"Alright everyone, settle down. We have a special guest with us today. Please welcome James Excavre, C.E.O. of Excorp and proprietor and benefactor of Ex. Vox." Eva's voice was monotonous.
"Good morning, young mutants. Due to certain reasons, I have taken it upon myself to elect the competitors of Collector's Hall in the battle royale."
Murmurs and low conversations began, with everyone wondering who their benefactor would select from their hall. "Klara Excavre and Harrison Argent."
Harry winced. He had seen this coming. I look forward to your performance at the interschools competition. He didn't think Excavre had been serious at the time. But who was Klara? Excavre. They share the same surname.
Harry quickly looked about and saw a blond-haired girl sigh as her name was mentioned. Also a big fan of the idea I see. A hand from the middle row shot up. "A question?"
"Yes please." It was a girl with an air of seriousness around her. "I would like to request a reconsideration. There are better pairs that can be formed from our ranks other than an unknown variable and a silver spoon princess."
Unknown variable? Silver spoon princess? Harry couldn't believe she said that without an ounce of cockiness. That's her genuine and honest opinion.
"So, who do you suggest?" Excavre played along. "I nominate myself and my brother." "Interesting. However, we have no way of knowing if indeed your pair is better than theirs, and I cannot just take your word for it."
Right on cue, as if rehearsed, Eva chimed in. "Why not go the old-fashioned way and duke it out?" Excavre nodded. "Agreed."
There is no room for negotiation or refusal. What a pain. Harry sighed and looked over at his partner, who wore a resolute expression on her face.
Everyone else is totally into this. He sighed again. "Let's just get this over with." They moved to the training area where there was a large sandy sparring pit.
"Both pairs have fifteen minutes to freshen up and come up with a battle plan. The rules are simple. Make both opponents HP count reach zero, or throw them out of bounds to win."
"If neither objective is fulfilled by the time limit, the team with the highest combined HP wins. You can also win by the other team surrendering." Eva calmly went over the rules as though she was teaching them how to kayak.
Klara held out her hand. Harry observed her for a few seconds before accepting the hand. "Klara Excavre, pleasure."
"Harrison Argent. So, what is your mutant ability?" "I can infuse my DNA into living objects and... control them." That's just broken. "I'm not sure exactly what I can do yet." Harry said.
"I figured. Unknown variables' abilities are almost always in obscurity. Miss Eva is a typical example. Even Excavre isn't exactly sure what she can do."
"For now, I'll just try to push them out of bounds with my powers. We can win if we do that." Harry nodded. He was going to test out his powers during this battle.
There was a bit of excitement as both teams warmed up at opposite ends of the sparring pit. Harry looked at his opponents, Raya and Zeo Nava as they stretched. It would help knowing what their powers are.
A blue screen flickered to life, hovering above the pit. An eight second countdown began. Eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two... Hmm? Harry's vision showed him projections of a body, moving in his direction.
A projection? It's a female... Raya? Are these projections showing her movements? He jumped to the side, but nothing happened. The projections changed direction, aiming at him again.
What does that mean? She hadn't moved yet? I'm not tracking her current movements? Could they possibly be...? He decided to test it out. A more solid form began moving at superhuman speed in the trajectory of the projections.
It shows me the trajectory of her next movements before she moves?! His eyes could produce an accurate prediction of Raya's linear trajectory, allowing him to outwit her, even with her above average speed.
He easily dodged her and rolled to one side. Hmm? What now? An arc was heading in his direction. An arc? Oh, it's a slash. Zeo can project slashes. Best to dodge them for now, since I'm not sure if my immunity to abilities extends to others.
He swerved and immediately dashed in the opposite direction. With this I can hold my own. All that's left is for Excavre to push them out of bounds.
Klara was speechless. She hadn't expected Harry to be skilled enough to dodge both Raya and Zeo's attacks. She held a weed in her hand. Grow. The weed shivered slightly, then vines sprouted with unprecedented vigour in every direction.
Capture. They instantly changed direction, moving towards Raya who evaded them with her brother's help.
Keep controlling her movements like that and back her into a corner. Pursuing Raya was Harry's main goal, and he used the weeds to hide his presence as he trailed her.
Raya had also observed a way to turn the tide of the match in her favour. Pretending that I'm boxed in, I'll trigger an attack from Argent, leaving him open to a well-timed slash from Zeo. As for Excavre, I can speedily overpower her before she pushes us out of the ring.
Raya dashed backwards, and Harry seized his chance. He lunged forward and Raya smiled. Right on time. Harry glanced to his right and saw a slash coming at him.
Perfect timing. Let's test out my hypothesis on my ability. Bring it on. That last thought was simultaneous as the both of them wagered their win over risky moves.
Harry's hand grazed Raya's shoulder at the same time the slash hit him, and dust rose. "You lose, Nava." Raya was paralyzed, unable to move. Harry stood there, unscathed.
What? How? Did the slash miss? No, I saw it land, so why didn't it have any effect on him? "Raya, attack Zeo." "Why would I...?!"
Her body moved on its own, and grabbed Zeo, flinging him out the ring. "Good, now surrender." Raya couldn't disobey Klara's commands. "I surrender." It was a terrifying notion. Klara snapped her fingers, and Raya saw that she could control her body again.
"Well done. With that I trust there is no more question to my decision?" Everyone was quiet, not exactly sure what they just saw. "Absolutely, sir. No question regarding your decisions."
Raya's voice sounded subdued as she answered. A slight sting made her realize the graze on her hand. The adrenaline must have kept me from feeling the pain, and it must have been how Excavre was able to control me.
"Argent, Excavre, congratulations. You're the representatives of the Collector's Hall in the battle royale. You'll have to work on your coordination and such... on your own. I won't be there to look out for you."
Harry frowned slightly. Was that a good idea? "I take no pleasure in watching children train to fight other children in order to fight other children." "Gee, well put." Ed said dryly.
"Do I hear badmouthing and complaints?" Her voice had turned sickly sweet. Everyone went silent. "Didn't think so." Harry sighed. I wanted to be under the radar, and now this? What a hassle.