"Both of them have mutant abilities affiliated with water? This is tricky, Blair," Mir muttered as a battle simulation played out in his mind. The latter mutant ability was obviously stronger in theory with its second-grade mutation ranking and higher Standard Destruction Scale Score. The Score ceiling of Lethal abilities was 25 points. And the Searing Tears ability was only 6 points short.
"Every duel would be tricky to analyze if the fighters used their brains alongside their mutations," Blair, aka Miss Mountain, grumbled. "But we both know that's unlikely to happen. How many feints do you reckon each of them will use before attacking with their core ability?"
"How long has it been since they went through the first saturation and awakened their abilities?" Mir asked, continuing to modify the imaginary combat simulation.
"Just two days. Eager to show off, like most in their circle are," Blair replied. "I'm betting that they'll use two feints, at most."
"Two? I'll be more specific, then. I'm gonna bet that the first guy, the one with the Icehorn Ability will use at most two feints. The other guy won't use more than one, because he doesn't need to." Mir made his prediction quicker than usual, finger tapping away at his own mini-terminal where he was looking up information about both abilities on an info-portal created by the Central Government.
Blair's pudgy cheeks sank as she chewed on her tongue. "So sure? Why?"
"Icehorn is an ability with limited range, far less compared to what a Tear Spray from the second guy can reach. His lethality is also lower, so he'll actively plan feints knowing what his opponent is capable of. These feints are going to be divided between defense and offense. But the guy with the Searing Tears ability doesn't need to think so much. He just needs to make sure his opponent doesn't come close enough to hit him with one of his horns. So his only feint is going to be offensive."
Blair's seemingly tiny eyes got even narrower as she considered the combat strategies Mir had drawn up on the spot. In the end, she chose not to remark on them, only asking, "So you're betting on the second guy winning?"
"Seventy-thirty," Mir answered hesitantly. "Can't rule out the possibility that one or both of these kids are smarter than me. Their strategies can be better, more refined. Since the first guy is the apparent underdog, it would be better not to rule him out fully."
"Alright, then I'll take it up a notch and bet against you. I say the guy with the Icehorn ability will be the victor. If I win this bet, your pocket-money this week goes behind my lunch."
Blair's eyes nearly turned into crescent shaped lines as she licked her lips in anticipation of a good treat. This was usually the most common betting outcome she set against him. Due to not being as good as her in analyzing mutant abilities, Mir had lost a majority of his pocket money to her over the years. But he was getting better at it, much better than the ordinary kids of his class at least.
Eventually, they heard a commotion on the opposite end of the gallery. Several older students, divided into two distinct groups, entered the arena while debating animatedly among themselves. Two of them were wearing light armors, both of them clearly nervous. They didn't participate in the argument between their friends and jumped up on the stage.
Mir and Blair were noticed immediately, but nobody made a fuss to drive them out upon recognizing her. Being the only daughter of two powerful war veterans had its benefits.
The fighters took their stance twenty feet away from each other. Mir could guess which one of them had awakened the Icehorn ability by his eagerness to draw closer to the opponent. His light-footed, forward leaning stance was a little too obvious.
The other guy appeared more confident. He stayed still as a statue until someone from the stands signalled the beginning of the duel with a shout. His eager opponent shot forward at that very moment, an icy horn suddenly growing out from the back of his head as he sped up.
But before he reached within ten feet of his target, he shifted the direction of his sprint sideways, and rightly so because the other guy had used his ability without hesitation!
Several large granules had formed on the exposed part of his skin, which then popped loudly, sending out sprays of blueish liquid at his oncoming enemy.
"One feint from each party," Blair counted, her error nearly distracting Mir from the fact that the guy who had just dodged a majority of the venom sprayed at him had also made an expected move while dodging!
He jolted his head sideways really hard, and this had turned out to be a trigger for an offensive move Mir hadn't foreseen. The two-feet long horn of ice on his head came loose and shot at his opponent like a javelin.
Within a distance of a dozen feet, it was impossible for the other guy to dodge without any preparation. He still made a conscious effort, though, and the horn grazed his ribcage lightly. But before he could release another spray of Searing Tears, his opponent jumped away like a rabbit, stopping a foot beyond where his previous spray had reached.
"It's a trap," Mir immediately hissed, only to have his mouth clamped shut by a fat palm. He had finally realized why Blair had counted the first spray of venom as a feint! It was made to give the opponent a wrong impression about his range of attack!
And his suspicion turned out to be true, because the guy with the Searing Tears ability created another series of venom-filled granules on his skin and sprayed them at his opponent, appearing callous and careless. To the target's horror, the spray this time was far stronger than the first one, enough to almost reach the other end of the stage. Splashes of liquid fell on his armor as he shielded his face and neck, unable to fully dodge the attack.
"Two feints from the second guy, but only one from the first," Blair whispered.
The duel wasn't over though. Neither participant had really suffered an injury. Hoping to finish things off decisively, the guy with the Searing Tears ability tried to advance toward his opponent, who took a step back nervously in tandem. One step, two steps, three- suddenly, he lowered his head and changed his course, shooting forward again, only for his opponent to create and explode another pair of granules at his direction.
On the back of his head, the stump of the broken horn had grown larger, forming another horn half the size of the previous one. It also came apart with a jerk of his neck, heading for the spray of venom coming his way.
Right when the horn was about to meet the sprays in the middle of the stage, it exploded into a mass of water, blocking out most of the venom. Nobody had expected the guy with the weaker mutation to have such cards up his sleeve, least of all his opponent, who could only watch in horror as his enemy unhesitatingly rammed into him before he could create another venom-sac to throw at him.
He was thrown off the stage, and that was a legitimate victory for his opponent. The underdog had won the duel, and Mir had lost the bet.
A forceful hand pulled out Mir's wallet and snatched everything but his bus fare before returning it. Blair patted him on the back with a cheerful grin as she stuffed the money into her backpack.
"Better luck next time, twigs. You shouldn't have gambled without knowing the full extent of their mutation. Hope you'll learn a lesson from this."
Seeing Mir's defeated countenance, she added in a mysterious tone, "Also, I'll meet you during lunch. We need to have a chat. It's long overdue."
With that said, she didn't wait for his reply and hurried away. Her massive frame made it a little difficult for her to move between the rows of seats. The frustration with which she knocked away the seats on her way was somewhat comical. Mir suppressed his snicker and jumped down past each row with practiced agility. Blair noticed the blatant showing-off and shouted an extremely vulgar slur at him from the back.