glare finally softened, he took in his surroundings—and realized where he was.
The faction medical facility.
Chuck jolted upright, not realizing they weren't alone. Then he saw who had spoken and calmed down.
"They had minor injuries compared to yours. I'm surprised you woke up before them," Dr. Patty, the faction healer, said with a sweet smile. Her long brown hair framed her face, pink glasses perched on her nose, and a crisp white coat completed her look.
"They're lazy goofballs—that's why," Chuck replied, earning a soft laugh from Patty.
"Bumi said to tell you to pay him a visit the moment you woke up. I've confirmed you're fine, so you should be okay. Just remember to rest some more."
Chuck nodded and stepped out of the ward, his thoughts already turning to Bumi. What did he want to talk about?
Then it hit him—he had failed the test.
Bumi had promised training as long as he survived his punishment. But he hadn't survived—if it had been a real battle, he would've died.
With a heavy heart, he made his way to the top floor of the building, where Bumi lived. When he knocked, he didn't expect much.
"Come in," came Bumi's voice from the other side.
Chuck opened the door and froze.
"What's she doing here?" he asked, a mix of disgust and disbelief. It was bad enough that Bumi might reject him—now he'd do it in front of her.
"I asked her to join us," Bumi said simply.
"For what?" Chuck spat.
"For your training, stupid."
Chuck's eyes widened. Bumi would still train him?
"But we failed," he protested, disbelief lacing his voice.
"I planned to train you either way. No one in this faction can beat me, so I didn't have high hopes for you," Bumi replied, as calm as ever.
Chuck could hardly believe his ears. It sounded too good to be true—but it didn't erase the annoyance in the room.
"Then why are you training her?" he asked, gesturing at the girl who waved cheerfully. "She didn't do anything to deserve it."
Bumi sighed.
"I'll be blunt. Out of all the recruits this year, only you two have the potential to become one of my generals. I want to train you and see how far you can go—to see if you're worthy of joining their ranks."
Chuck fell silent. Becoming a general was one of the highest honors in the faction. Even if it meant training with the girl he hated, he would do it.
"I'm in."
Bumi turned to her. The red hair clip in her hair caught the light as he spoke. "And you, Gina?"
"Is that a question? Of course I'm in!" she laughed, then looked at Chuck with mock seriousness. "I'm gonna need training if I'm going to fight my new rival."
'This btch,'* Chuck thought, smiling in frustration. He knew exactly what she meant.
"Great. Training starts early tomorrow, so rest up," Bumi said.
Chuck left, anticipation bubbling. He couldn't wait for this training to start.