Chapter 23——Rage, You Damn Merc
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Four against three. Ryoji thought as he stood with his partners for the training proudly. His enhanced sense of smell made it clear that Takeo's deodorant underneath his track suit was fading away, but the natural aroma of Su-Jin and Akina drove it away.
"I'm guessing cause Akina failed the practical and Takeo failed the written exam and Su-Jin was like us: Five inches from getting a perfect." Igneus analyzed the team's situation from the intel he gained throughout the school.
So, they compensated my team for Team A: The one member who could finish twenty three of us off quickly. He is leagues above me.
"And you made a target on your back since you were haughty and gloated about it."
First: I didn't gloat. Second:I didn't want to. That test were so easy that I got my respective score just like that....
"Yeah, Yeah, just make sure you don't make us lose to the other team."
No, you make sure that our armor is intact the whole time. Ryoji ordered him as he looked back at Funka, who looked at him with so disgust. I feel Funka has a grudge towards me, so she'll probably try to ambush me....She'll try to destroy my armor and fear me like that....
"Trouble with the ladies?" His Heart jested around with him.
Stop saying nonsense like that. Ryoji was starting in get anger at Igneus for his whimsical behavior. I have no trouble with women. Just that Manichaean, little girl with extreme vengeful issues.
"Yeah I heard you——-At least you're the popular guy in school right now."
No, I'm not.
"Yeah, you kinda are."
No. I. Am. Not.
Meanwhile not too far from them, stood the three opposers.
A more better examination on Kadoku and Helene Beaumont; the other two members of Team F.
Kadoku wore neon green visors, with a navy blue trench coat and a green shirt with a chevron pattern topping each other horizontally. His wings were adorned with golden jewelry, these jewelry served as aerodynamic drag. He also wore golden rings on his reptilian fingers.
The outfit did well for Kadoku's purple complexion, and he had little eye drops in case they gotten dry.
Helene Beaumont was petite and tall, born in Avignon, France, she was a country girl who moved to the N.U.S.N. when she was five years old. She was smart and kind yet possessed a backbone when push came to shove, and she wore cornrows with pride. Her costume consisted of a French medieval armor, yet in navy blue and the shoulder parts had ruby stones in the center of them as well.
She ran towards them, startling Su-Jin and
"Good luck, friends! Although we're be going up against each other, we shouldn't be so sour when the other team wins: May the best team win!" She
"May the best win." Ryoji concurred, shaking her hand as his team left with Chief Apex's team.
The other supervisor, New Glory, observed them from a distance, he clenched his left hand as hard as possible.
So this little brat shakes some nobody's hand and when I held my hand, damn living legend, he calls me a hypocrite and refused to touch a living god? Such a little snowflake. I would've made him an example of not for the kids or Enapay.....New Glory was seething underneath his smiling persona, handling the other team.
"Okay, put these devices in your left ear so that we can notify you whenever possible," Chief Apex instructed Team B by giving them their ear devices. "These things are made of a super durable material——meaning that they can stay in your hear after a bomb hit the ground."
Takeo asked Chief Apex kindly, as he was also a big fan of him. "Anything else before we leave on this teleportation device.
"Yes——Good Luck."
I hope you guys seriously win this.... Chief Apex hoped for their victory. As he said earlier with his friend: He was rooting for the underdogs, he always loved the story where the main protagonist goes from a zero to a hero.
———The left Side Of The Forest———
The Sweetheart of America, New Glory, was giving Team F some advice on the training procedure.
They were covered in a deranged, desolated village with buildings either broken from warfare or burned into shambles. There were about thirty, lifeless androids of Spaniard origin, wearing drab clothing and vacant expressions.
"One tip: It's a big forest———use that to your advantage since they don't know your exact location.
One tip ah ah ah. Two tips ah ah ah. Three tips ah ah ah. Kadoku repeated the same thing inspired by his favorite episode in Family Guy. Always has been his favorite show before it declined in quality, switching to "American Dad" instead.
"Something funny, Haritoka?" New Glory asked before waving at him with a slight aggravation from him interrupting him.
Because of how startled he became when he gain the attention of New Glory, he lied. "No——Just listening to you, New Glory."
"Well, your dopamine levels are off the chart. Are you daydreaming at this current time while I'm trying to help you?"
"No——I got..." He was looking for excuses to no avail as he never got caught daydreaming by anyone before. The two girls looked at him in annoyance due to their time being wasted from his preoccupation to the comedy he was playing in his mind.
"It's all right!" New Glory reassured Kadoku, laughing a bit as he kept on with it. "I used to daydream all the time when I was your age, so I wouldn't worry if I were you!"
———Two and A Half Minutes Later———
"So——Does everyone got the gist of everything I've said?" New Glory asked, scratching his beard as all three members of Team F nodded their heads. He had handed them their chalice, two ear pieces since Kadoku had ears that of a reptile, and the "good luck" slap on the back that made the children almost
"Yessir! I sure did, sir!" Yelled out Funka, saluting her superior quickly yet it was a perfect. What the hell am I getting all charged up? She thought, looking down in embarrassment.
Even New Glory was puzzled by her sudden gesture of respect when she was more casual earlier. Alright. You're a little weirdo just like your dad. He thought while still looking at the aspiring heroes with a large smile. "Farewell, good-doers and please make sure to give it your all!!"
Before the Man of America flew off—-there was a pause in his movement; as if he was trying to make sure his liftoff did not injure anyone from the distance. I hate kids. Teenagers and adults, whose brains were developing or reached their full potential were his favorite people to talk to, yet children proved to be insufficient to his intellectual conversations.
The gusts were fierce from him taking off to leave Team F in the designated area by themselves, Funka's hair was dancing in the air before she combed it back into place.
"Hyuk—Yessir! Yessir! Hyuk! Lemme kiss your star spangled ass while I look dumb in front of ya! Hyuk! What are ya——A Jarhead?" Kadoku mocked his teammate while saluting her condescendingly as her anger boiled from his insults, she walked and threaten him with a good cold glare. "Don't start with me, Haritoka."
"What's up with her?" Kadoku diffused the situation, backing away from her and stayed beside Helene.
Helene scratched her head and theorized one thing. "She's probably...under pressure?"
"Please, She's a Burenji: They don't get under pressure like us normal people."
Funka heard her teammate's comment behind her back while walking a far distance from him.
I'm gonna make that mercenary student regret coming to this school and steal information for his own benefits, hell——maybe he was the one who started it all.....
——Right Side of the Forest———
Team B at this current time, walked steadily towards the enemy's location, each of the four walked with open eyes: preparing themselves in case for anything.
"You got balls of steel for talking to a man who can laser you to death or rip you to shreds." Takeo commented on Ryoji
Ryoji answered looked back at Takeo and transformed into his Bonded Form, his tail spines brushed on Akina's leg unintentionally. Gosh that tickles!!!
I don't fear many things and he is one of those things." He answered in a single voice. "I've known men like him.....Egotistical, sociopathic assholes who show their true face when no one else is there."
Su-Jin was always a curious girl when it came to a sudden change in a person's demeanor and Ryoji was quite different. The Heart-Bond stood too rigid: Too erect to be considered "weak".
He stood taller than New Glory at this current time.
They didn't mentioned it was a village. Ryoji reminisced about Dolle as he traveled many times before it was burned down by nuclear fire. Reminds me so much of Dolle, only it's set in autumn and much smaller than Dolle. It is sort of peaceful here...But this is not time to be peaceful here....
So many leaves here——If I play it smart——I can teleport to the village. If they're smart; then that's out of the picture.....Su-Jin was planning her attacks mentally.
"Listen Su-Jin——When things get too much for us: You're our only hope in getting that chalice." Bonded-Ryoji said in a voice that was the combination of his and Igneus's.
"Okay." She said shyly.
"I wouldn't say that-t. We got-t a Nieswurz. She's practically-y a goddess in the forest: She's in her element-t." Akina praised her teammate, making her smile a bit before it was quashed by Takeo. "Yeah, but to top it off; Our enemies have either pink-colored explosions, acids that can eat through metal, and can use force fields that not even a Heart-Bond can break." And Su-Jin's smile disappeared and her perpetual face of sorrow returned.
Her crush was too dense since he never felt love from another girl like she did, Takeo knew what love felt like but not that type of affection. He loved his parents, everyone hated him for 2006.
Takeo looked at Ryoji and apologized quickly. "No offense."
"None taken." Bonded-Ryoji brushed it off, his eyes was opened for anything.
Wait: Beaumont uses force fields? That's HER superpower? Dangggg.... Akina fixated on Helene's powers.
"Back to Takeo. We understand your logic. But there is no need to look on the downside. We have four people on this team. They have three. We'll make that we won't be ambushed, I'll go on the offense, Takeo——You'll make sure that no one tries to get in. You'll be our defense." Ordered the Heart-Bond.
"No prob."
"Su-Jin: This is your playground and your level of expertise. Once me and Takeo go down or caught up with Kadoku and Funka: Teleport back to the entrance and use the alternate path I was doing."
Hold on a sec——That's what HIS tail was doing the whole tail? We was making a path for her? He's so smart, it ridiculous! Akina was marveling in the inside as everyone her teammates were smart, well at least booksmart.
"Of course." Su-Jin concurred with the plan.
"And Akina....."
She looked optimistically at him, Akina was ready to take on anything. "You'll have the device. Su-Jin will make sure you won't get caught." He gave her the device, Akina hid her disappointment beneath an amicable smile.
And I have the most mundane task: Holding the device as I prove myself to be useless on the team.
I'm the Sakura Haruno on this team. I don't wanna SAKURA. I don't wanna be her! Akina complained to herself, feeling down as her team thought that she was weak.
———Left Side of the Forest———
"Dissolve all the leaves here." Funka commanded Kadoku immediately before he objected to it.
"And why should I do that?"
"I remember now!!" Helene beamed up as her armor made a cackle, remembering something important. "The Nieswurz had many techniques but one of them involved leaves. I.....I don't remember what it was."
"They teleport through the use of their blood touching leaves that are on the ground. It's pagan magic. If they play it smart by using her——We'd be done for before we even began." Funka explained rather callously, all what she had in her own plans was to crush the willpower of Ryoji. "If we attack them and ambush them head on while they're thinking on their plan: We could win this."
"Don't they have Akina Willoby on their team?" Kadoku asked Helene.
The self-proclaimed leader looked back again at them. "I love Aki as a sister," Funka articulated as she fixed her gauntlets again. "But...She's only smart. That booksmart of hers won't get her anywhere if she had the physical strength."
God forgive me for me saying those things. Funka prayed to herself, focusing on her own thing as the other two were doing their jobs. "We activate twenty of those androids—we'll lose twenty minutes. We activate four of them, however-" Helene proposed.
"Then we'll lose four minutes. No biggie." Kadoku smiled as he got the gist of Helene's idea.
"Alright then: I will activate four of them."
What a waste of time...I'm going in...Funka was impatient, igniting her two legs and flew out to attack Ryoji, catching Kadoku and Helene off guard as she didn't care for this procedure.
"Where're ya goin?! Come back here!!! We're a team, damnit!!!" Kadoku pleaded with her, a first time for him to do so as she was long gone to hear his whole plead.
———Right Side of The Forest———
All four member of Team B were more alert than ever, any minute now...
Any minute they could get attacked.
A sudden booming noise grew louder and louder and All of a sudden: Funka Berunji, grinning devilishly at them from afar.
"WATCH OUT!!!!!" Bonded-Ryoji yelled out as he pushed Akina away and received the drop kick from her.
It blew Takeo and the rest of Team B away.
Those two were in the crater impact, with her on top and him on the bottom.
"There you are, you Merc! I was waiting to ambush you but you were talking too long!!! So, I thought I would drop in!" She effused as her foot was on his face, moving it around to cause more pain for him.
What the Hell? That impact would've seriously hurt Akina or even worse...
I heard many great things about Funka and how kind she is
Funka....I don't even know you right now.....
Did she just call me a.....Merc? Ryoji began to fume.
I didn't kill for the damn thrill, you pompous, little brat: I killed people for my survival. He thrown Funka off but didn't work as her explosions kept her in the air and she landed again since she loved to fight on the ground with her own martial art style: Karate and Wrestling combined together.
He was pulling his punches, he didn't want to seriously hurt his opponent.
Funka, on the other hand, was attacking him with everything she had, even speaking so haughtily as she fought.
"I know you've been wondering about my powers since the day you met me. I'll tell you: My whole body secretes a Nitro-methane fluid that I can use to ignite on two of my limbs or anywhere on my body, the explosions're pink because of the lithium reinforcements inside my bones. It seems it's just basic, but the doctors said that I have the potential to be the strongest hero of our generation.
And I can use two limbs at a time, but you shouldn't underestimate me for that."
She sure loves to talk a lot about her powers or her lineage while fighting me...Ryoji spoke to Igneus mentally as Igneus replied as well.
"That seems so unrealistic!"
"Get back to your camp before you lose it for your team!" A voice yelled in her earpiece.
Is that....New Glory speaking in my ear?
"You heard me: Leaving on your own while leaving your people without a plan is a serious offense! Retreat back while you can!!"
She was retreating but she was still in the same spot.
What the hell is keeping me from retreating?! She was fretting and then she saw Ryoji's grabbing her boot and attempt to break it, it was made of titanium and it broke so easily.
A tree was cleaved in half as Funka crashed through it so violently, rolling until she caught herself back.
Her back was aching; not broken. As long as it wasn't broken——She's all right to fight.
"How-How—" She croaked, her boot did not function any more. Crap! How did he know about my stuff?! I can't use my right boot anymore!
"First thing you need to know about me: I am not an idiot. You made sure had those four chambers built in your gauntlets or boots can either propel you in the air or make attacks more precise. Assuming you cannot ignite all four limbs because how your bones can break from the sheer power of your explosions. You're in pain right now, yet; you've become numb to it, but you do have a limit. The evidence..." Ryoji revealed her secret. "Is those green ovals in the center of each chamber. They show how much your arms or your legs can take the pain before it really hurts you. Am I correct?" He didn't need no answer as her eyes showed fear.
Ryoji was starting to become more vain towards her, even pointing at her. "I've got to admit: I thought you were one of the smarter ones in the classroom but you can't even hold a candle to your dad."
"Got another thing to say about my suit or make fun of me more, smartass?" Funka shuddered, this new energy her enemy had manifested in front of her was different.
It was his anger; all of his anger was now directed to her now.
She wanted his undivided rage?
There it was for hers in the taking.
"Yeah——DON'T EVER CALL ME A MERC." He chastised her angrily and attacked her in a binding speed.....
———Track 23 Ended———
CHARACTER PROFILE:
HERO: NEW GLORY (29)
HEART OF AMERICA
BIRTHDAY: 6-14
HEIGHT: 6'2"
LIKES: His Great Nation, His uniform for what it stands, Diversity
DISLIKES: Racism, Anything who gets into the the ways of his American utopia.
THE INSIDE STORY:
The Number One Hero of America.
A big celebrity.
That's all you need to know.
CHARACTER PROFILE:
SURWICK STUDENT: CHIEF APEX (29)
SYMBOL OF VALOR
BIRTHDAY: 9-22
HEIGHT: 6'7"
LIKES: Surwick, Learning new things, the ocean
DISLIKES: The current teaching approach to Surwick
THE INSIDE STORY:
The True Number One Hero of the N.U.S.N.
He is a kind and affectionate that stands for truth and justice, Enapay does not tolerate for any injustice or evil.
When he ever gets a student, the first thing he'll do is bring them to the ocean and train them.