The next person to go up next was none other than Kenneth who now stood at the starting line with a one and a half meter tall mountain lion. It didn't help that the mountain lion was snarling at her as she positioned herself in a running stance.
The person she was running against was Wei Chen a tall boy with dark purple hair tied into a half up half down hair style with pale eyes laced with clear disdain. It seemed that the boy wasn't too happy that he had to race against a non-Fera not because he held any prejudice but simply because he felt as though it wouldn't be much of a challenge for him.
He didn't want the easy win and so he had hoped that he would at least compete with a fellow shapeshifter. Unfortunately for him, the odds weren't in his favour and he was now facing the person he least wanted to race against.
Most people would be offended by his arrogance but Kenneth found it refreshing. Mostly because this fellow reminded her a lot of one of her colleagues back in the Force.
There was a guy, his name was Allen Ives and he was also upset that the person he needed to fight against was a girl. Allen was from the South of the America's where they had rather "traditional" views on women. He believed that women weren't good for much besides cooking and cleaning so he felt like it was beneath him to have to fight a woman.
Unfortunately for him, he lived quite the sheltered life because everywhere else in the America's had women fighting in the front lines, accomplishing feats that defied human logic. Kenneth at the time found it quite tragic that there were still people in the world who held this outdated mind set, but then again she couldn't be surprised.
The South of the America's had always been withdrawn from the world, choosing to remain the same. Kenneth felt like she owed it to the man to show him that women could do more than just cook and clean. That day was the first time since she'd become an Army soldier that she went all out, not holding back her power.
The poor man was knocked down in one blow and didn't recover for quite some time. But his views on women changed that day, and he never once underestimated his opponent since. That was the first and last time someone had underestimated her strength so openly. Kenneth couldn't help but smile at the thought. She wondered how Allen had faired after they were deployed to different regions.
Seeing the smile on Kenneth's face seemed to agitate Wei. "I'm not going to go easy on you even if your an Empath." He sneered.
Well at least it isn't because I'm a girl, she thought.
"I would be offended if you did." Was all she said before facing the front not paying the boy any more attention.
Wei's mouth was slightly agape before he quickly transformed into his Fera form.
Snarling at her, he also readied himself and as soon as the countdown ended, the race began.
Kenneth kept a relatively steady pace as she tried to gauge Wei's speed. The boy was fast as he zipped through the obstacles that were laid in front of them, dodging the strikes coming at his side and various contraptions that were set to slow them down. The holo maze wasn't anything difficult for the two teenagers, especially for Kenneth who had used them quite a lot in order to train herself for escape. As the onlookers watched the race, a few of them already concluded that it would be Wei's win.
"Is there even any point of this race?" A girl with green hair inquired. "I mean isn't she an Empath? They aren't much different to humans physically so I don't see why this race needs to take place."
A couple students nodded their heads, voicing their agreement.
One boy who wore goggles over his eyes resembling glasses sighed at her seemingly ignorant question. "This test isn't about picking a winner or a loser though it definitely does play a part in your overall score. It's meant to test our strengths and abilities. Wether she wins or loses doesn't matter much. The instructor will be gauging her potential and will decided wether or not they can be utilized in the future. The fact that you fail to understand that is profoundly astounding." He shook his head in disapproval.
The green head glared daggers at him but her face tinged with a light shade of red both embarrassed and offended by his comment.
"Y-yeah well who asked you?" She snapped.
He sighed once more. "If you didn't want others to comment than you shouldn't have spoken your idiotic thoughts out loud."
Fletcher who had heard the boy's comment couldn't help but giggle to herself. She felt like what he said was right. Wether Kenneth lost didn't matter though she didn't believe that would be the case.
They were now reaching the second half of the race, where they were met with dummies attack them left and right. Kenneth was still a few meters behind Wei taking her time and not at all having a problem with fending off the dummies attacks. Looking back at her cool and calm expression, Wei couldn't help but scoff.
You are clearly losing so why are you looking so composed?
Wei turned his attention back towards the front but was now caught in one of the traps that had been laid out. He was momentarily distracted by Kenneth and hadn't realized there was a contraption right in front of him pinning him in place. Panic flashed in his pale eyes as he started thrashing his body trying to break off the machine's hold on him.
Despite his struggles, it didn't budge, in fact the constraints got tighter around him. Wei realized the predicament he was in and cursed to himself for turning to look back at Kenneth.
The person in question was quickly gaining on him. If he didn't get out of this, she would pass him soon. Wei tried racking his brain, trying to find a way to get out as soon as possible but unfortunately for him, Kenneth was already near him. It only took her seconds to pass him but not before flashing him a smile as she picked up her pace for the first time since the race had begun.
Her smile made Wei roar in fury as he exerted an insane amount of strength breaking off the machine that was wrapped around his body. The sheer force he exerted to break the arms of the machine ended up shattering the entire machine which weighed about a ton easily.
This surprised the onlookers as they watched in amazement the mountain lion race behind Kenneth at full speed not even giving him a moment to recover from what he had just done.
Kenneth could hear Wei running straight for her but never looked back. Her eyes focused on the trail in front of her as she once again increased her speed breathing in and out, relaxing her mind and controlling her breathing. If there one thing that could destroy your momentum when running, was not having control on your breathing.
This is something she had learned from her friend back home who used to be a professional runner. What allowed you to run faster was stride length and frequency. Kenneth had underwent extensive training to train her legs to take longer strides so she could cover more distance while simultaneously keeping track of her cadence.
Her technique also contributed greatly to her speed at the moment. She was glad she had been training Kenneth 1.0 body for the past week. Granted, it needed a lot of work and it didn't help that Kenneth's leg muscles weren't at peak level but considering the circumstances, she was doing well. She kept a steady pace at the beginning of the race in order to conserve energy since her stamina wasn't all that high at the moment.
Honestly she was doing better than she expected, but she knew this momentum she had wouldn't last long especially if Wei caught up to her. She couldn't guarantee she could take the lead again if he were to surpass her.
The fact that he was caught in that trap was a miracle to her, it was because of the trap that she could take the lead. Now it was all about wether or not she could keep this up. In this moment, she really wish she could tap into her Fera blood right about now.
If she could just get a boost of power right now, she knew she could beat this guy with no problem, but she couldn't count on another stroke of luck hitting her right now. The only thing she could do is try her best to widen the gap between her and Wei for a little longer. Kenneth knew she didn't need to win, but her pride wouldn't let her loose badly either. Fera or not she was a veteran that had served her nation proudly for years. She would not lose to a little boy who was still wet behind the ears, especially after insulting her like that.
Alcione noted, "She's employing a rather clever strategy right now."
The two men had been observing the race from a room within the Training Room known as the Observatory, a large space with a glass wall that appeared opaque from the outside, ensuring privacy.
Alcione stood, scrutinizing the race and offering occasional comments, while Lucien sat silently in a white chair with his arms crossed.
Unperturbed by Lucien's lack of response, Alcione continued, "I was surprised to learn she's an Empath, not a Fera. I didn't have high expectations, but she's managing well given the circumstances. Holding back initially to conserve energy for the latter part of the race."
Though Lucien remained silent, he listened to Alcione's musings and agreed with his observations. It was indeed wise not to exhaust herself early on, considering she was up against a creature with triple her energy reserves.
Lucien noticed she had accelerated after passing the distracted student who had fallen into a trap. She utilized every advantage: despite her smaller stature, Kenneth commanded attention. Her running form was nearly flawless, breathing controlled. She maintained a calm composure as she sped up, skillfully evading obstacles and jumping over pits on her approach to the finish line, executing each move effortlessly.
Despite her outward composure, Lucien sensed her energy waning. With Wei gaining ground, it seemed inevitable he would overtake her. Winning would be impossible if he did.
As Wei closed in, nearly reaching her, something unexpected happened, causing Lucien to rise from his seat and Alcione to gasp.
The timer sounded, signaling the end of the race. The two men stared at each other, wide-eyed.
There was a moment of silence before Alcione exclaimed, "Did that really just happen?!"
Lucien groaned, a flash of annoyance crossing his amber eyes. "Looks like I owe Alexi 100 units," he sighed.