POV: Jordan Fuchai
I was puzzled.
The atmosphere around me was tense, which was unusual as a noble like myself is used to being in the spotlight, although, as soon as I witnessed the boy's prowess for combat first-hand, I realized that the thick tension lingering the air wasn't from the large crowd watching me, but from the boy himself as I was unable to anticipate his next move, despite him remaining still.
The humiliation I suffered from him earlier didn't matter to me anymore as after witnessing Seth and Andy be defeated effortlessly, I focused solely on winning as losing to this boy would only lead to further humiliation.
Seth and Andy were taken out without any difficulty at all.
I don't know who the hell this boy is, but it's obvious that he's skilled in hand-to-hand combat, regardless of how weak Seth and Andy are, although…
I'm not like those two idiots who rushed you.
My uncle was a heavyweight world champion in boxing, so despite your talent in combat, it doesn't matter if you don't have the experience-
"You're thinking too hard." The boy said amidst his sudden appearance beside me as his hand rested on my shoulder.
I only blinked for a second and yet, he's already beside me?!
As his inconceivable speed startled me, I immediately retaliated with a swift, yet sharp uppercut aimed towards his chin as I intended to knock him unconscious, but despite the speed of precision of my attack, the boy caught my fist with his hand and sharpened his eyes into a glare as I struggled to overpower his grasp, regardless of my Aspect enhancing my strength.
This is getting ridiculous.
Not only was I unable to perceive his movement earlier, but now you're telling me that he's able to overpower me without even using his Aspect?!
"What do you gain from bullying the weak?" He asked genuinely, despite his glare of indignation as I experienced a variety of emotions within the span of several seconds from being unable to overwhelm him with my strength.
"What the hell kind of question is that?!" I countered furiously as the boy released his grasp from my hand and allowed the momentum from my swing to carry him across the grass.
"It's a rather simple question. I'm curious to know what does someone like yourself gain from bullying the weak?" The boy questioned once more as his seemingly naive curiosity stifled a chuckle that soon broke out into a laughter until I managed to regain my composure.
"I don't know if you're just stupid or oblivious, but what person in their right mind wouldn't feel gratification after crushing those who are beneath them?" I answered with an ecstatic grin as I channeled my aura around my fist and rushed towards him.
"That pleasure alone is enough of a reason to why I terrorize the weak as only those who are strong in this world have the right to decide what's right and what's wrong!" I shouted as when I approached the boy, I used all my strength in order to knock the boy out unconscious, but to my dismay, the boy weaved past my arm amidst stepping forward as he pointed his hand towards my chest.
"What a miserable existence you are." The boy uttered with pity as he landed a one-inch punch directly into my solar plexus, seizing my breath as I tumbled backwards across the grass until I recovered my footing, clenching my chest as I struggled to stand upright from being unable to breathe properly.
Who in the hell am I fighting right now?
With a single punch, I'm left in this state?!
Looking up towards the boy, I felt a faint sense of fear throughout my body as every advancing step the boy took towards me exuded pure confidence.
NONSENSE!
There is no way I'm losing to a guy who isn't even using his Aspect-
Amidst glancing around in a panic, I noticed many students among the crowd recording the fight with their phones as my heart began to race with anticipation from being utterly humiliated.
No, I refuse to let him humiliate me anymore than this!
Ignoring the pain coursing through my chest, I rushed towards the boy with a wild barrage of punches, even throwing my pride away by mixing in some dirty punches, but despite my relentless attempt to regain my pride, the boy weaved through every punch until the moment I overextended my arm, which he took the opportunity to land a backhand across my face before sweeping my off the ground with his leg, sending me face-first into the grass once more as I felt the boy's pitiful gaze seeping through the back of my skull.
I'm aware that I'm not the strongest noble, but I still have noble blood running through my veins nonetheless!
As a noble, I was blessed with a superior body since birth, so how is it…
Cursing aloud, I slammed both of my fists onto the ground as I sprung up from the ground and tried to strike the boy's face with all of my force, but no matter what I tried, the boy felt untouchable as he weaved under my attack, shifting his stance as he landed a sharp uppercut into my abdomen, causing me to spew out saliva as he then grabbed the bangs of my hair and smashed his knee into my nose.
How is it that I'm losing to you?
With blood gushing from my nose, my eyes began to water as the boy released me from his grasp and dropped me onto the ground, walking away with his hands inside his pockets as I slowly picked myself up from the ground, forced to stare at the boy's back as his calm, yet arrogant demeanor further enraged me.
I can't let it end like this-
"You can deny it all you want, but deep down, you know that you don't stand a chance against me." The boy asserted, turning around and facing me once more as his words struck me deeply and yet, I refused to accept the reality before me as I swallowed dryly and with a rageful scream, I leap towards the boy with every ounce of my strength placed into my fist as I aimed for his head, but despite what I assumed was impeccable timing, I suddenly felt myself falling towards the ground as everything went black in what seemed like an instant.
I couldn't even see his attack…
POV: Everett Laventh
The crowd of bystanders that was once filled with jeering was now silent as the boy's display of strength and technique left them in awe, a pale contrast to my pathetic performance.
Defeating three students isn't much of an achievement by itself, although, defeating three empowered students without the use of your own Aspect is an entirely different story.
At the end of the fight, he moved so fast that I couldn't even see his attack, nonetheless…
He defeated Jordan and his friends without even being touched.
I wonder…
Is it even possible for me to become as strong as him?
For a moment, I began to delude myself into thinking I could attain a level of strength that would make me on par with the boy, but as soon as the boy shifted his focus towards me, my heart raced with anticipation as the boy approached me.
Everett, calm down.
He just saved you from Jordan and his friends, so unless he's a psychopath, it wouldn't make any sense to harm you.
"You alright?" The boy asked with concern, crouching down to match my height as I was sitting against a tree.
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine." I answered awkwardly as the boy examined my injuries.
"I'm assuming this is an everyday thing for you, right?" The boy asked as I confirmed with a nod.
"I see." The boy said with a tone of sympathy as he stood from the ground and extended his hand towards me, offering to help me up from the ground.
I accepted his hand as he pulled me up from the ground before handing me my glasses.
"You could have won against them if you had actually tried to fight back." The boy mentioned as his statement left me baffled while I placed the frame of my broken glasses onto my face.
Is he joking with me?
"Oh, I'm not that strong at all. In fact, I'm actually the weakest student in the entire academy. I've already tried fighting back and all that led to was more suffering. Unfortunately effort doesn't matter in the face of power." I replied with a sheepish laugh as my smile soon changed into a frown from recalling all of the times I've been bullied by Jordan.
The results are always the same, regardless of my actions.
"You couldn't be more wrong. You never actually tried, have you?" The boy asked as his vague question irked me.
"What?" I questioned.
"You may have fought back, but you gave up after realizing you're weaker than them, right?" The boy clarified as I clicked my tongue in frustration, despite the boy's generous actions earlier.
"Of course I did! I kept trying and trying and eventually, I lost hope and gave up because there's no reason to piss them off even more if it just leads to more suffering! I'm not as strong as you or anybody else in this academy." I replied irritably as the boy pointed his finger towards my heart.
"That's your problem. No matter how weak you are or if the situation seems hopeless, you can't ever give up. The minute your enemy is aware of your fear, they will do anything they can to try to use that against you, so instead of giving up, you get back up and try again. It's better to lose knowing you gave it your all than to surrender in the face of despair." The boy advised as he moved his finger away from my chest and tapped on the side of his forehead.
"The real battle isn't what's in front of you, but inside you. If you're able to overcome that, then you'll never lose again." The boy added with a faint smile as he turned around and began heading towards the academy, which was blocked off by the remaining crowd of curious bystanders as a few of them tried to approach him, but the atmosphere around him grew cold as with an intense glare, the crowd of bystanders opened a path to the academy immediately as he continued walking, ignoring everyone around him as his words of motivation left me amazed.
With the exception of my best friend, Julian and the Student Council President, Aria, no one bothered to care about my existence ever since I enrolled into this academy, but he was different.
Even without his Aspect, I can tell that he's strong and yet, he stepped in and saved me without even wanting anything in return.
I have to at least thank him!
Although he seemed to want nothing to do with anyone, I chose to ignore his wishes as I sprinted through the pathway created by the crowd in order to catch up to him, eventually grabbing his shoulder for his attention as he turned around with his eyebrows raised while I took a moment to gather my breath.
"I'm sorry, but may I ask what your name is? I never got a chance to thank you-"
"It's Rai." He answered with a soft smile as he continued to head inside the academy while I couldn't help but admire him since he reminded me of my grandfather, who was a low-ranking hero that sacrificed himself for the sake of the innocent.
He really is different from everyone else.