I panicked. "Tommy! Tommy! Is he alive?!"
Tommy was already on his way here. "We'll see," he said. He opened the fence and walked in. He leisurely placed his fingers near the Kid's jugular and said, "He's….alive."
"Thank God!" I sighed in relief.
I hauled him to the first row of seats and hoisted him up onto the cheap, plastic bleachers.
"Leo," Tommy called.
"Yeah?"
"Clean the ring. I'll make us some tea." I nodded my head and caught the mop that he tossed.
***
For the next twenty or so minutes, I melted, scraped, and washed the little ice particles of the ring. They were small, and looked feeble, but they took way too long to melt. I wasn't that mad at the end result of me having to clean the ring because I learned something. Students really do know how to keep their cool to some extent. I mean, the kid did lose, but he was trained for a few more years, then he would have probably beat me. Assuming that I would be at the same level in a few years. He paid attention to my movements, didn't rush his solid position, but he failed to utilize his power the right way. The way that suited him.
The smell of jasmine tea wafted through the air, and I had just finished cleaning the ring. Tommy called me over to where the kid was. He seemed to have settled into his surroundings after waking up. I ran over and grabbed myself a cup of tea. I carefully walked back to where they both were. I spilled some of the precious liquid on the way back even though I was walking at a snail's pace. That's life I guess.
I sat down next to the kid. He was sandwiched in the middle of me and Tommy, and I think he was feeling a little bit uncomfortable. "We weren't planning to bite you know," I said.
"No, no! That's not why-"
Tommy cut him off, "Just drink the tea, child. It'll calm you down."
He placed the small teacup in the kid's hands and let it warm him up. The kid brought it close to his mouth and sipped on it. A thick mist expelled from his mouth. "Do all the students fight like you?" I asked out of curiosity.
He drank another sip before answering, "Actually, all the students probably fight better than me."
"Are they more powerful or smarter?" I took a sip of my own tea. It felt good as it warmed my insides up to a warm, comforting temperature.
"I would say both," he looked at me as he cupped the teacup in his hands. "But, you could take them easily. I mean, you basically beat me without even using your superpower, right?" I nodded my head. He continued to convey his feelings to us: "The reason why I even came here was to see if I was good enough. I'm always near the bottom of my classes rankings, and many of the kids below me aren't even suited for combat like me, so they don't have to care about their fighting styles or class ranks to become heroes. But, I do." He sipped his tea again. He sighed, "That's why I decided to seek opportunities to get stronger. Actually, you guys were the first stop on my list, and it worked out. Kind of."
"What do you mean by getting stronger? Can't you become a Citizen's Hero just fine with that level of power? I mean, you could use some practice, but you'll be above average at the very least." I poured myself another cup of jasmine tea and waited for his answer.
He also poured himself more. "I appreciate the compliment, but I want to be a Reserve Hero. They're the ones that get all the real action and credit."
"Careful what you wish for, child," Tommy audibly muttered under his breath. "You may regret it one day."
We both stared at him wide-eyed. 'What did he just say?' The kid asked Tommy, "Sorry, I didn't quite catch that, sir."
Tommy scratched the back of his head and smiled before saying, "Oh! I was just saying that you should have more confidence in yourself if you want to become a hero!"
The kid smiled as well, "Yeah, you're right. I just...I can't seem to attain my confidence. Every time I pump myself up, some classmate kicks me back to the floor. It's kind of tiring, to be honest. I wonder why I even enrolled in the hero academy in the first place. I could have just had a normal job." After a slight pause, he said, "I could have asked my first crush out on a date….I could have married her, been happy, had kids, and been a contributing member of society. I would have been able to live a peaceful life if I didn't choose the hero course." A tear ran down his cheek.
Tommy, in a gentle voice, asked, "What happened to the girl, child?"
"Nothing...nothing happened to her. I...I just loved her, she was so much more than a crush. I loved her. And-and, I didn't tell her how I felt about her because I was scared. I mean, one of the reasons that I even chose the hero course was because I wanted to run away from her." he looked at Tommy with side-eyes. "I mean, is that normal?! I loved her, but I ran away from her!"
"Well, it's not too late, you know," Tommy suggested.
"She's already got a boyfriend. It's over"
Tommy stifled a laugh. "That's even better!" He slipped the kid on the back hard. "Now, you've got an even better reason to tell her that you love her! Otherwise, she might marry him!"
"Tommy!" I hissed. "You aren't making him feel any better!"
"Oh, please!" Tommy laughed.
"I'm sorry, does my backstory sound like a fucking joke?"
"Well, yeah!" Tommy hollered. "You guys are teenagers, who fuck around! Girls are getting rounder asses and bigger breasts, and innocent little boys are turning into wild animals who can't seem to keep their dicks in their pants! What kind of love is that?"
"But...but...I...really did love her…" the kid replied in his sad tone.
"Then, go tell her!" Tommy stressed. "Do you think the love of your life deserves a horny bastard as a boyfriend?"
"No way!" the kid yelled. "Just picturing it gives me goosebumps!"
"Who do you think would give her the best life? One filled with love?"
"ME!!!" he shouted.
"THEN, GO GET HER, KID!!!"
"YEAH!!!!" The kid stood up from his seat and was about to race towards the exit with Tommy at his heels.
I grabbed him by the collar and pulled him down on his ass. "Sit. The. Fuck. Down." The two of them were instantly muted. "Okay. So, you go and tell the love of your life that you love her. Then, what?"
"..." Both of them didn't answer.
"Nothing?! Really?!"
"We-we get married?" the kid suggested.
"Are you INSANE???" I yelled. "How high do you have to be to think marriage is your first option?"
"Well, they do say that love has its ways…" Tommy added.
"Yeah, when both the feelings are mutual." I crossed my arms and continued, "Just think about it, what if she rejects you? I mean, she doesn't have to love you because you love her, right?"
"Yeah," the kid said sadly.
"So, you have to win her over!" I proudly state.
The kid looked at me optimistically. "How? How?"
"I don't actually know how to do that since I've never been in love." The kid looked at Tommy, expecting an answer. I added, "I wouldn't ask Tommy either. Five divorces don't really radiate true love." The kid looked back at me. "Well, basically, they say that if your love is true, then no obstacles will stand in your way."
"But, you've got one!" Tommy interjected. "That horny dog of a boyfriend!" There was a real fire in his eyes.
"That's right!" The kid realized. "But, how am I supposed to beat him?"
"By practicing with us!" Tommy chirped. 'Wait what?'
****
It turns out that Tommy had a soft spot in his heart for tragic love stories. Especially youthful ones. He wanted me to help the kid learn new techniques to beat his future girlfriend-slash-wife-slash-life long partner's current boyfriend, which I reluctantly obliged.
"Alright," I called out to him in the ring, "You need to work on two things."
"Okay," he called back.
"First, you have to ditch the shield!"
"But, that's a classic strategy they teach in class. If I-"
I cut him off, "Classic my ass! The only thing it's doing is dragging you down! Do you think I didn't notice your reaction time getting slower as the match progressed?" He stayed quiet. He knew he was guilty. "Look at me!" I roared. He stared at me with his undivided attention. "Don't force your body to do something it can't physically do! Rather, try getting better at the things that you can do!"
"I don't understand what that means!" he hollered back.
"Can you come over there, so we don't have to yell?!" I yelled. He ran over to me. "Okay," I said in a lower voice, "Basically, you have to practice being more agile and powerful in short bursts with your spear. As you progress, you can change your meta since you'll get stronger. For now, you have to learn to do this." He nodded his head. "What else can you create besides a spear and a shield?"
"Daggers, discs, swords, bullets- not really useful though, knuckles, throwing knives, heavy balls of ice, anything small I can make."
"Then, try using throwing knives as a substitute for your shield. This way you have a wider range to attack your opponents while you use your spear to push them back. Use daggers, knuckles, or short swords when the enemy is in close range."
"I get it!" he said enthusiastically.
Tommy added from the stands, "Kid, your superpower is really amazing. I mean, you can make any weapon that comes to your mind! Use that! Be fluid with your imagination! Let that be your guiding force for your combat style!"
***
The kid pulled out his spear and a pair of throwing knives in his other hand. I readied myself in my own little stance. I could tell it wasn't going to be easy.
When the gong sounded, I raced towards him trying to reach for his body.
He anticipated this and countered it by throwing the knives. One at me, and one to my side.
I jumped back to avoid both of them and observed his ability. He was already improving. It seemed he had basic ideas on how to use the weapons at hand.
When he noticed that I was thinking, he shortened his spear into a smaller-sized javelin. He conjured a katana in his other hand.
He threw the javelin with pinpoint accuracy. I stepped out of the way only to notice that he had already pounced into the air with both hands clutching the katana. 'Shit'. I rolled towards the other side of the ring.
*Clang* The katana made a large slice in the ring's concrete flooring. The kid turned to look at me. The katana disappeared from his hands, and he conjured back his spear.
He dashed towards me. 'Fuck!' I climbed the fence to a certain extent until I understood that it meant no haven for me. I did a backflip off and landed on the other side of the ring, again.
The kid simply changed his direction and dashed towards me again. 'Fuck, fuck!' Realizing that the only option was to push against the current, I sprinted towards him.
He thrust the spear straight at me. I did a large frontflip in the air and landed right behind him. When I was about to touch him, he ducked, equipped a pair of daggers, and did a sweep with his legs causing me to lose my balance and fall to the floor.
He loomed over me with daggers in his hands. "I give up," I said. "You went beyond my expectations."
***
"How many days are you going to be here?" I asked.
The kid said, "Two more, I think."
"Find me at the lounge tomorrow. Same time. Next time, I'll start with a power."
"Sure!"
"Also, what are you going to tell your supervisor about the missing academy card?"
"I'll just tell her that I lost it."
"She'll believe you?"
"Noooo...but she will give me a new one."
"Also, you can't mention this place to anyone, alright?" I said firmly.
"You can count on me!" he replied. He even added a little salute.
"Ay, kid!" Tommy called out as the kid was leaving the store. We had just packed up for the day, and we were all about to leave. "Your lover's boyfriend! What power does he have?"
The kid looked back once more and answered, "I'm not sure exactly, but I know he can use fire." The kid paused before leaving and said, "Have a good night, guys!"
Tommy and I waved at him as he sprinted through the darkness.
Tommy said, "He's a nice kid, isn't he?"
"Yeah," I replied.
Suddenly, we heard footsteps coming back. The kid peeked through the windows and entered the shop again. He panted as he said, "Thank God, you guys are still here! I just wanted to say good morning too since my watch…" He took a deep breath. "You know, on my wrist?"
"We know where watches go, kid."
"Yeah, well…*inhale* Good morning!" He raced off again.
Tommy stared at the outside for a minute. I also did the same. He tapped me on my shoulder and said, "Kind of annoying though."
"Yeah."