Mako worked the night shift as a sous chef under Sir Derek, spending his hours kneading dough, proofing buns, and shaping pastries and croissants.
Since the bakery was the busiest in the morning, he had to finish all preparations before 6 a.m., when the breakfast rush began. His role was solely to prepare the baked goods, so once the shop officially opened, his shift was over, and he was free to leave.
At that point, the daytime staff took over, handling customers, finishing final preparations, and managing the counters. Mako, however, didn't get to go home after grueling hours of work as he had to go straight to high school. With his usual light jog, it took him about an hour to get there.
Although Mako wasn't strong physically, he was blessed with decent intelligence. Emerald High therefore provided a scholarship program for Mako, with the condition that he keep his grades above a certain threshold.
The scholarship wasn't as impressive as one might think. It was a pathetic attempt to attract a good student who could represent their school. The scholarship only covered his academic fees, and he still had to pay extra for services such as transport, food, and even medical services.
Mako barely made enough to support himself throughout the month with a small amount of money stored on his money card, which he had inherited after his grandmother's death.
He didn't want to use his inheritance in his daily life yet, as he knew it would cost him a lot when he finally finished high school and went to military school.
**************
"Hey, Mako! Come here!" Sir Derek shouted from the counter.
Even though he was already tired from working an almost six-hour shift, he had a very tough day ahead of him.
Fortunately, Sir Derek wasn't as heartless as his mind perceived him to be. He gave him a free breakfast and a packed lunch of his choice, which helped a lot since he had to run halfway across the city to reach his high school.
It was the same morning as any other. People headed to their workplaces, offices, or businesses. Mako was running down a small side street that led straight to the main city road so that he would not have to make so many turns to reach school.
He would often take this route since he would be able to interact with some special people who resided there.
"Hey, Aunt Marie!" Mako greeted an old woman who was opening a flower shop as he ran past her.
"Good morning! Uncle Jacob!"
"How's it going, Big bro Gary?"
"Hi, Uncle Charlie!"
This small street was called Bird's Eye Street, and it was completely lined with multiple shops that sold a variety of things. This street had a lot of old shop owners and people with no abilities, which was why Mako felt comfortable meeting people here who were similar to him.
He would always greet every single person he walked past on the street because they were the only people he had some acquaintance with. They treated him like an actual human being rather than a powerless, frail, and weak nobody who didn't deserve to exist.
However, this was the view of the majority of people who interacted with him, and these people were just simple shop owners who didn't possess any powers.
These people helped Mako by sometimes inviting him to eat with them or showing him their new products. They also sometimes gave him something for free. The older shopkeepers taught him some life lessons and narrated stories about the past.
These people were the only ones whom he respected and loved from the deepest part of his heart.
***************
Mako ran as fast as he could and finally reached the main road, which was busy with people and cars moving to their destinations.
Half an hour later, he arrived at the front of his high school and, after taking a few minutes to catch his breath, proceeded to his classroom.
The school classes were uneventful as always, and as the final bell rang, all the students made their way to the gymnasium hall for the mandatory combat classes that the school had issued.
Mako hated this aspect, as it allowed bullies to beat him up without repercussions.
Combat classes were issued so that every student knew the basics of fighting before they graduated to further study in a specific field or joined the military.
The majority of students aimed to join the military or private organizations, relying on their abilities or physical strength to secure a future. Others, born into wealth or excelling academically, chose to further their studies, pursuing careers in science or business to ensure a life of comfort and privilege.
Then there were those like Mako, students with no real choice. They were required to undergo mandatory military training, and some continued to serve while others found work that matched their abilities, such as labor-intensive jobs where their powers could be used.
Students were allowed to use their abilities during combat classes as the whole purpose of the combat classes was so that the children weren't completely new to the world of the military where knowing how to fight was the least of the skills that are necessary to survive.
The combat classes were mediocre at best, with very little teaching. Bullies who had already learned an ability, thanks to their parents, finally had the opportunity to use it against weaker and powerless opponents like Mako.
Mako was never a good fighter, but even though he lacked a strong physical body and strength, it didn't stop him from enjoying the sport.
Fighting was one of the most paid-to-watch sports in the current era, as was basketball or football in the olden times.
Enormous arenas were constructed, dwarfing the grand stadiums of the past. While old stadiums could hold tens of thousands at most, these new arenas were so vast that they could easily accommodate hundreds of thousands.
The main fighting ring would be encompassed in a huge glass dome that was thick enough to block any rogue abilities that might hurt the spectators, but the dome also doubled as a lens as it would magnify the arena the more you were far away from it.
That glass dome was a revolutionary invention that changed the way of sports forever because now, whether you were spectating up close or far away, the fighting arena would look the same regardless.
All the students at Emerald High had various abilities, but most of them were of the basic elementary types as they were the most common ones available and the cheapest to buy.
The five basic elementary abilities were Fire, Water, Earth, Lightning, and Wind. Of course, this was a drop in the bucket compared to the number of abilities discovered by humanity, as there were too many to count.
On the main fighting mat, a boy and a girl were fighting almost equally. They both had level 2 abilities and could defend and counter each other well. However, abilities were only one aspect of the fight. The boy was not that good at physical fighting compared to the girl, who was fighting with some skill.
The boy kept trying to paralyze her with his lightning ability, but the girl was always quick to dodge and recover, using her wind ability to improve her agility.
After a bit of back and forth, the boy decided to launch a massive lightning bolt that couldn't be dodged so easily, but it would take a few moments to charge. The girl took advantage of the situation by closing the distance quickly, using the wind to give her a boost, and landed a crisp right kick straight on the boy's face, instantly knocking him out.
The crowd erupted in cheers as the girl made her way back to a group of girls who were constantly cheering and chanting her name.
Mako was not interested in cheering at all; rather, he was more interested in learning. He found the girl's fighting style unique and decided to take some notes in his notebook, which he brought, while also internally dreading his turn and secretly praying that his sparring partner would take it easy on him.
"Next up! Mako Grey Vs Bill Johnson!" The Gym instructor announced.
***************
*Thud!* *Thud!*
It felt like a mountain just crushed Mako's heart. Bill Johnson was the son of the army veteran William Johnson, and their entire family used the Earth Ability as their representative ability.
Bill was one of the people Mako hated the most as he was like a master of bullying and didn't shy away from hurting people physically with his ability and mentally with his repulsive language.
As the two boys made their way to one of the rings to commence their duel, the crowd of students cheered for the one-sided beating, which Mako was not looking forward to.
Mako was super scared, and even though his gym clothes were padded so that he wouldn't get hurt that much, he knew that this beating would most likely take a couple of weeks to heal on its own.
"I hope you are ready to become minced meat, dough boy!" Bill shouted as he cracked his knuckles, preparing to show no mercy while also smiling sadistically at Mako.
Bill was a tall, 6 ft boy with a decent physique—still extremely good for a high school student. He had curly ginger hair, short brown eyes, and a threatening facial expression.
Mako was sweating profusely while cursing his luck internally to be paired up with Bill of all people.
Students all over the school bullied Mako from time to time, some did casual bullying like calling names or embarrassing him in front of others while people like Bill used their abilities to physically hurt him.
It had been like this since the first time the students learned from the teacher that Mako was incapable.
This was also close to the time that Mako had lost his grandmother, so it was a very delicate time for him, but that didn't stop people like Bill, who still beat and humiliated him at every chance he got.
It was the worst time in Mako's life that had scarred him for life, but Mako powered through it, albeit barely...
The instructor stood between Mako and Bill and announced the rules that were mandatory before any match.
"Students ready..." The instructor finally announced as Mako readied himself.
"Fight!"
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Author's Note: Hey guys! Universal Power System is one of my favorite projects, and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it. This is my very first work, so expect some amateur writing and a few slips. However, I always try to learn and correct myself so I can create a more coherent narrative. I hope you guys enjoy it. Don't forget to check out my other works!
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