"So I gotta battle a woman? Really?" Raldir scoffed, before turning back to his gruff professor. "There has to be some mistake, old geezer! I'm not gonna battle a woman, especially someone like her!"
The gruff professor scoffed, "You're going to battle Anala Ashley no matter what, Raldir Thinfins."
"But there's no way she can even fight on her own, she's a woman for the Creator's sake, Professor Maxmillian!"
Professor Maxmillian merely scoffed, his hands on his hips, "And here I am training some living boiler room!"
Anala and her professor just watched their interaction, both of them completely unbothered.
"I'm so sorry they're acting like this, my dear." the sweet-natured professor spoke, her voice somber.
"It's alright, Professor Emilia." reassured Anala, her expression softened. "I felt worse, so what's the point of feeling useless right now thanks to that brute?"
All of the sudden, an animalistic scream was heard halfway across the arena, everyone turned around to see the screeching Constance, who was accompanied by her butler, who flinched at her beastly behavior.
"I am not going to wear that lousy uniform! I demand something else!" she exclaimed.
"But Miss Cassidy, this is the only thing the school could provide!" her butler clutched her uniform.
"I am not going to wear trousers, Jacques!" screamed the spoiled girl, weeds scattering around her presence. "I'm the daughter of the mayor, not some disgusting peasant!"
"Annoying brat…" spoke Elliot, who firmly held his spear as he eyed Constance. "You may look 12, but you're mentally a toddler."
Constance growled, "Well, you're just a freak with a mask! Why do you even wear that ugly thing!"
Elliot's eyes widened, sweat starting to appear, but veins also popped on his forehead as he walked slowly towards Constance. Jacques the butler gasped in horror as Elliot pointed his spear towards Constance's throat.
"You're lucky that the Creator is merciful enough to keep your head attachable, because I would've sliced it off in one blow."
Suddenly, a huge gust of wind blew through Constance's hair, leaving her smooth pigtails as a tangled mess.
"What is this?!" Constance screamed as she clinged to the back of Jacques. "JACQUES! Get daddy!"
Unlike anything else they have encountered, there was a huge cyclone spiraling randomly, sucking everything like a vacuum. Everyone ran as fast as they could, but they all remembered their powers. Anala whipped out a ring of fire, and Raldir summoned a watery whip.
"Get out of my way!" snarled the competitive Raldir.
Anala ignored his yell, and she began to stretch the ring, the flames unaffecting her hands. Soon, the ring was as big as the tornado, and she raised it upwards in the air. Raldir growled, clutching his whip furiously.
"I said 'GET OUT OF MY WAY'!"
He smacked his whip against the cyclone, which suddenly redirected the attack, and the whip ended up wrapping around Anala's ring. The waters destroyed the flames, and the ring was left charred and broken.
"What have you done…!" Anala whispered, her anger seeping.
"Well, excuse me, princess!" Raldir mocked her with a bow. "But what were you going to do with that ring of fire, anyways?"
"Something you wouldn't understand because of your Neptunian power, you insufferable brat!" screamed the furious Anala as her hazel eyes glowed blood red.
Elliot watched the scene, having the urge to join. He hesitantly took a step, but his mind pushed him back.
"What am I thinking?" his mind was plagued with inner turmoil. "I would be ostracized. I'm not going to use my powers no matter how gruesome this gets…"
However, the tornado continued to spiral, some of the walls getting torn out and the windows shattered. Elliot's heart thumped rapidly, his mind torn between using his hidden powers or becoming an outcast. Constance growled in irritation.
"You call that power?" she snickered. "I call upon the earth itself!"
With that statement, loads of vines burst out from the dry ground the moment she raised her hands, its lush greenness coloring the land. But to Constace's disapproval, they weren't as tall as the tornado.
"JACQUES!" she yelled, stomping her feet on the ground.
Jacques immediately trembled when he heard his name being called, but he muttered in a meek voice.
"Yes, Miss Cassidy?"
"Bring me a watercan! I want them all to grow and be as beautiful as I am!"
"B-But Miss Cassidy, Leistungs don't work like that!"
Constance suddenly screamed, "I don't CARE! Bring me a watercan and be useful for once!"
All hope seemed lost, until everyone turned around, their eyes nearly popping out their sockets. Sunny was at the entrance, smiling confidently.
"Look, who's here!" Constance laughed, snapping out of her tantrum. "It's the Impoten! What is she going to do? Get sucked by that tornado?"
"Shut up, for the Creator's sake!" Elliot scolded, his spear still directed towards her throat.
The crowd watched as Sunny stepped towards the cyclone, while also keeping a distance away.
"Has she gone mad?!" Professor Maxmillian's eyes nearly popped out his sockets. "That's a cyclone she's heading towards!"
Professor Emilia remained composed, "This is the arena. Whatever they're facing, they'll have to face it. After all, that is what happens in a real battle, no?"
Professor Maxmillian glared at her as if she had said something stupid.
"But we gotta do something, atleast!"
"Just watch, dear friend." Professor Adolpha approached them, watching with a serene smile. "I have no doubt that my pupil will live, I already see the warning signs of her splendid future."
Sunny took out a lasso, the hoop spinning in the air fluidly. She waved the rope around, and the hoop was whipped inside the tornado, unaffected by the violent winds. She winced as she pulled the rope with all her might, the others spectating tensely.
"I think I'm gonna need help!" she suddenly exclaimed.
Constance crossed her arms, "Oh, please!" she scoffed. "Why would I ever risk getting my hair all messy like how you peasants do?"
Everyone just glared at her in displeasure, and they directed their gazes back at Sunny. Some of them were already spiteful towards her, but they knew they had no choice.
"Come on!" Elliot's arms wrapped around Sunny's waist as he pulled with her. "We gotta stop it somehow! There's someone inside who's doing this!"
Raldir shuddered, an anxious lump forming in his throat, his eyes darted left to right.
"Oh, heck, no!" he waved his hands around. "There's no way am I going to do something as crazy as that!"
Already enraged, Anala grabbed Raldir by the torso, sprinting at a lightning speed that resulted in a trail of flames. She pulled him with her until they were both clinging onto Sunny and Elliot, both of their arms strained by the still stance of their pulls. Raldir just screamed fearfully as he clinged onto Anala, his eyes already having tears escaping. Finally, there was enough support against the harrowing tornado, and Constance and Jacques could only watch the scene tensely.
"Miss Cassidy, we have to get out of here!" Jacques shrieked as he shook her shoulder.
But the usually prideful Constance just watched the scene in what happened to be misery. They were all working together like how friends do, and here she was, unable to share that moment. Out of nowhere, she began to stand up, much to the horror of her fearful butler.
"Miss Cassidy! Stay away from the tornado! You'll be sucked in!"
But Constance didn't listen, and instead, she sprinted towards the scene. The moment she arrived, she grabbed Raldir's back as she pulled the lasso.
"Jiminy crickets!" Sunny noticed Constance's presence. "She's joined us!" she smiled, welcoming her in.
"Oh, don't even think that!" said the brash Constance, who winced as she pulled. "I'm only doing this because I want to make myself useful, not because I like you guys!"
"Whatever you say, but I'm so glad you came along!"
Elliot rolled his eyes, "Stop being nice to her, Sunny. She's not worth it at all."
"Yeah, she's nothing but a brat!" Raldir agreed for the first time. "Once a brat, always a brat!"
"Says the girl-screaming coward!" Anala yelled over the windy roars.
"Guys!" Sunny winced. "I can't hold on! I think we need more support!"
"But who are we going to get help from!" shrieked Constance.
Everyone suddenly heard a crunch, and they turned to the corner, where Imani was hunched up in a spot, munching on a subway sandwich.
"Imani!" Sunny cried.
"Huh?" the hungry girl turned her head over, but her confused frown stretched into a grin, "Oh, hey there, Sunny! How are you this fine afternoon?"
"We need your help! The tornado's out of control and we need more support or we'll all be blown away!"
"What is this? The Wizard of Oz?" Imani gasped, "No way! A group of people I'm starting to know about are about to land in Oz without me!"
"NO!" the group yelled.
Imani rolled her eyes, and she stood up, taking a stretch before walking to the area.
"Must I do everything at lunch hour?" she mused.
"Hey! Be careful!" Sunny worried. "You might get sucked in!"
Imani just shrugged, and she grabbed Constance's back as she started to pull as well.
"Get your filthy hands off me, you peasant!" Constance yelled, shaking her shoulders.
Imani snarkily removed her hands from Constance, before giving her a mocking bow, "Well, excuse me, princess!"
"That's my line!" the snarling Raldir turned his head back.
"No!" Sunny yelled. "Imani! Don't let go! You're going to get sucked in!"
Imani rolled her eyes once more, and she placed her hands back on Constance, who continued to rant as the group continued to pull the rope. Suddenly, two arms appeared from the foggy cyclone, his hands tied by the lasso.
"Keep pulling, there's somebody inside!" Sunny exclaimed, her pull twice as hard.
Everyone followed her command, and they continued to cling onto each other while pulling as hard as they could. All of the sudden, the figure's head appeared, and everyone gasped. It was Hiro, who was partially trapped within the mighty cyclone.
"Someone has to pull him out!" Anala yelled.
Sunny closed her eyes, "I'll go!"
"What?!" everyone exclaimed in unison.
"You can't just say that!" Elliot scolded. "You're mad if you want to go in!"
The annoyed Anala groaned, "I'm going in, I'm the one who brought this up!"
Sunny shook her head, "No, Anala! Your idea is wonderful, but I'm the one who's closest to Hiro!"
Elliot sighed, and he patted her shoulder, "Good luck, alright? And remember, if you die, I'll kill you."
Sunny snickered at his remark as he grabbed the rope, yanking the lasso off of Hiro's hands. He quickly wrapped it around Sunny's waist, and he pushed her forward. Everyone held the rope firmly as Sunny rose from her feet, stretching her arms for Hiro to take.
"Hiro! Take my hands!" she yelled, her tone extra loud due to the tornado's roars.
Hiro sighed in relief, and he stretched his arms as well, squeezing her hands as if she were his sister. However, the winds yanked Sunny even further, and she landed into the arms of Hiro.
"It's getting too strong!" yelled Sunny.
"We're about to get sucked in!" Hiro added, his arms wrapping around her shoulders to protect her.
Everyone yelped in panic, their grips on the rope tightening further. Elliot threw himself back as he pulled the rope, tugging Sunny and Hiro back a little. However, it wasn't enough, and the tornado was still raging. Anala and Raldir pulled together, surprisingly working with each other for the first time. Constnace continued to pull harder, screaming as another tantrum occurred. Imani watched the scene, her breathing hitched every second, her lips began to quiver. Watching this felt like the inferno, and something awakened in her. She let out a scream of deathly anguish that sent shockwaves across the arena, causing even more cracks.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"
The tornado began to shake because of those shockwaves. Its winds began to blow farther away, almost like a jigsaw puzzle getting smashed into pieces. Sunny and Hiro began to lower down along with the rope, and the tightened grip loosened as the once vicious cyclone transformed into a gentle bundle of breezes. Sunny's unblinking eyes looked towards the others, and the others looked towards her. Suddenly, she let out a meek giggle, something that the group did as well, until they all were laughing out of pure delight.
"You guys were awesome, especially you Imani!" Sunny giggled. "We should do this more often!"
"Um, no way!" Constance suddenly crossed her arms, having a pout on her face. "I doubt I'd work with some peasants like you! I need to find useful friends who would actually be my servants like Jacques!"
"Yes, Miss Cassidy?" the butler returned with a nervous grin.
"I don't need you right now, Jacques!" the brat yelled. "Just go home and tell daddy that I'm staying as a crusader because there's nothing else I want to do!"
Jacques' expression went blank with confusion, but he nodded his head, "Y-yes, Miss Cassidy. I'll report to him immediately."
Sunny let out an exhausted sigh, her head lying on the ground as she stretched her arms.
"What an exhausting day!" she mused aloud.
"Yes, I agree." Elliot replied, his expression solemn and gloomy. "It's a relief that we managed to stop that tornado and rescue Hiro."
"Yeah, you guys are right." Raldir chuckled, but then he returned to his brash behavior, "But that doesn't mean I like you guys, do you understand?"
"Then why were you working with us?" Anala questioned.
Raldir paused, stuttering, "W-well, t-that's because I was afraid t-that tornado would have us k-kick the bucket!"
Hiro however smiled at Imani, "We wouldn't have done this without you, Imani. It was your scream that stopped that tornado."
Imani flushed red, her cheeks dusty rose, but she shook her head, waving her hands around.
"Oh, no! It could've been anyone else, to be honest! I just had to scream because I was scared of losing you guys!"
Sunny's soft smile widened into an awed grin, "You do?"
"Yes." Imani nodded. "The thought of losing you guys was too much to bear. You all are amazing people, especially you, Sunny. You were the one who brought us together."
"Imani, I could see a light within you." The now calm and collected Anala spoke. "You have the Leistung of the sun, don't you? Light and sound are compatible together, so it would make sense that your screams would be high-frequency."
The blushing girl chuckled, rubbing the back of her head awkwardly as everyone mused over her abilities.
"Yeah, yeah, I get it. I saved your butts from getting wrenched off, but you guys were amazing too!"
Constance rolled her eyes, "Well, I guess I admit you guys are amazing—But the bullying's still on! I refuse to associate with an Impoten, especially one who is a peasant!"
Elliot pointed his spear towards Constance's throat again, his glare darkened.
"If you say one more thing about her, then it's over." he said in a low, ominous tone.
Everyone could feel a dark aura the moment Elliot spoke in that tone, it intimidated them as much as it intimidated Constance, who cowered away with Jacques.
"Yeah! That's right! Run away, you coward! Coward Constance is a fitting nickname for you! Because I doubt you'd be brave enough in battle! You'll be the first one who kicks the bucket!"
Elliot continued to rant as Raldir and Hiro grabbed his arms to yank him back, chills running down their spines. Even Anala and the other girls weren't safe from the agonizing presence. Sunny however watched somberly as Constance just walked off, she could almost feel Elliot's words backstabbing her.
"Elliot!" Anala yelled, sternly. "That's enough! She's already gone!"
Elliot turned around, and he just scoffed, "Frankly, woman, I don't give a—"
"Please, Elliot!" Sunny suddenly interrupted. "She's been punished enough!"
The stone-faced boy's expression softened, and he nodded his head. Everyone's jaws dropped, almost as if Sunny had tamed a wild beast.
"Yeah, you're right. She's been through enough." he sighed, his eyes closed.
Sunny stood up, and she patted Elliot's shoulder, "I know she's frustrating, but that doesn't give us the right to taunt her, because then we'd be just like her."
Elliot turned his head back, his eyes opening, and he nodded his head again. Imani grumbled, her arms crossed as she watched the scene.
"Tch, he only listens to you, nobody else." she remarked. "It's no wonder he came here. He must be so obsessed with her to have been pulling that rope with us."
Elliot gave Imani a deadly look, and he spoke in a low tone, "There's nothing you know about me, so mind your own business…Unless you want it ruined."
"That's enough, already." Anala spoke, shaking her head. "Do you understand? We're already exhausted from rescuing Hiro."
"And Constance is most likely scarred now." joked Raldir, who laid down on the ground, his arms behind his head. "Not that I actually care."
"Isn't that obvious?" Anala scoffed. "Women are nothing but mere prizes for you, no matter what they do for you. Your head would've been wrenched off if it weren't for us."
"That's because you guys are the 'special' types of women—except for you, of course, Anala Ashley." Raldir smirked. "Who wants to be around some quiet, weird freak like you?"
Anala's eyes reddened, but before she could speak, Sunny butt in the conversation.
"She's not a freak! She's encouraging and mature unlike the rest of us!" Sunny said with a sense of injustice. "Maybe you're just jealous because you're not like us women!"
Raldir scoffed, and he shook his head, crossing his arms.
"Whatever, pipsqueak."
Everyone started to go their own paths, but Sunny yelled,
"Wait! What are your names? We have to know each other! Well…we all know who Constance Cassidy is."
"Elliot Blackwood."
"Anala Ashley."
"Imani Tucker."
"Raldir Thinfins."
Sunny smiled warmly, "I hope I see you all someday. I also hope we fight together again!"