Act: 15
*Sigh*
'Now what kind of Quest should I accept? It wouldn't be too smart to go for something out of my league.. but at the same time- I need to get stronger fast and that seems to be the reasonable thing to do. Right?'
Time passed as Taku rested his eyes laying on the bench and began to ponder his thoughts while the subtle wind breeze blew in his face and throughout his hair.
*Ding Dong*
The sound of the bell had woken him out of his sleepy daze, standing back up he slowly stretched out his body and walked over to the door exiting the rooftop. Rushing down the stairs and then the hallway that had been on the second floor to his training course class. He runs through the halls hoping that he won't be too late to avoid getting in trouble.
'You've got to be kidding me, I can't be late to one of my favorite classes! I don't want to miss a chance to test my skills and fight someone!'
Arriving at the classroom, he comes to a complete stop quickly opening the door to find no students in the class except for the teacher sitting at his desk.
"Oh? If it isn't Mr. Late Taku?"
"You see, I have a valid explanation for being late! It was.. that.. I. you know-"
"Don't worry about it kid, the rest of your class is at the stadium outside and are being accompanied by Class B and I think some students of A while class D and E should be in the underground training room."
"Um.. Thanks? Should I head there now?!"
"Yeah? Then I won't have to talk to you later about why you were absent."
"Thanks, Sensei!"
Taku turns around closing the door behind him, once more running in the halls heading to the back of the school to the outside stadium eager to join them.
"Kids' energy nowadays.. I feel like I won't be able to understand them."
'If A and B class are there! That must mean Hano is there and if that's the case! I can spar with him and humiliate him in front of everyone and her! And maybe even his council members! Boy, I can't wait.'
Taku enters the stadium looking at the other students sparing with each other and the enormous number of empty seats for the crowds at the same time thinking to himself that this is where he's going to be and shine. Everyone will see him hold the trophy of victory knowing that he was the one to win it all.
Once he finished admiring the stadium, he ended up locating his classmates, walking over to where they had been standing, and going up to the current teacher.
"Hey Sensei! What did I miss!"
The man with long hair and a proud look in his eyes turned his head over at Taku.
"So, you must be Taku. The only one to be late."
"Yea, yea I know that I'm late, but I just want to get in the action! Can I hurry up and go fight!?"
"I see you're a yearning one, well-"
Taku looks around and sees a boy out in the distance with short dark blue hair and a pair of glasses.
"Hano!"
Taku watches him for a bit as he attempts to memorize his fighting style, although it was kind of difficult due to the fact that his opponent looked like he was struggling. Hano just stood there with slight dodges to the left and right as the dude swung his axe, not landing a single hit.
"I wanna fight him next! I know I'll put on a show!"
Taku ran over to where Hano had been fighting before he could do so the teacher grabbed him by the back of his collar pulling him back towards him.
"Hey! What's the meaning of this! I wanna fight him!"
"You were late so I would like you to "spar" with someone in your class in the meantime because if you can't show up on time you won't fight the upper classmates."
"You've gotta be kidding me! That's so unfair. What kind of rule is that? You're late, you can't fight the higher-ups!"
"You should thank me? I'm saving you from what you new generation calls social humiliation. Why don't you go and fight your buddy who you talk to, now that Shizu isn't here."
"What?"
"Shima! Could you please come over here and spar with Taku?"
"Shima!"
'Seriously, why him? Out of everyone.. Can this day get any less exciting?'
Shima turned to the Teacher, walking away from his small friend group and over to the teacher. With messy black hair and a smug tone, he replies back to his Teacher.
"What's up? Did you call me for something?"
"Yes. I would like you to have a spar with your good old pal Taku. And this fight will help you with grades and better, yet I can put in a good word for future events involving you as a Ranker? If you so desire."
"Ugh, Taku- whatever you say."
Shima turns around and faces Taku's direction moving forward, getting close in his face. He grabs him by his uniform and talks under his breath.
"I hope your so-called useful bitch healer can help you after I'm through with you. Maybe I should have her help me heh."
Taku's facial expression went from calm to upset. Smacking his hand off him, hearing in the background the Teacher getting the attention of other classmates.
"Students not in a spar at the moment please come and witness this going to be, an intense battle between your classmates Taku and Shima!"
Some of the other students gathered around and spaced out the area to give them room to fight. At the same time, Hano finished his fight with that boy, and he decided to watch alongside Chisaka.
"Chisaka, I think it's time to see what our snooping student is made of. Aren't you curious?"
".. hm.."
Taku takes a few steps back with a pissed look.
"You guys please make it a clean fight, for these rules first to get knocked down completely loses."
"3"
"2"
"1"
"Let the fight begin!"
"You will regret saying that to me."
Taku stood still, not moving at all waiting for Shima to make his first move.
"You scared Taku! Afraid of my superior skills! Maybe I will be the one to win the Colosseum and take your healer away from you haha!"
"Why the hell are you so pressed about my friend!?"
Shima rushed at Taku swinging punches at his face, but Taku stood still not moving just simply dodging, as it was almost like he memorized how Hano was fighting that boy.
"Common Taku, you're not going to swing back now!"
'It must be those Quests that I went on.. I may have gotten quite a bit stronger? Because his punches are quite readable. It is almost pathetic?'
"Until you can first land a hit, then maybe I will."
"Fine! I'll just have to put a little bit of my Star into it!"
Shima jumps back, putting his arms out and tightening his fingers in a choking motion.
"Star of agony! Wring out!"
"What a terrible name.."
"It's not your Star so don't worry about it! I can't wait for you to eat those words after you get wrung out!"
"..."
An orange Star appears around his arms and then disappears. The orange glow of energy leaves his palms and spirals around his arms all the way up to his chest. Running at Taku he swings a punch with his right hand. Taku avoided the punch but also, he had taken a step back.
'Woah, not sure what his Star does but that punch was a hell of a lot faster than before but still he's nowhere near my level. If he actually uses a signature Star move, then I think it could possibly scratch me?'
Shima continues to swing punches at Taku, he takes a step back each time almost in sync with Hano's style of dodging. The crowd watches intensely, curious about who will win and others wondering when Taku will strike back.
"Hm? If I'm certain, that kid is trying to mimic the way I dodge. Perhaps I may be underestimating him although he has a long way to go to get on my level."
"Taku! Are not going to punch me back! Or you just know it won't hurt me! After all, I know about her, that healer girl! Everything!"
"!!!"
"She is a beauty I must say, I wouldn't mind getting a-"
*Pow!*
As Shima was about to unleash his Star move for everyone to see.
Taku's eyes had an Icy gaze around them as he punched Shima in the face, launching him back a foot or two with blood escalating from his mouth as he struck the ground. Clenching his fist, he walks over to Shima.
"You stay away from her! Do I make myself clear!"
Still sounding mad he said it quietly so that no one else could hear him. Looking down at his hands confused about why his whole arm was covered in thick ice almost like armor, he glances up spotting Hano, and points at him, giving him a thumbs down, in return, Hano gently smiles back.
"I may have tried a little bit, actually no.. my bad, I really didn't expect you to bleed.. And you planned on beating me in the Colosseum. I really do hope you can get past your first opponent."
The crowd cheered on Taku and some even snicker at what he said, thinking about how humiliating Shima had looked.
"The winner is Taku! Congratulations! Can we get a healer over here to assist Mr. Shima with his injuries?"
Taku looked down at his hands some more until the ice had disappeared. Walking on over to him was the Teacher to congratulate him again.
"Well done, Taku, I knew you had it in you. Keep up the good work and in the future, I can see you as the best ice user, a Ranker for everyone to look up to."
"Yea- Thanks."
Time passed on as Taku sat down over by the benches off to the side and watched the other students fight it out. Still thinking about what Shima had said to him.
*Ding Dong*
Getting up he left the stadium and went back to his homeroom class grabbing his bag and extra stuff making his way to the Quest fields now that school came to an end.
"If I get there now, I can beat Tila and the others and start my Quest and who knows if I breeze through it if they come I can join them if I have energy that is..?"
At the gate entrance right, as he's about to leave he gets stopped by three boys, and by the looks of it, they happen to be Shima's boys.
"You gotta be kidding me. At a time like this."
Walking behind him was Shima upset about that fight.
"First you humiliate me in class and now in front of them again! Even the A and B class students laughed at me! Oh, I plan to take you down now this time, how do you like being outnumbered!"
Shima's boys drag and lead Taku away from the school grounds to some abandoned alleyway in the opposite direction of the Guild.
"Now no teacher can help you here! Let's see how you do against the four of us!"
The other boys grin as they hold different types of weapons ready to make things bloody. All proceed to charge at Taku surrounding him in a circle.
*Argh!*
'What a waste of time this is..'