"Cripple, Unfortunate, Weak, Defective." Kiryu.
These titles followed him everywhere he went, may it be this new school he came to a year ago, Tamago, or when he came home.
"Hell, the only person that calls me by my actual name nowadays is my brother..."
Kiryu thought, walking back home from his school.
It was quite late and normally, school got out around 5, but since he did not want to run into anyone on the way home, he stayed a little later than anyone else. Anything was necessary to avoid a beating… A low rank like him was real easy pickings. Anyone could put him in the dirt, just like that. Staying out too late was out of the question too… If anything was worse than the students, it would be the gangs of delinquents running shakedowns in his city. Unfortunately, this is just a life of a low rank, and it is even worse for a defective like him.
Kiryu's parents were born both ability users, the two of his parents were blessed by the Gods, even if it was pretty common for everyone to be an ability user nowadays, but since he was born without one, despite the obvious genetic answer being that he should have some sort of ability, he was labeled as defective; faulty in the eyes of society, and was looked down upon by his classmates, teachers, and even his own kin.
He finally gets off the sidewalk, and enters his run-down apartment building. The walls were stained with graffiti, the 'foyer' was musty, and it reeked of substances that were probably best left unsaid. Kiryu tried the elevator, and pressed the button, yet all he heard was metallic screeching. Someone must've tinkered with the elevator, or maybe the apartment building was on its last legs. Instead of using the lift, he decided to take the stairs, which were damp, and he could smell a faint hint of mold. It didn't help that his block was a good four floors up, and that this trip would not be his last. Alas, he made the climb, to perhaps see something mildly interesting in his apartment.
As Kiryu opens the door to his apartment, he notices that his sister's bag is nowhere to be seen.
"Cram school again? That's a bit bizarre."
Kiryu thought with a puzzled expression on his face.
"Damn it… Doesn't make a lick of sense! Look at her! She's already at the top of her grade, Queen of the school, I bet she has plenty of lackeys following her about, and why in God's name does she insist on studying harder?! Everything is already laid out for her. She's got a one-way ticket to the good life, she's livin' in paradise since she is a high rank and all!"
Kiryu got a bit miffed at his sister's good fortune, and after a little while, he calmed down.
His family was full of high ranks, for example, his brother was now working as a Hunter in the Capital. He stopped the people who used their powers for evil, which was a good cause in Kiryu's book. He was also a high rank, not only that, but he was a rank 13, which was pretty high up there. His sister on the other hand was only 2 years younger than him and was already a 10.5 and was projected to hit 11 in high school, which is quite the amount of growth, way more than anyone ever really sees in such a short amount of time.
Kiryu heard that his parents were both high rankers, and his father was even a late bloomer, so it never made any sense to anyone, much less Kiryu that he never got an ability, thus he was labeled a defective. Kiryu supposes it was simply the genetic lottery, perhaps powers and such were labeled as a dominant trait, yet God handed him a recessive gene? There is little he could do, but hope that one day, his ailing would be relieved, yet right now is not the time to worry as such.
As Kiryu ponders what to do with the rest of his day, he realized he completed his homework at school, and took the rest of the evening off. He needs it anyway, school is really difficult, everyone's competing to be the best, and if Kiryu can't beat them in strength and abilities, he needs to make up for that.
After one to two minutes of thought, he decided to go out on a run to the convenience store, since he did not have much to eat at his place.
As he put on his jacket to go out he thought:
"Should I bring back anything for Giavonna?"
The thought quickly dissipated as Kiryu realized that she always comes home with something to eat anyway, and bringing anything back would just become his breakfast the next day. Kiryu supposes this is a good way to keep some sort of order… Even if he has to do all the hard work...
He then proceeds to start his run, after all, for a defective like Kiryu, he has to stay in shape to even have a chance to compete with the ability users. The only reason he got into one of the top schools in the country was because of his above-average strength. Anything would work to compete with his classmates: strength, intelligence, anything to let him have an edge.
If his grade was even a point worse, just a single point lower, he may have not even gotten into this school, of course, the recommendation from his brother, who was a high tier student, did help quite a bit, and the fact that the headmaster knew his father was also a boost for him.
Now that Kiryu thinks about it, where would he have been without his brother? "I sure as hell would not be standing here, actually, the only reason I was allowed to stay in his apartment instead of the student dorms, was because of my brother and his influence on the school, and the fact that he pays for the apartment along with that." Kiryu thought.
He finishes his jog, and enters 'Nikku Convenience.' It looked sterile, and way too clean to be a convenience store. There was a very exhausted looking person managing the counter, and Kiryu, not wanting to disturb him too much, picked out a few things, paid, and left promptly.
As he finishes up his trip to the convenience store, he realizes that it was getting quite late.
"I should really head back, I don't want to be out at midnight, that'd be worse than walking in the halls during lunch at school..."
Kiryu turned a corner so he could get home faster and to avoid any unnecessary trouble, unfortunately, he spots what he thinks to be a shakedown happening in the distance. Shakedowns mean trouble.
There seemed to be three to four of them ganging up against one guy, yet when he saw this, the only thing he thinks is:
"Better him than me. Can't afford a fight in this city."
A small but noticeable smile started to etch itself on Kiryu's lips as he thought:
"Must be my lucky day! That would have been me if he didn't show up… Thank God. "
As Kiryu basks in his rare luck, he notices that the person getting jumped is wearing a Tamago High uniform.
"Must be a low rank like me… Looks like no one is spared in this damn city." Kiryu thought as he started to back away from the scene unveiling before him.
But as soon as Kiryu turned to leave, a large object bolted past his face and hit a pole in front of him. As he goes in for a closer look, Kiryu notices that it was one of the thugs from the alley.
As Kiryu backs away from the motionless thug before him, Kiryu backs straight into something else. As he turns to look at it, his eyes dilate in shock; this kid being harassed by the thugs, this low-rank kid, just grew a good 6-10 feet. Kiryu looked up in total and complete terror.
"He must've grown at least 2 to 3 times bigger than before… Jeez… What else can this kid do, huh?!" Kiryu thought as he swallowed his saliva and backed away.
"You… You're with these thugs...?" A deep voice protruded out of the tall figure in front of him."
"No, I'm not… Just passing through man..." A faint voice left Kiryu's mouth, still in shock from that low rank.
As Kiryu began to collect his thoughts, he looked at the man in front of him as he slowly began to shrink back to the size of a normal person. As Kiryu slowly began to survey the now normal-size man in front of him, he looked for any hint of who he was, and luckily for him, something caught his eye; a uniform from Tamago High.
His sleeve had a green band on it about 3 finger-widths wide, which signified that he was a second-year, just like Kiryu, but it had a small black band in the middle of it that meant he was a royal for his school.
As Kiryu quickly analyzed the situation, he thought, "Are you kidding?! A Royal? With this kinda power? Hell… I only saw half of them pull off super strength or something like that… But this? Can I even compete with this? Can anyone compete with this?!"
Thoughts were rushing around in his head, yet the only thing that appealed to him, was to get the hell out of there.
"If that damn Royal thinks I'm with these thugs, I'll be dead meat for sure. I'll die twice if he figures out I'm from Tamago. Can this get any more stressful…?" Kiryu thought, with sweat dripping down his face.
Royals, first and foremost, are used to keep every student in check, which is why they're allowed to skip classes, and due to this authority they hold, they're even ranked higher than the teachers, and if he was to be caught, even remotely close to thugs, or really doing anything that's not on good terms with school policy, he'll really pay the price. No room for error around the Royals.
"I don't have much of high school life, to begin with… But if this Royal convicts me, there won't be any damn life left!" Kiryu thought.
"Are you sure you aren't with them?" Said the Royal.
"Yeah, I was just on my way home and decided to take a shortcut, then this little incident took me off guard. That's why I was so…. Scared."
"Hmmm…" Said the Royal.
Kiryu was shaking nervously, with sweat constantly forming on his forehead. The Royal's indecision did not help with his anxiety at the moment. He quickly lifted up his bag of tamago and nigiri sushi from the convenience store and pointed it towards the Royal, making sure to hide his face while doing so.
"See? I just came from this convenience store, and decided to come this way... Sorry if I am bothering you, man."
The royal looked at the bag, and back at the convenience store where Kiryu was pointing, as a nervous smile slowly materialized on his face.
"Please let this work…" Kiryu pleaded to whichever God would listen.
"Tell you what man, I see your games… I see what you're trying to do…" The Royal exclaimed.
Kiryu pleaded again, "For Heaven's sake man…."
"I see now. You're just covering for yourself. I'll let you off the hook. You don't seem like the thuggish type anyway."
"Yeah, thanks for this anyway. But, my Sis is waiting for me, so I should really leave. Thanks again."
"Yes, I should get going as well. After all, I have a game to get to. And… Quick tip. Don't go wandering 'round alleys looking for a shortcut." The Royal exclaimed.
"Yeah, I'll keep that in mind. See you later…" Kiryu says with a sigh of relief.
"You didn't have a nice night..." Said the Royal as he started to sprint down the street.
"Damn man. I'm really gonna have to dig up some info on who that guy is. Seems like it'll be trouble if I run into him even once." Kiryu thought, grateful that he did not have to deal with his impending doom.
"I feel bad for the thugs, actually..." Thought Kiryu, smiling at his even better luck of having the alley cleared out.
"Who was that guy, really? He seems like one of the new Royals, I've never seen him before, but I don't really pay attention to who is in my class much, so that could be the reason. He also could have been a part of the new King's group. Yeah, like the King needs more lackeys… Power is already at a premium."
The former King of Tamago High was dethroned last year by a second year, and the second year almost completely purged all the old Royals and replaced them with new ones, after all, the number one key to staying in power, is to have people that like you in charge; everyone but the Queen, Bishops, and some Pawns were replaced, and everyone who graduated of course.
"Apparently, word is that the only reason the Queen was not dethroned was that the new King could not beat her, but that was just a rumor, and anything that gets passed around this school is bound to be a lie…" Kiryu muttered under his breath as he unconsciously checked his phone for the time, he supposes it's just instinct to check his phone, his only link to the outside world when he's too bothered to actually talk to people.
"Goddamn it, it's 10 P.M… And it doesn't look like I'm anywhere near my place. Jeez man, where am I in the first place?"
As Kiryu surveyed his surroundings trying to find where he was, he quickly glanced to his right and saw a flash of light, then one more, then another. Almost seemed like a sequence. Too good to be true.
Kiryu then began to get curious and forgot about the time and instead, headed towards the flashes of light that began to ramp up in intensity.
As he reached the crest of the hill, he saw an open field where eight people were fighting tooth and nail. As Kiryu began to look closer, he saw the uniform of Tamago High and another school.
"What?! Why are they fighting here?! Damn preppy bastards..." Kiryu thought as he began to rack his brain for an answer.
After a solid minute or two of thinking, he finally remembered what that Royal said when he was leaving.
"Yes, I should get going as well. After all, I have a game to get to. And… Quick tip. Don't go wandering 'round alleys looking for a shortcut."
"That is what he said, a game was happening… Damn, what a character he is, huh?" Kiryu thought as he glued his eyes to the fight taking place before him. It was real difficult to understand what was going on, but by God, it looked intense as all hell.
"This is what a Kings' Game looks like, huh? I heard they usually don't tell people where they take place, so they don't get spectators, this is really rare for a normal person to see, much less a cripple like me. I'd better make this last."
King's Games can happen in many different ways depending on what the Kings decide. They can have all 16 'pieces' fight until one King is on the ground. Or they could narrow it down to a one on one, until every piece on one team was down. Yeah, a battle of attrition, or one team goes straight for the jugular.
The Pawn was Kiryu's favorite piece, as for every three ranks a person took up one pawn, for example, if someone was a rank six he would take up two pawns, and if you wanted a high tier pawn, you needed to take up at least four Pawns. You would lose the numbers and flexibility the Pawns possess. In that way, the battles seem unfair, yet, in a battle against someone else who is better than you by pure chance; in a society that is constructed upon pure chance, this little conflict seems fair in the eyes of whoever built this place.
Kiryu is glad for once that he took the King's Game class in school, sadly, he only got to see an old video of the previous King's Games, but now he would get to see a King's Game in person! What a revelation! Surely, the Gods bestow good luck upon him! A slow and massive smile began to form on his face as he looked at the fight that occurred before his eyes.
"Son of a bitch!" Someone screamed as they were shocked with lightning coming out of a blue haired female's arm. The sound of the thunder was akin to artillery, and by God, the light matched the sound.
"Take that you silly Knight! Why don't you try harder next time!?" She said with a confident expression on her face.
Rook- Tezza. Level- 10.5!
Power- Lightning: She can produce lightning out of her body, and can shoot it 5 to 6 meters in front of her! Shocking, huh?!
School-Tamago High!
Style- Augmenter!
As the Knight who got shocked stood up, his body began to harden as a grey aura around him began to form.
"You really think your weak little lightning hurt me?! It felt like a shock from trap gum, little brat. Gimme your best shot, ora!?"
Knight- Brock! Level- 9.7!
Power-Harden: He hardens his body to make it like a wall!
School- Yaki High!
Style- Manifestor!
A green-haired female behind him said, "Shut up and keep fighting, I can't heal you forever! You're so reckless…" As she stuck her arms out, an aura began to form around her hands. The green seemed to restore this Knight to his former health, and giving your team medical attention in a fight like this seems to be key.
Bishop- Freya! Level- 6.3!
Power- Forward Healing- She can only heal people in front of her and she must be pointing her palms at the injury, and she can only heal injuries she saw happen, or can only visibly see cuts! Seeing is believing with this lovely lady!
School- Yaki High!
Style- Manifestor!
Not even two seconds later, a slash of wind came barreling towards her. But just before it hit, it was stopped in its tracks and disappeared. This sorta wind isn't any normal breeze, it's more like a tornado!
A voice then came from the direction of the wind attack.
"Ha! You stopped that, huh? I guess that's why you're a level 9! Let's see more of your skill, okay?!" It was coming from a light skinned, white-haired man.
Rook- Ramza! Level- 8!
Power- Wind slash! He can manipulate the air around him to travel at high speeds, and attack people with it, unfortunately, it has limited range and potency. This guy likes his battles from a distance! He's a breath of fresh air, huh?!
School- Tamago High!
Style- Manifestor!
In the darkness to the left of the healing bishop, a voice seemingly materialized out of thin air.
"Ha! It's not that I'm strong! You're just way too weak! Let's see you try, maybe?" Said a tall, built, man that had slick black hair.
Bishop- Keitaro! Level- 9!
Power- Erase- He can erase any power that has left the user like lightning, or flying wind, but he has to see it and he can't erase powers that transform the user or are still affecting the user like healing and enhancement! But can he remove their enthusiasm for battle?!
School- Yaki High!
Style- Augmenter!
Then, all of a sudden, multiple slashes of air came towards the black-haired Bishop, that were all promptly being erased, yet, the slick Bishop would never see the rock the size of a child that came flying towards him, and that promptly smashed into his abdomen.
"That must've really knocked the wind out of him, yeah?" Kiryu thought while watching this intense combat.
"Arghhhh!" Screamed the slick-haired Bishop as the rock penetrated his skin.
Without a second of hesitation, both lightning and heavy gusts of wind came hurtling towards him.
Boom!
Slam!
"Son of a-" Multiple bolts of lightning, and gusts of wind struck their target and dealt a devastating blow, as the black-haired man fell down to his knees unconscious. No man would have survived that onslaught, and telling by that severe injury, his life would be cut short if someone didn't step up right there, right then.
"You bastard! I'll get you for that!" The Knight screamed as he dashed at the preoccupied Rooks.
But then... Bam!
A giant man three to four times the size of any normal person slammed into him and thundered, "Not if I'm here you're not."
Knight- Shojo! Level- 9!
Power- Enlarge!- He can make himself tower above the average man, but the more he does it, the more energy he uses, and the hungrier he gets! Better put up a fight, short stuff!
School-Tamago High!
Style- Manifestor!
Then, the red-haired knight grabbed the dazed brown-haired assailant and threw him to the ground, with enough force to knock him unconscious.
When the massive amount of dust cleared from the large impact, someone from the sidelines yelled: "They're out!" As multiple people came to drag them out of harm's way.
"Seems like this isn't just mindless violence. There's referees and all that. Those rules might make things interesting…" Kiryu muttered under his breath.
Then, out from behind the female green haired healer, a man with a crown on his head spoke: "Fine, Tamago... You win this one. I admit, I really shouldn't have challenged you guys, I just wanted to see what the new king was made of. And apparently, he's made of real tough stuff…." He spoke with an air of confidence, even in the face of his defeat.
Almost like clockwork, a man with yellow hair came from behind the two Rooks with a crown on his head and said, "Yes, you lucked out this time... After all, our Queen is not here, but next time... You won't be so lucky."
Kiryu thought to himself, "Jesus man… That was exhilarating! That junk really makes me forget about my troubles and the like when I see someone else take a beating... Unfortunately, I should really get going before someone notices me... Or I'm as good as dead, and my short-lived high school career will come to a halt."
As his thoughts finalized, he heard the voice of a female from behind him.
"Hey you! Why are you up there? You're creeping me out!"
As Kiryu turned around, he saw a female student from Tamago High.
"Does everyone stay out this late or something?! What are you doing in the first place?"
As Kiryu listened in disdain, his mind rushed for an answer. "Did I know her?!" In his confusion, he noticed that she had green striped sleeves.
"So... She is a second-year student like me. Do I know her?"
Right as that thought ended, he then took a quick glance at her face, and an earth-shattering realization set in.
"Damn man! That's Sheila! She sits right in front of me, and she despises every fiber of me! If she knew I was out here I would get an ear full, and get real bad treatment for looking at her the wrong way! I have to get out of here, one way or another… And talking doesn't seem like a good option…"
As that thought protruded out of his mind he then heard, "If you don't tell why you're up there, I'm gonna come up there, and see why myself! Want that?!"
As soon as those words filled the air Kiryu turned his head towards the King's Game that had concluded, and sure enough, all the students were still there, which included the King of Tamago. The best part was, everyone was staring in his direction. All eyes on Kiryu.
"Shit man! I have to get out of here now! Now, I don't think they can see me because of my hood, and how dark, it is but it doesn't hurt to run like hell too. The faster I get out of here, the more likely I am to keep my head!"
He began to dash at full speed out of the park, and went to the more urban areas, with Sheila still on his rear. He made it to an alleyway before he started pulling some tricky maneuvers to get away from her, vaulting, climbing, the whole package.
"Hey man! Why are you running? I just wanted to know why you were up there, creep."
"Creep, are you kidding?" Kiryu thought, as the name rang through his head. He wasn't normal anymore. A creep. An outcast. A loser. He was now titled as one of the dregs of society.
As Sheila stood there, confused, she decided to walk up to the hill where the man was standing. She approached the top with no hesitation, but right as she climbed to the crest of the hill, she met a yellow-haired boy who was wearing a Tamago High uniform.
"Ummm... Hello? Were you with that creep?" She said, not noticing the uniform or the blue striped sleeves.
The yellow-haired boy responded with, "No? Was there someone watching up here?"
As Sheila quickly realized the grade and school he was in she responded with, "Ahh yes, yes there was thi… This guy with a grey hoodie on and dark pants, but he ran that way... Seemed a bit strange if you ask me..." As she pointed towards an alley close to the hill.
"A grey hoodie, you say? Tell me..." Said the red-haired Knight, as he came up to her.
"Y..yes?" Said Sheila, as she respectfully bowed, as was the custom in the region.
"Was he holding a plastic bag, perchance?"
"Err... I think so?"
"Hmmm... It could have been the same guy with the thugs? Did he follow me all the way out here? Impossible… He must have some insider knowledge on me..." Thought the Knight.
"Ah, please excuse me... Where are my manners? Let me introduce myself, you may call me Shojo." The knight said to Sheila.
"And I am Sheila." She bowed once more in his presence.
"This is Tamago High's King Seiji..." Shojo said, noticing that Sheila was in their school.
" My K-King!" Said Sheila as she quickly bowed in respect towards Seiji.
Seiji then snapped out of deep thought and said...
You must be Sheila from Class 3?"
Y-yes I am..."
"I heard you are in the running for becoming a bishop next year, once our little team graduates and all, yes?"
"U-umm, y-yes something like that..." As Sheila begins to blush, as red as a tomato.
"Well, keep on training and we will see if you can make it, yeah? I have high hopes for you, Sheila..."
"Yes sir!" Said Sheila confidently, after hearing him say that.
"Well, have a nice day, or evening, should I say?" Seiji said, chuckling, as he ushered Shojo along.
"Uu-umm, you too, King," Sheila said nervously.
After a little bit of walking, Shojo started to talk, out of Sheila's hearing.
"Hey Seiji... Why were you so nice to her, huh? You usually aren't that nice to potential recruits. What's gotten into you?"
"That's because she has already been chosen as the Bishop, once our lackeys graduate, of course, there is nothing potential about her, she has already been chosen."
"Ahh, makes sense."
"Well anyway... Who do you think was watching us, and why? Seems a bit fishy to me." Said Seiji seriously.
"I don't know..." Said Shojo thinking if it was the same chump he met in the alley.
"But I don't think it's gonna be a problem, he's just another loose end, if anything." Shojo said with utter confidence.
"I'll trust your judgment then…."
Somewhere on the street, Kiryu was gasping for air as he continued to run from his pursuers.
"I think... I am... far enough... They won't chase me this far, hopefully..." Kiryu said, still trying to catch his breath.
"Hey, look! I'm even on the road home, damn man! I am lucky, aren't I? Well, maybe just a tad bit…."
Just as Kiryu said that he hears his cell phone ring.
" Yo… Who is calling at this hour?" Kiryu thought as he accepts the call.
"Yes, is this Mr. Como's brother?"
"Yes, this is Kiryu Como, who is calling?"
Kiryu thought "How did they know who I was? I'd better be careful..."
"Well, it's about your brother, Reji Como. We're sorry to inform you, but-"
A few seconds later a phone fell to the ground, and a crack formed.