Today was a warm day, with the wind traveling north, at 52 km/h. Hawk had arrived at the academy. He made his way around the fountain, walking to the right, and making it to the entrance steps, where a student was in the midst of a deep meditation on the right side of the steps. His outfit was lax, as he wore a light green, open jacket, with the short sleeved being white and red, and accentuated his muscular physique. He wore pants, which exposed his ankles, almost akin to the kind of pants for relaxation on the sands of a beach. His hair was also styled into a topknot, resembling that of a palm tree. "He seems pretty chill." Hawk said, noticing the student's choice of clothes, as well as the bags under his eyes. But before the boy could take a step onto the first stair, a familiar voice spoke his name: "Hawk? Hawk Yuje?" As he looked behind him, Mikoto stood behind Hawk, smiling at him. "Good to see you again." Hawk said, walking back to approach her. "Likewise." She said. Hawk turned around for a split second, and then back at the girl. "Dunno if gettin' stoned at school is legal now, but I've never seen a kid meditatin' like that." He told Mikoto, as he used his thumb to point at the student, who remained in a deep, tranquil state. "He's in our homeroom." Mikoto told Hawk, whose eyes widened in disbelief. "What the fuck's his specialty?" He asked. Mikoto shifted her eyes from Hawk to the meditating student, and then back at the boy. "He had been temporarily banned from school tournaments for oversleeping… Twice." She then explained.
Inside the school, where the students casually mingled with one another in the halls before the first period of the day could commence, Hawk and Mikoto walked through the scattered crowd of students, most of whom were either walking in tandem with one another, either up the stairs to the second floor, or around the stairs itself, walking through two, separate corridors that were adjacent to one another, but lead to the same destination on the first floor nonetheless. Other students were stationary, as many were leaning against their respective lockers, and talking amongst other peers. Aside from the palaver between students, the interior of the academy was, like any other day, filled with laughter, conversation, and joyful horseplay. Looking to break away from the commotion in the main hall, Hawk and Mikoto turned the corner to the left, and proceeded past the wide flight of grey marble stairs. "So, if I may ask; Who taught you mixed martial arts?" Mikoto asked, being the first to break the silence between the two. "My Pops, Ryori." Hawk answered with confidence. However, Mikoto would meet this response with a slight bemusement, in spite of her not visibly displaying this confusion. "Your… Pops?" She recited part of Hawk's answer. "Not my actual father, but someone who took me in." The boy specified. "I see." Mikoto said, now fully understanding the boy's initial response. But regardless, he continued his elaboration. "I may not be the best reader, or even talker, but Pops taught me enough on how to survive." Hawk continued. "Including how to defend myself!" As he added this, the boy proceeded to punch the air, with each thrust of his fists carrying the sound of fierce winds. "I can see he taught you well." Mikoto confidently told Hawk, smiling in the process. She then turned her head forward, going on to say; "He must be a powerful fighter, your Pops. Especially if his lessons got you into Homeroom 106." Hawk and Mikoto would turn the corner to the right, and the two hallways that surrounded the stairs from the main hall merged into a single hallway, which revealed several doors that lead into different classrooms. There were fourteen classroom doors in total, with the last door being on the left corner of the hall. This particular hallway was far quieter than the main hall. Hawk would quickly glance through the small windows of the respective doors, noticing a small handful of students already residing within the classrooms, waiting for their lectures to begin. Hawk and Mikoto then turned another corner, this one being to the right a second time. Each homeroom within this particular section of the school was within the triple digits, ranging from Homeroom 100, all the way to Homeroom 110. "So what's the deal between you and Eeno?" Hawk asked, as he and Mikoto were halfway down the corridor. The two students were soon partially startled after hearing the abrupt sound of a familiar voice.
"Hey, Cock Yuje!" Pudge coldly greeted the boy. However, he spoke in an aggressive tone, almost growling the words that were aimed directly at Hawk. Both Hawk and Mikoto turned around, staring the bully down, and Pudge's fierce gaze would lock with the boy's and the girl's. "Pudge." Hawk muttered, with some disdain. "You of all people got accepted into Homeroom 106?" The bully asked before briefly chuckling. "I guess even the preschoolers can earn a spot there." He added, before going on to murmur, "pathetic." The boy would speak up: "Whaddya want from us now?" He asked, almost irritated. Pudge would respond with a mere chuckle, before going on to say, "even if I wasn't able to land a spot in Homeroom 106, I guess I'll have to beat the shit outta you… and the girl." Mikoto took one step ahead of Hawk, as if to confront Pudge on his nuisance behavior. "If you're thinking of picking a fight with us, you're already off to a bad start." She told him, before motioning to Hawk. "Let's not waste our time on him." Mikoto said, audible enough for Pudge to hear. However, the bully brushed it off. He instead assumed a boxing stance, specifically a southpaw style. Before he could make a move on Hawk and Mikoto, a hand firmly placed itself on the bully's right shoulder. "Yo." The student called out in a lackadaisical manner, his tone mirroring that of a surfer on the beach. This caused Pudge to turn around and face the kid, who looked back at him with a smile and tired eyes. The eyes of the student, as dimmed as they were, had dark bags under his solid gold irises. "Don't mess with the best." The lackadaisical student said to Pudge, with a feeling of intimidation carrying his words. It did not sound like advice, but instead, a warning. Meanwhile, Hawk and Mikoto were completely still, tensely watching what would happen next. In the midst of this, Hawk would take a glance at the student. The light green garb, the palm tree-like hair, what little was visible to the boy, he immediately came to the revelation: This was the same student who was meditating on the steps.
Pudge defiantly growled, swatting the student's hand off of him. "Like I care!" He said, defiantly. "How about I put you to sleep for goo, Ta--" but before the bully could finish his sentence, a sudden punch from the student managed to connect into the bridge of Pudge's nose, as he slid back across the tiled floor. "Damn you!" Pudge shouted, before charging at the student. He threw a right hook into the student's jaw, only for the lax to lean back from the blow. As Pudge continued his attempts to land a strike on the student, bobbing and weaving in the process, with his feet making small screeches across the polished floor, all of the bully's attacks, from straight jabs to low blows, were unsuccessful in landing on the student, as he dodged and swerved, evading each and every attack. Then, as the student ducked, and switched positions with Pudge, he grabbed the bully by his face, and forcefully slammed his head onto the floor, with a loud bang ringing out within the hall. The attack was devastating, knocking Pudge out cold in an instant.
As the student loosened his grip from Pudge's face, he stood up straight, stretching with both arms fully spread out. He yawned, before turning his head halfway, looking directly at Hawk. "So, you must be the one I head a lot about?" He asked. The boy could not come up with an indefinite answer to his question. The student would fully turn his body to face Hawk, as he picked his ear, his pinky finger twisting and turning, before making a flicking motion. "And you must be the stoner I saw earlier?" Hawk then asked. "Stoner?" The student recited before letting out a small laugh. "He's known to be a beast in this school of fighting. He's brilliant, but also lazy. His name is Taro Gongzhu, also known as The Sleepless Dragon." Mikoto explained to Hawk, as the lax smiled with an ear-to-ear grin being as weary as his nature. "I see you're making friends already." Taro told Hawk, noticing Mikoto beside him. "Mikie and I are the equivalent to an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object, man. It's gnarly." He added. "Honestly, given how you handled Pudge, it ain't easy to tell which is which." Hawk then told Taro. "Wanna find out?" Taro asked Hawk, in a curious tone. Then, Mikoto intervened with a gentle hand on Hawk's arm. "We're going to be late for class, y'know!" She told the two. Hawk's eyes shifted from Taro to Mikoto. In spite of the boy's passion for mixed martial arts, based on what he witnessed, Hawk would rather work with Taro as opposed to working against him. But then the lax would come up with an offer: "How about I sweeten the deal?" He asked. "If you land a single blow on me, we can be friends." The palm of Mikoto's right hand swept down her face, and she let out a exasperated groan. With a reluctant sigh, Hawk approached Taro, who had his head tilted back, staring the boy down in the process. The height difference was palpable, given Hawk standing at 4'7 while Taro towered at 5'0. "Alright. I'll play along." Hawk said, with confidence, with the lax showing his cheeky smile.
Before one of Taro's straight punches could connect with the boy, Hawk somersaulted over Taro's head, and landed behind him. He then followed this up with a kick to Taro's ankles. But as his foot hit into Taro's ankle, he did not budge. Instead, he was still standing. Hawk rolled backwards, before Taro could take a swing at him. But he did not turn to face the boy. "What're you made of?" Hawk asked. To which Taro turned his head halfway, his glare meeting Hawk's, and saying, "you'll have to do better than that, dude." Then, Taro sprung into the air, about to rain down on Hawk. But as Taro quickly descended down on Hawk, ready to crush him, Hawk was faster, as he dodged at the last minute, with Taro landing with a loud thud, the impact of his feet touching the floor almost cracking the tiles. This gave Hawk enough of an opportunity to close in on the lax, and throw a left hook at Taro. But Taro simply leaned back away from the attack. But Hawk remained relentless, as he proceeded to throw another punch at Taro, only for him to tilt his head to the side. Hawk then threw a reverse roundhouse kick, using his left leg, in an attempt to throw Taro off-guard, and hopefully land a blow. But Taro effortlessly swerved under the kick, and took a few steps back. "Come on. No way this is the same Devil of Toshi that bested Kongo." He told Hawk, discreetly taunting the boy, as he stretched his arms out. Before Taro could sense Hawk's movements, at the last second, the boy appeared before him. But Taro swung a straight jab first, aiming at Hawk's face. But, in the midst of Hawk feeling a sense of hopelessness, as well as a pending death awaiting him with Taro's fist, the boy would tilt his head before launching a straight punch of his own, with Taro tilting his head to the side, also avoiding the attack. The cross-counter surprised Mikoto, as she stood still, petrified of the power of the two combatants before her. Masters in their own craft, as she looked on in amazement and awe. "Now this is gettin' to be fun!" Hawk said, with emphasis, before reappearing behind Taro with a tornado kick. The lax would also dodge the attack by stepping backwards, almost as if he was walking around a pothole on the sidewalk. Hawk would continue his fury by throwing two cross punches, which Taro also dodged. The boy then threw another reverse roundhouse kick, which narrowly missed Taro, as the sole of Hawk's sneaker would almost brush the tip of Taro's nose. Meanwhile, the lax would not move from his current position. "A Capoeira-based style of martial arts? This fight keeps getting more exciting." He said.
While he uttered a single word, this opened a new window for Hawk, as he threw punch after punch, with Taro evading and swerving. That was until Taro raised his right forearm upwards, prompting Hawk to grab onto his wrist, and threw a punch at Taro, the knuckles of his fist connecting with the lax's cheek. The impact of the punch was enough to send Taro staggering back, almost falling back, before he caught himself. He ran his fingers down his bruised cheek, and noticed a small amount of blood on his fingertips. He lowered his two fingers to reveal a small scab. "Clean punch, bro." Taro then complimented Hawk's successfully precise hit. "Say, what's your goal?" He then asked, abruptly. This surprised Hawk, nearly catching him off guard, as he took one step back from Taro. "This some trick question?" He asked, still in his fighting stance. "Nah, I just want to get to know you." Taro said, his genuine tone convincing Hawk to lower his guard. "And besides, I don't go in for cheap shots like that." He then said, etching a smile onto Hawk's face. "Well I wanna be the best mixed martial artist in the world!" Hawk said, with fierce determination. The boy's voice was almost uplifting for Taro, as he chuckled. "I knew I'd like you." He told Hawk. "Dunno how else to phrase it, but I think I found my equal." The lax then said with confidence. The words that proudly escaped Taro's mouth even stunned Hawk and Mikoto. "Awesome!" That was all Hawk could say in response, with a smile.
The sound of Mikoto clearing her throat was heard from behind Hawk, as he and Taro motioned to her. They already knew what she would say next. Nevertheless, they dusted themselves off and followed her down the hallway to Homeroom 106. Mikoto placed a hand on the doorknob of the door to Homeroom 106, gripping it lightly. "Thanks, man. That was a good fight." Hawk said to Taro. "No problem, bro. I got you anytime you're in a pickle." The lax told then told him.
The door opened, as Mikoto entered first, followed by Hawk, and then Taro. Eeno would shift his eyes to the three who had just entered. Out of the corner of his eye, Toma was in the midst of playing with his cards, and the sound of the cards shuffling in his hands was the only sound that filled the boring silence within the classroom. While Hawk took his seat next to Eeno, Mikoto and Taro took their respective seats, with Mikoto sitting next to Iris, and Taro sitting in the back, two desks apart from Koga. "I sensed a fight outside." Eeno informed Hawk. "Was that you?" He then asked. "Pudge stopped Mikoto and I, but Taro helped us." Hawk briefly explained. The moment Hawk uttered Mikoto's name, Eeno felt a split second jolt in his chest. He turned his head halfway, and discreetly looked at Mikoto, who was immersed in conversation with Iris, unbeknownst to her that Hawk was talking about her, and the Esper was also staring at her, despite holding his stare for about 50 seconds. He broke his gaze, and reverted his attention to the desk he sat in. "I'll say, about Taro: He's nimble for a stoner. I think he'd be a great ally in the Initiation." Hawk said to his friend.
Several minutes had passed by, though it felt like an hour, given the lengthy absence of Mr. Bajie. However, the resumed silence was broken yet again by the creaking of the door, revealing a red haired kid who wore an orange bandana around his forehead. Furthermore, his clothing had a dark palette, making the youth look coy. He wore a black beach shirt with orange flame patterns alongside matching, black shorts, complete with bandages across his forearms, and left leg, which was tied over the side seam. "Who's he?" Hawk leaned in to whisper to Eeno. The Esper then turned his head to see the redheaded boy take a seat next to Taro, on his right. "That's Leonne Kizaan." Eeno said, partially whispering in response. "He's… well, a Leone. They are known to be extremely adept pyromaniacs, with a heavy emphasis on the maniac part." He then explained, as Hawk gave an inquisitive look at Leonne, who sparked a conversation with Taro, as the two chuckled.
Another five minutes passed, and Delta, who walked beside Kujato, had both entered the classroom, taking their respective seats. However, this time, Delta sat in a desk behind Hawk, which was one row apart from the boy, and Kujato would take up the seat on Delta's left. Shortly after this, with another five minutes passing, Mr. Bajie had finally entered the room. Upon seeing the pig teacher entering, and nonchalantly walking towards his desk, rake in hand, he plopped down on his swivel chair, with a small rumble shaking the homeroom. "Good morning, Homeroom 106." Mr. Bajie had said to the class. "Today, I am going to be teaching all of you some very insightful lessons, with one of them being about the 2002 Nidan Exams." He then announced, before pulling out a logbook, and placing it on his desk. The teacher then began to shuffle through the pages, quickly scanning through each wall of text within the book. However, in the process, Mr. Bajie paused, and sniffed the air, sensing a distinct, meaty aroma. He looked up, and instantaneously aimed his attention to the back of the class. "Are you guys cooking back there?" He asked, masking his irritation. Leonne, who produced a flame from the palm of his hands, paused in slight petrification, but did not look at the teacher. But, on the contrary, Taro, who had a wooden skewer pierced through a cut of meat, continued to rotate the skewer, unconcerned. "Isn't that the unwritten law behind every school, Teach?" Leonne asked, brushing off the fear. To which all of the students present motioned to look at Mr. Bajie, with the exception of Iris, who rolled her eyes in disappointment. Meanwhile, Mr. Bajie was processing Leonne's question, as everyone held their breath in anticipation, waiting for what he will say next. Then, unexpectedly, Mr. Bajie chuckled, before going on to say, "you best save some for the rest of us, or I'll be sure to send you both to the principal's office." The class, including Leonne, felt a wave of relief overcoming them. "Gotcha, Teach." Leonne then said in affirmation.
While Mr. Bajie was in the middle of lecturing the class, Hawk kept his eyes glued to Mr. Bajie, who drew a picture on the blackboard with a half of chalk in his right hand. And as the teacher moved to the side, the class, looked to see the outline of a person, which had a flame in the chest area. Hawk looked over his shoulder for a split second, seeing Leonne and Taro preparing another steak, with this one being that of the filet mignon cut. Then, in an attempt to get Hawk to focus on him again, Mr. Bajie fiercely hurled the chalk in his hands straight at the boy's forehead, just as he was turning back around. The speed of the throw was equal to a bullet being fired from a gun. However, by clapping his hands together, the chalk was gone, vanishing into thin air. Everyone in the class, even Iris, was shocked. Hawk slowly opened his hands, and fragments of the chalk crumbled onto his desk, much to Mr. Bajie's amusement. "You're good." He told the boy, who smiled back at him. The teacher would resume his lecture. Meanwhile, Delta looked at Hawk's back, unbeknownst to the boy, who paid attention to Mr. Bajie for the remainder of the class. She smiled, visibly impressed by his reflexes. "I guess that number one on his jacket isn't there for show." She thought, and alluding to the red and white #1 symbol that was embroidered on the back of his jacket, which took up a large amount of space.
The remainder of Mr. Bajie's lecture went off without any further disruptions, and he would finish his teachings with more information, regarding the Initiation Trials: "We are less than one day away from the beginning of the Initiation Trials." He said, raising his index finger. "And do keep in mind: The annual Nidan Exams are soon to begin. You might be able to participate if you succeed in the trials first." Mr. Bajie added. The bell went off upon the teacher finishing his elaboration. A well timed end to an otherwise informative, and eventful, class.
The entirety of the class, or at least what was present within Homeroom 106, gathered around the back of the class. But Iris kept her distance. She instead remained in her seat, looking away from the feast that transpired in the back, trying to ignore the hearty scent of the food. The rest began their feast, with Delta being one of the first, alongside Leonne and Taro, to take a bite out of the cooked meat. Within seconds of the meat's flavor hitting her taste buds, her eyes widened in amazement. "Wow!" She said, excitedly. "This is good enough to warm me up!" Hawk would sink his teeth into the steak shortly after, and a look of astonishment appeared on his face. "Amazing! This'll do for the rest of the day!" He said, satisfied and happy. The rest of the class would bite into the meals made for them. "You thought of us too." Koga told Leonne and Taro. "An altruistic approach." He added. "Nice and savory." Meanwhile, Iris looked at them, side eyeing them with her head turned halfway. "Look at them stuffing their faces." She arrogantly mumbled, as the rest of her classmates conversed amongst themselves, still taking great enjoyment in the food. "Absolutely uncouth how they choose such protein-filled junk." She added. Hawk turned around, calling Iris over to them. "Wanna bite?" He asked, tempting her in a curious tone. To which Iris turned her head forward with a, "hmph," crossing her arms, and shaking her head in disapproval. "Don't mind her." Leonne consoled Hawk. "She's just a nepo baby, that's all." He then said, resuming in the indulgence of the feast he established for everyone.
Some time had passed in the fulfilling luncheon, with Taro being the first to finish his meal, as evident by him gently rubbing his stomach in a circular motion with a sated smile. "Quite a privilege to be among the strongest." Leonne said. "Why don't we take this time to introduce ourselves?" He then asked, before motioning to Toma, who ate silently, keeping to himself. "What about you, Toma? You seem like an interesting person to know." He called out to the magician. "Nah. There's not much to explain about me." He declined. Leonne then motioned back to Hawk and Eeno specifically. "Toma's a little bit of a trickster. It's always a guessing game with who he truly is." He then informed the two. "Maybe one day, we'll learn more about each other, but it's a little too early in our tale to get into extensive pasts." Kujato interjected.
Soon after the quaint feast had ended, Hawk and Eeno had walked down the hallway with a satiated appetite, along with everyone else that was present. "Good to see we're makin' friends with everyone in our class." Hawk said to Eeno, who was looking down, lost in deep thought. "But I gotta say: That was an awesome feast. Might be skippin' out on today's lunch." He continued to talk while Eeno, who listened partially, had conflicting thoughts, which was mixed with suspicion. Hawk looked at Eeno, who had an expression of slight concern. "You alright?" He then asked the Esper. "What's on your mind?" Eeno stopped in his tracks, and Hawk would do the same. He searched deep within his pockets, but something was amiss. Something that was on Eeno's person had disappeared as if it was not there to begin with. Eeno frantically patted his pants pockets, then his jacket pockets, all of which felt weightless. "Damn!" He then cussed with a growl, much to Hawk's confusion. "What's wrong?" He asked his friend. It took a few seconds for either Hawk to ask another question, or Eeno to speak up, but the Esper would soon come to an unsavory conclusion: He had been robbed. "My wallet had been taken from me." Eeno revealed to Hawk. "We gotta go back there, and beat the shit outta that Toma guy!" The boy told Eeno, pointing at the door to Homeroom 106. "No, I have an even better idea." Eeno said. "We poison him?" Hawk asked, jumping to conclusions. "No! We're not poisoning anybody!" The Esper then reprimanded his friend.
Returning to Homeroom 106, Eeno had placed a hand on the seat that Toma sat in when he was eating with the rest of the class. Almost immediately, memories from Toma's perspective came flooding into his mind, as he had his eyes closed. "Anything?" Hawk asked. Eeno would remove his hand from the seat, and turned to the boy. "I can confirm that Toma has my wallet." Eeno said. "Somethin' was off about him, I'll say that." Hawk told the Esper.
In the meantime, within the cafeteria, Toma sat by the table near a stained glass window. He had his back turned to the glass, and held Eeno's green wallet in his left hand, as he studied all of the contents within. The cafeteria itself was empty, with the only people there being a click of athletic students, who were fiercely arm wrestling, as a small circle of their friends huddled near them. The first thing Toma inspected was were two New Dollars, each of them had the number 20 inscribed on each corner. The magician then turned his attention to the bottom left of the wallet, which an identification card was seen, behind a cellophane panel. "A Redstar, huh?" Toma thought to himself, carefully inspecting the identification. "So, what's today's haul?" A burly student asked Toma, whose gaze was still fixated on Eeno's ID. "Check it out: I just obtained the wallet of that young Redstar kid." Toma then told his peer, holding up the wallet before his subordinate. Despite being impressed with Toma pickpocketing Eeno's wallet, nevertheless, he showed a great amount of concern, which was even visible on his face. "You should probably give it back to him." The student suggested. "The Redstars are a powerful family of Espers. They're pretty much known across the entire continent."
"And?" Toma said, scoffing at his peer's words. "He may be a Redstar, but he's still a Redstar in training, regardless." He then said. Then, within his field of vision, he noticed Hawk and Eeno entering the cafeteria. "Damn it." The magician said. His peer looked back, noticing the two. The burly youth walked away, leaving Toma to face them alone. "Give us back the wallet." Hawk ordered Toma, who put his hands up, with the wallet still being in his left hand. "Or what? What will you do?" Toma asked, almost in a sarcastic tone, leaving Hawk and Eeno speechless. "I was thinkin' about knockin' the shit outta you." Hawk then threatened the magician. "And besides, there isn't anything valuable in my wallet anyway." Eeno told Toma, attempting to persuade him into giving the Esper his wallet back. But Toma would retort in the form of a chuckle. "Alright. You got me." Toma said, cornered. Any chance of talking his way out of what Eeno had told him, especially with the absence of anything worth actual value, was lost. The magician would hand Eeno his wallet back, and the Esper would swipe it from his hands. "Why'd you do it anyway?" Hawk asked Toma, who let out a sigh infused with a modicum of frustration. "You don't understand." He told them. "I have a group of my own around Toshi City… Technically, we're thieves, but in hindsight, we give back to the community in our own way, by stealing from the snobbish kind of wealthy." Toma explained. "Why didn't you rob Iris then?" Hawk asked, only for Eeno to intervene. "Don't give him ideas." He sighed. "The Queen of Toshi has the hots for me, always proclaiming her love. I honestly don't see the reason why I should cave in to that kind of peer pressure." Toma said.
"I'll tell you what: If you can beat me in a one-on-one duel, I won't rob from either one of you again. And if you can win, I'll put in the good word for you at my thieves guild." The magician then proposed an idea. "I can do it." Hawk said, accepting the proposition. But Eeno would place a hand on his shoulder. "No. I can do it." He intervened. "You took my wallet. It's only right that I give you your just desserts." As Eeno said this, Toma chuckled at the prospect. "I like your thinking." He complimented the Esper, before standing up from his seat. "We'll fight at the Toshi Arcade Center. Tomorrow." Toma said to Eeno. "It's going to be a common hour. So we won't have to worry about skipping classes like that Raphael guy." He added. "Agreed." The Esper then said, determined to take up the challenge.
The school day had finally come to an end. Hawk and Eeno were walking through the main hall, soon to pass through the entrance doors. Suddenly, they heard Nile's voice approaching them from behind, as they stopped in their tracks. Nile, who was accompanied by Li, stopped in front of them. Each of the two greeted each other, before Nile went on to ask, "I take it you guys are making good progress in Homeroom 106?" Eeno sighed, reluctant to recount today's events. But he mustered up the courage to explain: "Toma stole my wallet. I managed to get it back, but he challenged us to a fight." Eeno quickly explained to Nile and Li, both of whom were shocked at the news. Even Li was taken back. "Tomalio Manilio is the head of the local thieves guild." Nile said, surprised. "He may use playing cards as his main weapon, but he's very cunning in battle. His prowess is far beyond words." He went on to add. "And that's saying something." Li chimed in. "Then again, he's a special breed of magician. They call people like him tricksters for a reason." He said. "Listen to us; You can always decline his offers." Nile told Hawk and Eeno. "It's already done. I can't afford to back out of that deal." The Esper said. "There may be a lot of things at stake, but one thing is for certain: I have to beat Toma. It's going to benefit all of us in the long run."
Outside, Hawk and Eeno sat near the fountain, looking at the entranceway, and what lied beyond it. "You got this." Hawk assured Eeno. Though he had enough time to prepare, the Esper was unable to shake the knot in his stomach. He was overcome with a feeling of uneasiness. His body tensed up, his fingers began to twitch, and his foot began to point upwards, and maintained its lifted position. "Given what Nile had told us… I'm a little unsure." Eeno said to Hawk. "You gotta take your chances." The boy responded with, staring off at the passing cars on the street. "We're here for a reason, y'know. We got into Homeroom 106 for a reason. Because we got talent, and our talent is gonna take us to levels that seem impossible to others. You gotta allow your talent to show you the way." Eeno turned to Hawk with a slight smile. "I understand." He said, as his burdened self felt a weight removed from his chest. And so, Hawk and Eeno stood from their seated position on the fountain, and proceeded to exit the academy grounds. "We can do this… Together."