The girl with monolid eyes and a bright temperament stood stoic in the middle of the training arena, her eyes fixed on Aaron. The latter stood still, a subtle frown on his face.
Marshal Mathew Bates waited for a minute, then said, "Begin."
The combatants lunged at each other, throwing timely blows and parrying at intervals. Adam snapped out of his slight daze and seriously watched them. He thought Aaron would overpower the cheery girl rather easily, but he was far from correct.
The two seemed to be equal in fist fighting, each blows packing quite the same amount of power.
Then, Arden leapt backwards. She suddenly shook her arms, jumped and began to bounce. Her steps were so precise, and her form was nimble.
She's loosening up… Aaron thought with a slight frown. That means she can attack even faster.
The young man with fiery red eyes didn't rush to attack. He slightly arched his back and drew in close, slowly, with his hands ready to strike and protect his face. From a distance of about 4 feet away, he shifted forward, throwing out his right fist.
Arden raised her right hand and deflected the blow. In the next instant, her righr leg was high up in the air, swiping forward and kicking endlessly at Aaron's face.
A sharp whack reached the ears of the spectators. One of the leg strikes had connected, but it didn't seem to pack much power as Aaron merely shook it off.
He clasped both arms around her outstretched leg and yanked her forward. Simultaneously, Arden raised her other leg from the floor, propelling herself into the air and aiming for a bizarre roundhouse kick with her other leg.
The same damn attack as Arthur? Aaron would've been utterly stupefied if he hadn't been on high alert.
He pulled his head backwards instinctively, evading the foot that scraped his nose.
Crack.. His nose broke. Blood trickled down and Aaron staggered. The attack had carried a shit-ton of power this time!
Oh? The Marshal's lips curved into a bright smile, almost a grin. This girl was exceptionally cunning despite her adorable nature. Using a relatively light attack to first trick him into lowering his guard against her leg strikes.
Arden didn't waste any time. She dashed forward and threw multiple punches at Aaron, the latter falling into a defensive stance as he had his arms protecting his face.
The red-eyed young man didn't lose his calm despite this. He slowly retreated, blocking the barrage of blows aimed at his head.
Then, using a single second whereby Arden retracted her fist, he bulged his muscles and thrust his right arm forward. His fist crossed the small distance and struck her jaw.
Or so he thought…
The feedback he had anticipated never came. His fist had collided with nothing but air. His eyes widened in shock, a rather rare expression of his, as he caught a glimpse of Arden from the corner of his eye.
The girl moved with grace, her head shifting sideways and neatly avoiding the punch Aaron had thrown. Her body rotated and she appeared next to him in an instant.
She moved weirdly– like a gently ebbing lake under the moonlight. She was like a dancer, nimble and graceful.
Aaron's arm was still outstretched. He swallowed as he predicted seeing stars in the next second.
He predicted right. Arden mercilessly struck him by the skull with a shoulder jab, not holding back in the least bit.
The blow was deafening and the lad fell to the ground, eyes rolled backwards and nose bleeding profusely.
Adam, Arthur and Victor had their mouths hung open as they stared at the monstrosity before them.
Ruthless! A single word echoed in their minds.
A single clap resounded throughout the vast space. It was from Marshal Mathew Bates. He nodded approvingly and said, "Beautiful, absolutely beautiful."
"Thank you, sir." Arden said with a cheery attitude, as though she hadn't just beat the living daylight out of someone. She returned to the side and the Marshal woke the unconscious lad with a device that crackled with electricity.
After Aaron retreated to the sidelines, clutching his head in pain and feeling a concussive aftereffect, the Marshal sighed and said, "Remember, when in a real battle, you have to use all means possible to win the fight. We will be going to war with Aliens– there is no such thing as fighting with honor. Be cunning, be calculative, be brutal. Do you understand?"
"Yes sir!" They chorused.
The Marshal nodded. He glanced at Adam and said, "Step up."
Adam exhaled and walked up to the center. The others had their eyes fixed on him, wondering how the fight would turn out. Obviously, he would lose to the Marshal since abilities would only be allowed in the final mode.
When Adam walked up to the center, the Marshal tapped a spot on his chest and said, "Go all out." As he did, nanites burst forth from the spot he had tapped on, coalescing to form a gleaming-black, sleek armour around his body. The armour that was more of a cybernetic suit bled with a red color beneath the armpit and all the way to the heel of the foot– although this was mostly concealed due to the trench coat and brown trousers.
What? He's using his Bionic suit? The rest were confused. And, he had just told Adam White to go all out. Didn't he say there wouldn't be use of abilities till the third training mode.
Adam appeared reluctant. He asked, "Are you sure?"
The Marshal laughed and nodded, "I requested an enhancement for my Bionic suit, and it has been given quite a boost. The first of a new set. So, don't worry, I can take the damage."
What damage? Their words further puzzled the spectators. Wasn't Adam's ability to phase through solid objects?
"Alright." The boy nodded solemnly. His pale eyes appeared lost as he took a step forward. He had no form, nor did he have a particular plan. He was just going to walk straight up and punch the Marshal. Of course, he would tone down his strength by half.
The Marshal didn't make any elaborate actions either. He stepped forward, awaiting Adam's first move.
With the distance bridged, Adam fisted his palm and swung his arm.
Boom! A deafening roar that the spectators hadn't expected shook the entire arena!
"What?!" Azrael and the others opened their mouths in disbelief.
They shook their initial shock and fixed their gaze ahead, eager to see what had happened.
There, right in the center, the Marshal stood. He wore a trench coat that fluttered and beneath the coat was a black cyber suit that bore fine red lines. His hand was outstretched, tightly grabbing Adam's fist.
His bionic suit rippled once, and the red lines seemed to glow even brighter.
"Wakanda forever…" He smiled as he threw out a devastating blow straight at Adam's face. His suit could absorb damage to an extent, and convert it to outbursts of energy!