Chapter 6.
Ari's fists erupt with purple Mana, Plaster gets in his fighting stance, ready for action
"Don't blink" Ari says, before vanishing right before Plaster's eyes, Plaster's instincts catch Ari behind him, but It's too late as Ari connects with a punch straight to the side of his liver, with a crunching sound sending Plaster flying.
(Plaster's inner monologue: Fuck! He's fast…)
Plaster regains his balance and lands on his feet. As he tries to stand up, his body doesn't listen to him.
"What the?" Plaster says strugglingly,
Ari walks up casually,
"You might as well give up, over one hit would be overkill. Besides, I did bet that you wouldn't land a hit on me" Ari says smiling.
Plaster groans as he tries to stand up, despite his broken ribs and injury.
"It's no use. My style is unique, you could call it Mana Eater… basically." Ari says while shrugging,
"As soon as you get hit by my technique, your Mana gets devoured by the second. Soon you will have no left. That's all."
"Heh, guess I'll have to do this quick then." Plaster starts grinning mischievously,
"Pyro Style: Inferno Dance"
Plaster summons a tornado made out of flames,
Ari jumps back and assesses the situation at hand.
(Ari's inner monologue: He's gone…! Where is he?)
Ari is at the center of the arena, he looks at his right and another flame tornado is crawling his way.
"Another one?" Ari's forehead gets sweaty as the temperature in the arena rises,
Saint is watching the match intently from the stands, focusing on both fighters equally.
(Saint's inner monologue: Plaster is strong… I had no idea he was this much of a beast.)
Another tornado appears behind Ari, 3 tornados heading his way, closing the gap slowly,
(Ari's inner monologue: Gotta get out of here before It's trouble.)
Ari runs to the left side, which doesn't have a tornado, but he quickly stops as he sees Plaster, holding the side of his liver while injured.
"In case you forgot, I have more Mana than you anyway. Begone!"
Plaster summons another huge flame tornado, and they start to quickly close the distance on Ari.
The tornado's wind slightly burns Ari as he tries to find an exit.
Ari looks up, but all he finds is Plaster, revving up his fist in the air, lunging to strike him down,
"It's like you said… Nothing personal" Plaster says with a grin, before connecting a critical hit right on Ari's temple.
The tornados erupt with flames and cover the entire arena after Plaster's hit.
Brugger and other instructors summon a barrier, so the crowd doesn't get hurt!
"Fighters?" Beretta asks, while holding his nose from all the smoke.
The smoke clears, and the sight is unbelievable, Ari is holding Plaster by his throat, lifting him up with ease with his ability activated.
"You almost got me there…" Ari says casually,
Plaster struggles against Ari's hold, but it's no use. Plaster passes out.
Ari throws him away nonchalantly,
Beretta checks on Plaster's body, then calls for the medics.
"Winner, Ari."
(Ari's inner monologue: I lost my bet again… crap)
Ari walks up the stairs to the seats without a problem, then sits himself beside Saint.
"Good fight." Saint says smugly,
"No sweat" Ari replies casually,
Saint looks at him grinning, "You did sweat though…?"
The two laugh together while the instructors fix the damaged floor in the arena.
In Oshoku's private lounge, he's been watching the matches with Taiho, they get a knock on their door.
"Is that them?" Oshoku asks nonchalantly,
"It should be, come in!" Taiho says from inside the door,
The door swings open and 5 students step inside.
"Yo! What's up Gramps? …and creepy Taiho" The student in the middle says loudly,
"Don't disrespect your elders, Hazu." Another one of the students says in a monotonal voice,
"Any reason for summoning us during our training, Principal Oshoku?" The third student asks, in an annoyed tone,
"My my… I see the Reiki Five are as lively as ever."
Hazu, the loud one, speaks up again, "Well it won't be Reiki Five for long, won't it? Since we're getting another recruit." Hazu pouts sarcastically.
Oshoku speaks up, "Ayce Is a great addition to the squad. With his abilities, you'll be sure to win this next coming season once again. Or perhaps you're scared someone takes the MVP spot from your hands?" Oshoku teases,
"W-what? No way!" Hazu says, while crossing his arms, "Put me in the ring with him, and I'll embarrass him!"
Oshoku smiles softly, "He's fighting soon. I want you all to stay and watch the fight with us. His opponent is the real deal too."
The squad exchange glances, Hazu speaks up once again, "Nah… I'll pass, it's no fun seeing weaklings fight" Holding his arms behind his head, while walking out of Oshoku's lounge nonchalantly,
The rest of them stay and wait for the tournament to continue.
Hours pass and the rest of the fights fly by, the crowd is starting to look bored, since there isn't many students that have unlocked abilities, it looks like class B22 was a class full of geniuses.
Kevo is walking around the halls, slightly recovered from his injuries, he stops at a vending machine and picks out a drink,
"Hey" Ari says casually, leaning against a wall, startling Kevo.
"You beat my friend, so maybe we'll fight each other in the next round, huh? I'm not gonna hold anything back. No pressure." Ari says in a serious tone, before shifting to his usual playful self and patting Kevo's back, walking away with his hands in his pockets.
Ari returns to his seat back to Saint and leans back casually,
"So who wouldn't you wanna fight?" Saint asks curiously.
"Hmmm, that chick with the teddy bear probably, I feel like I'd make quick work out of Kevo and the others… who's your opponent, by the way?" Ari asks,
"Some guy called Ayce… He's ranked crazy high." Saint says unworried,
"You reckon the odds are in your favor?" Ari asks, smiling,
"I got this"
As if on cue, the big screen shows the next match.
Ayce #1001 (B20) VS Saint #4222 (B22)
"Showtime" Ari says chuckling,