Whispers turned to shouts.
"That's Kade!" A cadet bounced on his toes. His eyes were wild. Excitement poured out of him like steam. "Yo, he might be the strongest in the whole academy, brooo!"
The mess hall breathed new life.
Energy crackled through the air. Electric. Dangerous. The kind of atmosphere that made people do stupid things. Cadets moved without thinking. They formed a wide circle. Space cleared around the two fighters. An impromptu arena.
Someone pushed a table aside. It screeched against the floor. Others followed. Chairs scraped. Boots shuffled. The circle grew wider. Bigger. Room for a real fight now.
"Ten credits on Kade!" A senior slapped money on a nearby table.
"Twenty on the blonde!" Another voice shouted back.
A betting ring. It formed in seconds. Seniors organized it with practiced efficiency. They'd done this before. Money changed hands. Arguments erupted. The amounts climbed higher.
"Kade's a beast. No way the junior takes him."
"You didn't see what Juli just did? One kick. One."
"That was against trash. Kade's different."
"My credits say otherwise."
Fists flew. Not at the fighters. At each other. Cadets backing their champion couldn't help themselves. A shove became a punch. A punch became a grapple. Instructors would have stopped it. But there were no instructors here. Just chaos.
The mysterious girl stood at the edge of the circle. Her position gave her a clear view. Anticipation flickered across her face. Brief. Easy to miss. Then it was gone. Her expression went neutral again. Unreadable.
Juli grinned at Kade. His red eyes sparkled with something wild. "Kade, huh?" He rolled his shoulders. Loose. Relaxed. "Thanks for that cheap shot earlier."
Kade grinned back. His fangs caught the light. "That was just a greeting." His deep voice carried over the noise. "The real fight starts soon."
Juli bounced on his toes. Light. Easy. "I'll kick your head in then."
Simple. Direct. No wasted words.
Kade's grin widened. "Try it."
Confidence radiated from both of them. Not arrogance. Just certainty. They knew what they could do. They'd proven it before.
Even the female cadets leaned forward now. The ones who usually rolled their eyes at masculine barbarism. Who called these displays primitive. Stupid. They watched anyway. Some tried to hide it. Others gave up pretending.
The cafeteria lady left her post. She moved to the edge of the counter. Her eyes tracked both fighters. No complaints about stupid brats now. Just focus.
This was a dream bout.
Everyone felt it. The weight of it. Both fighters were legends in this small backwater academy. Head and shoulders above everyone else in their age groups. Kade had dominated the seniors for a whole year. Juli had torn through the juniors in six months.
Strongest senior versus strongest junior.
The fever pitch climbed higher.
"Kade's gonna eat him alive."
"Juli's faster. Speed kills."
"Felinari are bred for combat. It's in their blood."
"The Outer Rim breeds survivors. Different kind of tough."
More shoving. More arguing. Credits piled higher on the makeshift betting table. A junior tried to grab the pot. A senior clotheslined him. The junior hit the floor. Someone laughed. Someone else threw a roll.
Food started flying. Not at the fighters. Just random chaos. The mess hall had become something primal. Something ancient. Two warriors about to clash. A tribe gathered to watch.
Kade dropped into his stance.
The crowd roared.
His knees bent low. Weight forward. Hands up near his face. Predatory. Every muscle coiled tight. Ready to explode. His amber eyes locked on Juli. Never blinked. Never wavered.
The noise doubled. Tripled. Cadets stomped their feet. The rhythm shook the floor. Plates rattled. Glasses clinked. The building itself seemed alive.
Then Juli dropped into his stance.
The fever pitch hit insane levels.
The mysterious girl's eyes widened. Just a fraction. Surprise broke through her mask. The stance was different. Unorthodox. Not what she expected.
It was the on-guard position. One foot forward. One back. Knees slightly bent. Weight distributed. His lead hand extended. Fingers loose. His rear hand chambered near his face. Ready to strike. Ready to block. Built for speed. Built for power.
Juli kept bouncing. Light on his feet. Forward. Back. Side to side. Never staying still. Never planting. His body was a blur of motion. Potential energy waiting to release.
The aura was immense. Suffocating. Every cadet felt it. The promise of violence. Of skill. Of something spectacular about to happen.
"This is gonna be legendary."
"Someone's getting carried out."
"I can't watch. I can't look away."
The anticipation peaked. Both fighters ready. The crowd held its breath. Any second now. Any moment. The greatest fight this academy had ever seen.
Then the doors slammed open.
Chief Instructor Vela stormed in. Two instructors flanked her. Their faces were carved from stone. Angry stone.
"QUARTERS! NOW!" Vela's voice cut through the noise like a blade. "ALL OF YOU! MOVE!"
The mess hall froze.
Chief Instructor Vela stood at the entrance. Turtle-like features dominated her face. Her eyes were small. Beady. Sharp as knives. Green skin stretched tight over her skull. A massive shell curved over her back. Brown and weathered. Ancient looking. She was a Chelonian. From the Splash Sector. Her species lived for centuries. She'd probably forgotten more about combat than any cadet here would ever learn.
She scanned the mess hall. Took in the scene. The betting table. The scattered bodies. The two fighters squared up in the center.
The two instructors moved immediately. They waded into the crowd. Started herding cadets toward the exits. "You heard her! Move it!" One grabbed a junior by the collar. Shoved him toward the door. "This isn't a show. Get to your quarters before I write you all up."
Cadets scattered. The betting ring dissolved. Money disappeared into pockets. The ones who'd been fighting suddenly found the floor very interesting. They shuffled out. Eyes down. Mouths shut.
The circle collapsed. Bodies pressed toward the exits. The dream bout was over before it started.
Vela's eyes settled on the two fighters. She didn't move. Didn't need to. Her presence was enough.
"Cadet Kade." Her voice dropped lower. Colder. "Cadet Weiper." She let the names hang in the air. "My office. Now."
Kade and Juli looked at each other.
The confidence from before evaporated. Just gone. Two fighters became two students. Two students in deep trouble.
Juli's face fell. "Oh no."
Kade's ears drooped. "We're doomed."
The last few cadets filed out. Whispers and nervous laughter followed them. The mess hall emptied fast. Only the cafeteria lady remained. She shook her head. Went back to wiping down her counter.
Vela stood there. Waiting. Her small eyes tracked them both.