The next day I got up and got into the shower. Tai was still sound asleep, so I just left him and went to the office to get my schedule. When I got to the office there was another android who gave me my schedule. I saw my first class of the day was practical training, the teacher was Master Luther, and the class was taking part on battleground 4. I went to the battleground and waited for everyone else to arrive.
Tai what happened to your face, you look like you got beat. Wait, did I come over while I was sleeping and beat you down?
Stop with the jokes, I don't really know what happened, all I remember is talking to shin in my room and then waking up on the floor.
Why were you talking to Shin in your room?
Apparently Shin and I are going to be roommates.
Really!? That's surprising, you two have very opposite personalities, so why would they put you guys together?
What do you mean by that?
Oh, hi Shin, you wouldn't know since your new, but typically when two people are roommates in the dorms, they are chosen specifically by how well their personalities will work together. Me and Erin are roommates because our personalities are able to mix well, but you and Tai's seem to be very incompatible with each other.
And you know this for a fact?
Not really, it's more of a theory I have rather than an actual fact. But based on the observations I've made for the past year I've been here, then my theory is proving to be right.
She's right, a lot of people that are roommates at this school tend to get along fairly well with each other.
You guys are absolutely correct, we do pair you guys up based on how well we think you might fit together, this is because of the deal the school has with the Sentauri. I won't go into details about this deal, just know that most of you might end up doing military work after you graduate. But now that everyone is here, let's start.
When did all these people get here?
Okay first I would like one of you to explain what infinity is.
Erin Raised her hand
Infinity is the energy source of everything in our known universe, it is also the source of every power on earth.
Good job, now I'm going to choose someone to explain battle classes. How about... Shin, can you explain what the four battle classes are?
… What the hell is a battle class?
Everyone in the class yelled "what" all at once, as if I was supposed to know what a "battle class" is.
*clears throat* Okay everyone calm down, there are some people that are ignorant to the world around them. Can someone else explain what a battle class is?
Yoomi then stood up.
There are four battle classes : Weapon masters, Strikers, Mystic's, and Unique's. Each class has a special set of traits to it. Weapon masters can have a supernatural master over weapons, and since manipulating pure infinity is too straining on the body, weapon masters found a subcategory of infinity called Ki that allows them to easily manipulate a weaker version of infinity. Strikers are like Weapon master in the sense that they are able to have a better understanding of different martial arts and tend to be naturally stronger than people that aren't strikers, they also use Ki instead of pure Infinity too. Mystics are people that can control a branch of Infinity energy called spark, it allows for better manipulation of their power and cast spells that they learn or are born with, these spells can range from elements to even things like gravity or sound, sometimes you get Mystics that can manipulate the fundamental forces of the universe. Unique's are people who have been given powers since birth, they tend to have extremely powerful abilities, like black hole creation, body swapping, and energy manipulation. Unique's are also the only class able to manipulate pure Infinity; even a kid with a Unique power can be more destructive than a fully realized Striker or any other class just because they can use pure infinity.
Great explanation Yoomi, gold star for you. Maybe a little too lengthy for me but great explanation. Now each of you already knows what your class is and what powers come with it. So, I would like all of you to pair up with someone in an opposite class of you and you all will have a little training today.
Sorry Erin but I want to work with Shin today, is that okay?
it's fine, besides I can tell how much you've wanted to fight him ever since you mentioned him.
Yoomi then walked over to me and declared that I was going to be her partner in the training today. I didn't even get a choice in the matter.
Whoa Yoomi, Professor Luther said to choose someone of the opposite class of you, and from what I could tell from when I fought him yesterday, he's a Striker just like you.
Actually Tai, Yoomi has it right she did choose someone from an opposite class.
H-how do you know this?
Well it's a skill that is fairly easy to learn and I'm assuming Yoomi has learned it too.
What skill?
It's a skill that allows you to read someone's else's Infinity and know what class they are based on the color of their Infinity, Weapon master and Strikers tend to have red colored Infinity and Mystics tend to have Purple colored Infinity. This is because the Infinity those two classes use are only sub- categories of Pure Infinity, while Unique's Infinity color is completely white because it is in its purest form.
Why are you just now telling all of us about this skill? I feel like this is something we could have learned last year, especially since you said it was easy to learn.
Anyway Have all of you found your partners? Great, we will now get started with the training.
So what class is he if he isn't a striker?
you're going to have to figure that out for yourself.
Come on Tai, you're going to be my partner for this one.
Fine I guess I have no choice anyways since everyone else already has a partner.
Okay everyone, this is how the training today will work, I will reach into this box right here and if I pull you and your partners names, you both will come up and battle for one minute and thirty seconds. Do you all understand?
Sir yes, Sir!
The first people to come up to fight are Tai and Erin! Would you two please step onto the stage. Now remember you two, that in the battle grounds we have technology that allows people to heal from any wound no matter how fatal, but if you leave the grounds and you are wounded then you might die.
Professor Luther had said this with an extremely serious tone and look on his face.
But no worries as long as you don't leave, you'll be fine.
His voice then lightened
Thanks for the words of encouragement.
Okay Tai, are you ready to get beaten by a girl for the second time.
I won't allow something like that to happen again.
Tai and Erin then got into their fighting stances, Tai's body then set on fire again, and he pulled another Katanna shaped sword from the small portal. Erin seemed to just be standing there waiting for Tai to make his move.
Yoomi, what is Erin's class?
Her class? It's Mystic, but her power that comes with it is kind of confusing.
What is that supposed to mean?
Tai then rushed at Erin with a speed that the naked eye couldn't see, he then lifted his sword and slashed down at Erin's head. Erin then dodged and struck back with a punch to Tai's Gut. Tai got hit back and fell to his knees, when he looked up Erin was standing above him preparing for another punch. Tai then propelled himself backwards by shooting fire out of his feet.
You really giving me no chance to breathe huh Erin?
I know very well that if I give you any breathing room then I'll be taken out in one shot.
Erin then ran at Tai and went for a kick to the head, Tai then ducked under her kick and went to slash to her face. But before the slash could connect Erin grabbed Tai's head and Tai's attack stopped. Tai then stood there for a second and then fell to his knees. When Tai woke up he was in the same position he was in when he fell. He then backed up to get away from Erin.
What did you just do?
Don't worry it wasn't an attack, so there's no need to worry about it.
Yeah right, I was taught to always take an enemy movement as an attack.
You can take it however you feel.
Tai then looked around to see if Erin had an attack planned but then he saw Erin standing beside him.
How did you get there so fast!?
Before Tai could react, Erin punched Tai into the wall and then yet again appeared In Front of him, she picked him up and threw him back into the center of the field.
What the hell is going on, she wasn't this fast 10 seconds ago?
you've lost Tai, now give up.
Tai then laughed in a surprised manner
Lost? That's pretty big talk coming from you of all people, but I never give up, especially when it comes to a fight
Erin the looked at Tai in a way that made her seem terrifying
I expected you to say that. That's why I must end this right here and right now.
Erin then Rushed at Tai.
…
Tai's lost.
Yoomi what the hell is going on?
This is Erin's power.
But she and Tai are just sitting there.
I said her power was confusing not because it's hard to understand, it's because it's confusing to watch.
Well what is she doing?
Her power is called Mind imprisonment, at a basic level she can make a target see things that aren't there, and even make them feel as if it were there. But recently she figured out that when she can get into direct contact with someone's head, she can enter their mind and take them into a somewhat dreamlike world that she controls.
You're right that isn't that complicated but, there are only specific situations where she can use it in.
That's why she wanted Tai as her opponent, because in a fight he gets irrational, and his moves get easy to read.
I see, so once she took advantage of this, she could trap him in her spell. But what is this going to do if it isn't affecting him physically?
She plans to wear him down mentally. My father always said "Once you take out a person's mind, their body will fall easily."
I have a question though.
What is it?
To trap someone in the dream world and make them believe that they are still in the real world, wouldn't you have to have analyzed the entire area very carefully to make sure there are no inconsistencies with that world?
Yes you would, that's why she prepared for this and made sure to analyze everything before the match started even down to the fibers on our clothes. The only problem she would run into is Tai's freakishly good intuition.
…
In the dream world, Erin seems to be winning by a large margin, and Tai doesn't know that this isn't reality. Tai was looking at Erin while holding his arm in pain and covered in cuts and bruises.
There's no way that this is happening, how can I be losing to you!?
I have always been stronger than you Tai, you just never knew because you were only interested in your own strength.
Tai then looked around to see if he had any way to take advantage of the situation.
There's no point in looking for anything to help you, I've won.
As Tai was looking around, he saw Luther standing on the left side of the field. When he saw Luther, he knew something was off, he seemed smaller than he normally was. Tai then rushed toward Luther and Erin chased after him. Tai stopped and turned to Erin right before he got to Luther.
You know what I just realized.
Erin stopped in her tracks.
What?
You've never stood next to teach let alone ever get close enough to tell how tall he is. You have only ever seen him from the bleachers since this is your only class with him as your teacher, and because of that you could never know how tall he actually was.
What are you talking about?
Teach is taller than me by at least six inches.
He's that Tall!?
This is an illusion; you're playing mind games with me.
Erin then started to think to herself.
I was sure that the mental prison was perfect, I can't believe he found out just by Professor Luther being smaller than what he normally is.
You know I heard that to break out of an illusion you must give someone a shock that will wake them up from it. That's why you weren't hitting me to kill, you were hitting me to just wear me down.
Tai, whatever you're thinking of doing right now don't. If you try to forcefully break yourself out of an illusion like this, it could lead to serious brain damage or not death.
Then I guess I'm gonna have to take the risk.
Tai then raised his hand to his head, and it started to glow red. Erin tried to run as fast as she could to stop him, but it was too late. Tai blew his own head off... He then woke up to reality and saw Erin still wasn't awake yet. So, Tai took the chance to attack straight for Erin's head with his sword. But then the timer for the end of the battle went off.
BEEP BEEP BEEP
Alright Tai that's enough.
But I was about to win!
Win? That last attack was an attack of a coward.
What else was I supposed to do, let her wake up to put me in an illusion again?
You're just too scared to face her head on because you know you'll lose.
What did you just say!
Luther then got in the middle of Tai and Yoomi
Come on guys that's enough, just get along for today.
Tai's nose started to bleed, and he fell to the floor, at the same time Erin's nose was also bleeding and she fell to the floor with Tai.
I'm calling class for today! Yoomi, Shin you both get Erin, I got Tai were taking them to the infirmary.
…
We got to the infirmary and laid Tai and Erin down.
Sir I thought you said that as long as you stay with the battlefield you physically can't be hurt?
I did, but that's for physical damage, they both took mental damage. I'm guessing that Tai figured out it was an illusion and forced his way out, and the backlash from that caused his brain to take damage.
What about Erin? Why is she like this?
The nurse then walked into the room with a clipboard in her hand.
She's like this for two reasons, one she overexerted her spark core by using a move she wasn't familiar with, and because when Tai broke out of her Mind Imprisonment, the forceful breaking of the spell caused her a lot of mental strain.
Will she be, okay?
With a little rest she'll be fine, but I will say that I don't recommend she use that technique again, at least until she can fully handle the strain it causes.
I understand, I will tell her when she wakes up.
We all then left the infirmary and Professor Luther Said that he was going to go talk to Dr. Lorenzo about what happened today. Me and Yoomi decided to go to eat lunch at a diner that was on campus. When we arrived, we sat in a booth on the left side of the diner and waited for someone to come take our order.
Do you really think Erin will be okay?
She'll be fine, if anything shouldn't you be worried about Tai too.
I know he's fine, he just gets up from things like this. But Erin has never been like this, I wonder why she was fighting so hard suddenly.
it's none of our business. What I want to know is how Tai managed to break out of Erin's dream world.
He caused a shock to his brain to escape. It's as simple as that.
I know that but, for that kind of technique you would need a big enough shock to the brain that it would think that you're dying and then reset itself when it realizes that it's not in danger.
Wait are you saying that Tai killed himself in the dream world in order to wake himself up.
That's what I'm led to believe he did.
But killing yourself in order to break out of an illusion is a bit much don't you think?
That is neither here nor there. I have no place to give my thoughts on what someone is willing to do just to win. All I can say is that it was a foolish move.
Even though he basically won?
… You know for saying you don't like Tai, you treat him like he's your little brother.
Our family's are fairly close, so I spent a lot of my childhood hanging around that idiot.
Tai appeared behind me out of nowhere and looked furious.
Who are you calling an idiot?
Yoomi then stood up and smiled in an extremely cocky manner
Oh look who got discharged from the hospital. You know I was really praying that you would die in your little cat nap you were having.
While I was having that "cat nap" I dreamt about you dying in a car accident.
The two then started to bump heads with each other and were going off on random tangents about how the other should die.
I swear I get deja vu everytime i'm around these two.
Do you guys find enjoyment in annoying the others around you?
I looked over to see who was saying this and saw a boy about the same age as the three of us, maybe a year older. He had blue hair that's shoulder length, a fairly rectangular build, and deep crimson eyes. He was also surrounded by three other guys, all of which looked like super generic high school bully's from a web comic, but who knows maybe these guys actually have some depth to them.
Yoomi then looked at the guy
What the hell do you want Kaizer?
Hey watch who you're talking to, this is the great Kaizer. You don't get to talk to him like you and him are on the same level!
Yeah don't talk to him like that!
You know what I said about them having depth… I take that back.
Kaizer then walked up to Yoomi and got right into her face.
I'm not here for you love, so don't look at me like you want to fight. We all know how that would go.
I looked at Yoomi and saw that she was staring at the ground visibly enraged by how arrogant Kaiser was being. But she wasn't doing anything to fix his attitude towards her.
Hey, Kaizer, why do you think you can talk to her like that?
Tai grabbed Kaizer's shoulder and pulled him away from Yoomi to face him. Kaizer then looked at Tai's hand.
Why aren't you answering, you scared or something?
Kaizer then looked up at Tai.
Remove your hand from me peasant.
Huh?
That was your only chance.
Kaizer then raised his hand to Tai's chest.
BOOM
Tai went flying out of the diner and into another building. But he got up and went flying towards Kaizer while preparing to punch him. But for some reason Yoomi got in the middle of Kaizer and Tai.
Tai stopped as fast as he could and then looked at Yoomi confused.
Yoomi, what the hell are you doing?
Kaizer then put his hands in his pockets
Tai, do not fight him.
Huh, don't fight him. But he was talking to us like he's above us or something. I can't stand for that.
Yoomi then looked at Tai with eyes full of anger, and fist dripping of blood from clenching them so hard.
Tai, if you fight him, I will make it my personal goal to kill you. Do you understand me?
Kaizer then smiled as if he were a king that made a peasant look like a fool.
Tai then took his guard down and put his hand to his sides, in disbelief of what Yoomi was saying. Kaizer then walked up to Tai and whispered in his ear.
Don't sweat it. It's not like you could've beat me anyway.
Tai also started to clench his fist in rage.
Kaizer then walked over to where I was sitting and stood next to the table.
Is there something I can help you with
Don't talk to Lord Kaizer like that peasant!
Will these guys please just leave and go die in a ditch somewhere.
So you must be the Shin Fujimora I heard about today.
Yeah I am.
… You know there are only three ways to get into Highlands academy. Be a nobel, have enough fire power that the Sentauri back you themselves, and finally though recommendation. Do you know which of these is the most impressive?
No. But please enlighten me on this information that I don't care about.
It's a tough recommendation, this is because the director has to approve the student that was recommended, and ninety nine percent of people that are recommended never make it into the school.
Oh wow, this was genuinely the most useful information I have ever heard in my life.
... How did you get in? I can tell you're not a nobel. You also don't look that strong. So the only thing left is recommendation.
Look I'm really not interested in you or whatever you're planning once you learn that piece of information.
You're right how you got it doesn't matter, but that doesn't mean you can get away from me scott free.
Of course I can't.
I swear ever since I can remember people have just always had a problem with me. I don't know what is causing this but I need it to be stopped.
Fujimora, I would like you to fight me.
After he had said that to me I saw Yoomi from the corner of my eye start to shake.
Could this wait until the tournament. To be frank I would like to train for the tournament for the rest of the month so this could wait until then, right?
… Of course. Will just have to see each other in the tournament in a month. I look forward to our fight.
Hm, he seemed pretty understanding if you just talked to him.
I'm sorry Shin.
For what?
Kaizer, he-he's my older brother. And he will stop at nothing to play with a new toy he just found.
I'm guessing I'm the new toy then.
I'm sorry.