April and Jen stood opposite of one another. April already had an arrow knocked but not drawn back. She was waiting for the signal to start the match. Jen was cracking her neck, knuckles, and lumbering up. She was preparing for a fight. Boss looked from Jen towards April, then back to Jen. He was making sure they were ready, and when Jen took to a battle stance, Boss started the match. "Begin!" Boss exclaimed.
Jen dashed towards April; she wasn't using her Seed Power. She didn't think April would be able to hurt her. April brought her bow up and drew back on the arrow but didn't release it. Jen wondered why April wasn't releasing the arrow but thought that it may have been because April couldn't get a decent shot. A smirk curved across Jen's lips even though she misunderstood what April was doing.
When Jen was within arms reach, she would throw a fist. For some reason, April never released the arrow, nor did she even step back. Instead, April stepped forward when Jen threw out her punch. Jen expected April to jump back or do something else, so it threw her off when she saw April step in. April brought her bow around to knock Jen's fist aside. She still had the arrow in her other hand and twirled it within her fingers before taking hold of it in an ice-pick grip and jammed it into Jen's arm.
Jen would grit her teeth and growl. Instead of jumping back, Jen brought her other fist around aiming to hit April in the stomach. April would pull out the arrow and pivot to her side, pushing off Jen with her bow to avoid the punch. As she spun once, she broke Jen's sight on her, then twice, and she was behind Jen. She had quickly knocked the arrow and drew back on it. The arrowhead was pointed right at the back of Jen's head. "I win," April remarked with an innocent smile.
No one could believe their eyes. Even Boss was surprised. April had beat Jen. Sure, Jen wasn't using her Seed Power, so she may have taken it easy on April, but it was clear that April wasn't taking it easy on Jen. Jen sighed heavily, "I want a rematch. I wasn't fighting at my fullest." Jen commented, and April would giggle and lower her bow while releasing the tension on the drawstring. "Okay~ You should've come at me like that initially," April remarked, which caused Jen to shake her head. "Yeah, my mistake." She said.
They would retake their former positions and stance. First, however, Jen unleashed her Seed Power. A crimson glow could be seen in her eyes. "Don't blame me if I break your bones," Jen remarked. Sure, she was injured, but right now, she didn't care. A chuckle escaped April's lips. "Okay. Ion, you'll heal her as promised, right?" April looked over at Ion. Ion's brow rose when the spotlight was on him. "Uhh.. yeah." Ion replied and April nodded. She then looked to Don and wiggled her fingers cutely at him.
Don saw this and just smiled softly. "Are you two ready?" Boss asked while looking over Jen and April. "Yeah," Jen replied. "Mhm~" April responded. "Then begin!" Boss exclaimed; this time, Jen dashed towards April without warning. April released the arrow, Jen would side-step the arrow while continuing forward. April quickly drew another one and released it, Jen side-stepped that one as well. April drew another arrow, but before she could knock it back, Jen was already right in front of her. Jen tried to punch April in the chest, but April side-stepped it. Jen followed up with a swift kick. April would flip her arrow in hand, so she was holding it in ice-pick grip and jammed it down into Jen's leg. Even if April was going to get hit, Jen would also take damage.
Jen's leg connected with April's stomach, but at the same time, April had slammed the arrowhead into Jen's leg. Then as she flew back from the force behind Jen's attack, April broke off the arrowhead so Jen couldn't pull it out. Jen winced in pain and April managed to keep onto her feet by balancing the core of her body. Although she did stumble but never fell.
April had to take a moment to gather oxygen back into her lungs; this was the perfect time because Jen wasn't close to her, and she wouldn't be able to dash at her again. Jen put her leg down, but as she did, she felt an immense amount of pain. She looked down to see the arrowhead was still inside of her leg. "I guess it really won't stop piercing weapons." Jen would grumble. She figured it wouldn't. The spears and arrows the Amazoness used against her did scratch her, but she never let the arrows go into her body or the spear to skewer her. Now, she knew that she wouldn't be able to charge April without further injuring herself, and it looked like April was still standing.
"Now..." April murmured while drawing several arrows from her quiver and knocking them against her bow. She would drawback on the string, and her eyes would flare a vivid yellow with a hint of green. Jen grit her teeth. She would just have to approach April while evading the arrows. She could have given up but didn't want to. Her pride would never allow such. The arrows released from April's bow, and Jen was prepared to evade them while stepping forward; however, the arrows went invisible mid-flight. "What!?" Jen exclaimed, and just after that, she felt a sharp pain in her arm, thigh, and shoulder. Then, a shimmer effect dispersed, and the invisible arrows became visible once again. Jen looked at them, and when she looked up, she saw April preparing three more.
"Don't worry, Ion will heal you. I won't kill you. You are Don's friend after all; however..." April's cute tone of voice suddenly went dark. "I want to make sure you know your place. Not just anyone can challenge my Don or touch him." April remarked with a chill in her voice and released the arrows. Jen would grit her teeth and bring her arms up to shield her body, but nothing hit her. When she opened her eyes, she saw Don standing between them, holding all three arrows in his hand.
Don wondered when Boss was going to call the match from the moment April landed her volley of arrows; however, it seemed even Boss didn't want to call the match. No one else was going to step up, so Don decided to just end the match himself. When April released her second volley, Don used his Seed Power: Timeless Flow to deaccelerate space around him, ultimately bringing it to a halt. Don walked past everyone and grabbed the three arrows that were halted in mid-flight. As he did, the force tugged him forward, but he didn't budge. He would then end his Seed Power: Timeless Flow and everything went back to normal. Which was why Don appeared out of nowhere in between April and Jen with the arrows in hand.
"The match is over. April is the winner." Don remarked. Jen would grit her teeth in frustration and April jumped for joy before running up to cuddle Don. Don would put the arrows back into April's quiver before looking down at her. As their eyes met, April smiled happily, and Don smiled softly.
'I am sorry...' Don muttered internally.
"So this is April? Well, she seems a little bit different from what you've told me, but it makes sense. I am not a psychologist, but I think she is taking on a different personality. Something to cope with everything that has happened thus far. I doubt it'll be permanent, but I don't know. If anything, she reminds me of yourself in a way." Melissa's voice peered through Don's head, only Don could hear it.
'That so? Even then, it is my fault. The only reason she is like this is that I failed her. Even though I vowed to be someone worthy of her, I failed her in the end... I don't think I will ever be worthy of her...' Don replied internally.
A sigh escaped Melissa's lips, and she would shake her head. "That so? Well, just be there for her." Melissa replied to Don within his head, and Don closed his eyes in silence. Ion and Jessica moved towards Jen, and Boss also made his way towards her. "Here, I was growing tired of this. So, I had Noah make some." Ion would pull out a small skinny vial from his jacket. The vial had a cork in it. Jen's brow rose, "Is that..." Before she could finish her question, Ion would interrupt her. "Yes, it's my spit. It has healing properties, or would you rather I stick my fingers in your mouth?" Ion remarked.
Jen sighed heavily and took the vial. "No." She would pop off the cork and close her eyes then down the... spit. She grimaced as she swallowed it then handed the vial back to Ion. Jessica had pulled out the arrows from Jen's body, but the last one that had been broken off was proving difficult. "Move," Don called out since she saw her struggling. He would activate his Seed Power: Spatial Distortion and warp the space around Jen's leg. She blinked as she watched a part of her leg twist, turn and fold over itself; but felt nothing in the process. When it reverted back to its normal to look, the distortion around her leg had also vanished, and the arrowhead that had been floating in the air dropped onto the ground. "Huh... neat," Jen remarked, but Don said nothing.
"Everyone! Dinner is ready!" Alice called to them. Everyone decided it was time to eat, and Jen wanted to get the taste of Ion's spit out of my mouth, so she was more than happy to race to the kitchen. Ion saw this and sighed lightly, "Damn, is it that bad?" Ion would mutter. Jessica was standing next to him at the time and just chuckled, "I love your spit." Jessica teased him, which caused him to sigh and say nothing more.
Everyone else talked amongst themselves about what just happened; meanwhile, Don and April were the last to move. April tugged on Don's sleeve to get his attention. Don stopped and looked towards her. "Are you upset?" April asked after fidgeting for a moment. Her gaze was downcast.
"Upset?" Don inquired since he didn't know what she was talking about.
April would nod. "Yeah. Did I do anything to upset you?" April asked.
Don would shake his head, "No. You have done nothing wrong. I only stopped the fight because Boss wouldn't. It was clear you were the winner, but Boss or Jen wouldn't give in due to their pride." Don replied to April.
April looked up with a smile on her face. "Really!? Yay!" April exclaimed happily and cuddled Don. Don allowed her to kept close to him, and they walked back into the house. When they arrived at the table, everyone noticed they were missing a couple of people. Aside from those who were resting, the two that were not present were Rose and John.
John had asked Rose if they could talk. So, they made their way to the breezeway that leads from the front yard to the backyard; this was where the secret door was. "What did you want to talk about?" Rose asked. Now that things were starting to settle down, she remembered that she had caught John damn near naked and that John wanted to speak with her.
"I want to ask you something. While I was out, what happened?" John inquired. Rose was a bit confused. John could have asked anyone else, but he choose to ask her. Regardless she answered him in full. The events that happened after he passed out and everything till he woke up. Once she was done, John would nod.
"I see. Thank you." John would express, although he still seemed off. Even Rose noticed this but said nothing. "Is there anything else?" Rose asked. John would nod, "Can you tell me about The World Government?" John decided to ask. If there was a chance that she would reveal anything, he was more than happy to listen.
"I see... Well..." Rose didn't know if she should tell him. It wasn't because she didn't want to, but because of what he might do with the information. She knew John wasn't strong. Even if he had awakened to his Seed Power, and that Seed Power was gravitational manipulation, it didn't mean he could do anything against The World Government. They weren't simple Contenders. No, they were an armed force. The only reason they were still alive was because of Don.
"Very well," Rose commented and lean against the wall. John would lean against the fence that was adjacent to Rose. "The World Government is divided into four factions. Each faction has its own goals and desires. I was part of the Military Might faction, lead by General Smith. The four factions are Military Might, Research and Development, Resource Management, and Creation. All of these factions are to report to a higher power known as The New World Order. The New World Order is divided into branches all over the country, and each branch is lead by a High Commander. The four factions are to report to their High Commander; however, even if they are to report to the High Commander, they are still allowed to do their own thing provided it does not conflict with The New World Order's goals." Rose explained.
John seemed to follow along perfectly. It seemed The World Government was divided and had conflicting interests, but what caught his attention was the goal part. "What goal?" John asked.
"To kill the boy and restore the planet to what it once was. Due to this, Military Might is recruiting people and forcing people to stay here. They need manpower and cannon fodder. Research and Development are trying to figure a way to create an artificial Seed, so they are working alongside Creation. Resource Management, is doing its best to keep newcomers alive by keeping the world well-stocked. Eventually, newcomers find outposts and are recruited or killed because they refuse to help The World Government." Rose answered with a bit more than what John asked for.
However, John was surprised. So their goal was to kill the boy and restore the world to what it once was? John didn't care about the boy, but what he was most surprised about was the fact that a group of murders who killed innocent people was talking about restoring the world to what it once was. He seethed with anger but did not show it. Instead, he decided to regain his composure and did so surprisingly well.
"I see. Thank you." John commented, and Rose nodded. "It's no problem. But, what do you plan to do with the information?" Rose asked. Truthfully, she was worried John would try to go after The World Government. She didn't want to see someone willingly throw their life away. John shook his head. "Nothing. I am still too weak to do anything. Maybe when I get stronger, I can do something, but right now I can do nothing." John replied. What John said was true. He knew his own weakness. He knew he wasn't as strong as Don or even Rose. He wasn't stupid.
That was why he planned to kill Rose when she was least expecting something like that. He would catch her off guard, and what better way than profess his feelings to her in some way or another. "That's good," Rose replied after hearing John's words. This caught his attention, but he said nothing of it. "Let's head back inside. I am sure the others are worried about us." Rose added, and John nodded. The two of them returned through the secret door, and when they did, some teased them. Asking when they got so close that they would go off somewhere in secret to do whatever. This caused Rose's cheeks to turn a shade of pink. John wanted to blow it off but instead played the act of an embarrassed man caught in the act. He scratched the back of his neck while looking away from Rose.
Everyone was silent for a moment until someone called out, "Wait, are you two going out?" It was Josh. "No," Rose said at the same time as John. They looked at one another for a moment, but it was mostly John faking everything; meanwhile, Rose was genuinely embarrassed. After which, John explained what he asked Rose since Rose had shied away. Everyone understood and proceeded to eat; however, Alice and Sarah asked Rose if she liked John or found in attractive in any way. Rose didn't answer but did blush lightly. She knew what liking someone or finding them attractive meant even if she didn't understand the feeling itself. The girls were nearly surprised but decided they would support her and offered to help her, and she just nodded since she didn't know what else to do. Everyone would begin their meal and afterward decided to head to bed.