"3. 2. 1. Battle Begin!" The host screamed, and flew up above the stage, well out of reach.
While the host began to count, the court lit up, and glowing lights appeared around the perimeter of the pool and each individual platform. Various logos of companies who sponsored the school and competition appeared, carved into the island. The battlefield seemed color-coded, with Trevor's half being yellow, and the opposition's red. As soon as the countdown ended, the lights flashed brightly once to signify the beginning of the match.
Before the audience could recover from the blinding display, the two teams had begun to move. Each individual psionic grabbed the clay with their power, allowing it to float beside them, then moved onto the battlefield. Trevor took a particularly aggressive approach and leaped from island to island until he reached the largest island, situated in the center of the arena. He ran up to the halfway point, where the yellow lights faded into red.
One of his teammates flanked him from the side and threw his hand forward. Manipulated by his psionic ability, his lump of clay morphed into something resembling a spear, before launching forward toward the red team. The lead member of the red team waved his hand before him and turned his clay into a thin shield. The spear struck him with a thundering clash, but his psionically reinforced shield deflected the shot into the water. Frowning, the yellow attacker raised his hand, returning the spear to his side.
"It really is like dodgeball," Celeste said in wonder.
Kinson nodded. "Seems like it. I wonder what their strategy will be."
Red team took the opportunity to attack next, with the two on the side launching their own projectiles into the fray. Trevor split his clay into two, knocking them both aside. The host shouted in awe at the brilliant move, and the audience exploded into cheers. Despite the enthusiasm, Trevor's face twitched in concentration. Both projectiles had held the full brunt of their psionists power, making that a feat he wouldn't be able to replicate often.
Fortunately, his team didn't waste the moment the red team was left exposed. The one with the spear launched it again, but the defender intercepted his attack once more. However, the other yellow teammate formed a spiked ball and sent it rocketing toward the red team. The target, who was busy recovering his clay, made to dodge and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw he would make it in time.
The yellow teammate suddenly clenched his fist, and the projectile suddenly sped up, colliding with the chest of the red student moments before he dodged. The young man let out a cry and spun off the platform, slamming into the side of the island behind him. His hands slapped at the rim, but he could not catch himself and went plummeting into the water. The audience went wild, sending cheers to the roof as the splash nearly reached the level of the islands above the water.
Kinson glanced at the host, who floated in the air with a stunned expression. It took a second before the man collected his thoughts. "In-Incredible! I'd need to see the records, but that might be the fastest anyone's been knocked out of the arena in history! A brilliant bluff by the Thunderbrands leads to an overwhelming advantage over the previously favored Firebirds! But will they be able to keep the lead?"
The leader of the Firebirds clenched his teeth and waved his hand, splitting his clay into three pieces. "Don't count us out yet!" he yelled loudly and thrust his arm forward.
The three lumps of clay formed into small darts, which were sent careening toward each member of the Thunderbrands mercilessly. Trevor's eyes narrowed, and he sent out his clay to block them. Unfortunately, his power fell short and he fell onto one knee in the exertion, only able to stop two. The third one struck the student who had knocked the Firebird out of the ring. The student stumbled backward but managed to use the momentum to leap back onto another island and avoid falling.
"With the counterattack done, it seems the Thunderbrands have stabilized their advantage," the host commented.
"Don't get cocky," one of Trevor's teammates called. "Time for maneuver B!"
The other two nodded and raised their clay in the air. Then, they all pointed at the leader of the Firebirds and shot their projectiles at him, covering every angle he could dodge.
"Do it!" The leader yelled as he brought his clay up to shield himself.
As though waiting for the moment, the other Firebird stretched his hand out and shot a spear, which struck the student on Trevor's left in the chest. This time, there was no avoiding the fall, and he screamed loudly the entire way down to the water.
A the same time, the lead Firebird used his clay to skillfully shield himself from the first two projectiles and jumped to another nearby island to avoid the third. He steadied himself as everyone else recalled their clay to their sides.
"You ready, Trevor? Let's end this!" the other remaining Thunderbrand called.
"Bring it on, first year. Your petty tricks have come to an end!" one of the firebirds taunted.
Trevor ignored the provocation, and waved his hand, splitting his clay into countless small clumps. The audience murmured in confusion as he waved them about, filling the air with small, golf ball-sized chunks of clay.
"A smokescreen," Griffon nodded appreciatively.
True to his guess, Trevor's remaining teammate launched a spear at the Firebirds right as Trevor made the clumps spin about dizzyingly. The student failed to see the spear and was sent careening into the water without a clue why his shoulder was hurting so bad.
Trevor continued his smokescreen effect while his partner recalled his clay and readied another attack, this time centering the vortex on the final remaining Firebird.
"This has got to be cheating!" the Firebird yelled as he ducked and dove within the vortex of clay. The ref, however, remained silent.
The host, on the other hand, was having a field day, commentating so quickly that he nearly tripped his words up several times. "This is a never before seen technique, proof that new blood brings new things to an old competition! Despite being class 5, the final Firebird remains helpless before the class 3 first years. But this display of dominance is simply incredible! Is this really the might of a class 3? For those who are unaware, the sustained use of an ability is quite telling, especially for telekinetic, as featured here. However, manipulating so many small pieces for more than a moment is a remarkable achievement for anyone under class 5. There definitely seems to be some new talent blooming here at Titan University."
As the host continued to speak, Kinson couldn't help frowning. Wouldn't this performance cast a little shade on its own? Why would the mysterious psionic manipulating Trevor go for something so flamboyant? Was their goal not to win the tournament?
Distracted by his thoughts, Kinson nearly missed the game-ending shot, but Celeste's excited cheers brought him back to the match. As expected, the Firebirds were completely eliminated in what the host was calling "the upset of the year." Celeste's cheers trailed off when Trevor dropped to a knee, face pale and eyes glassy. Then, he fell over completely onto the island. A hush fell about the stadium, broken only by the ignorant cheers of those not paying attention.
"It seems his performance was a little over the top, and the student has fainted from exhaustion. There is no need to worry, as the best medical staff in the alliance will be sure to put him back on his feet to battle in the next round!" The host said to ease the tension. Fortunately, it worked, and the crowd resumed their festive atmosphere as Trevor was carried off by his teammates.
Celeste sighed in relief, but Kinson glanced at Griffon. A small frown appeared on the man's weathered face, confirming his own thoughts. That wasn't a look of exhaustion, but of fear.
Before the next round could begin, Kinson stood and turned to Celeste. "I'm going to go see if he's alright. Want to join me?"
Celeste shrugged but stood anyway. "Sure, I guess I'm still a little worried. Hopefully, he didn't overexert himself, as I did."
"I'll come as well. Something not quite right here," Griffon said heavily.
"You think so?" Celeste asked, her gaze intensifying.
Griffon pulled his phone out and dialed a number. "No way to know unless we check. I'll find out where they took him. Let's get out of here before the next match starts, or we might be fighting out."
Griffon led the way, pushing through the crowded aisle. Whenever someone turned to protest, they immediately squeaked and made themselves scarce upon making eye contact with the hardened veteran. Kinson even felt a little envious. Navigating the university hallways would be a piece of cake if he could steal those looks! Unfortunately, illusions weren't really his thing, so he could only appreciate the moment as it was.
A few minutes later, they found their way out of the stadium, and into the hallways of the university. Griffon led them to the medical facilities, a place Kinson had never visited before. Even the corridor was painted a crisp white color, with a large red cross emblazoned on the wall.
"Ah, there you are Kinson. Trevor mentioned something about you," an aged voice greeted them.
"Huh?" Kinson looked up in surprise to see Rachel's wrinkled face standing in a nearby doorway. "Why are you here?"
"I'm the most talented and experienced psionist when it comes to psionic trauma, so of course I'd oversee such a major event. It's not the first time, nor will it be the last. Of course, the pay's quite good, too," Rachel added with a smirk. "Now come on in and greet the lad before he passes out again.
As they followed her into the room, Celeste tugged at his sleeve. "Who's that?"
Kinson glanced at her, then realized they'd never actually had a chance to meet. "She's Rachel, one of the members of the deathdreaming team at the BPI. She's really nice and gentle until you get on her bad side," he explained in low tones.
She giggled. "Why do I feel like you permanently live on her bad side? She must be quite clever to keep up with you."
"Along with excellent hearing," Rachel chuckled, but her withering look made Kinson shudder. He didn't even want to consider what that meant.