Gene walked away from Jake, trying to keep his distance because he seemed upset and wanted to give him time to cool off. For some reason, it seemed like Erie and Jake were having their problems and starting to distance themselves from him, and he didn't know what to do about it. The life he lived before school was lonely. No kid wanted to be around him because his eyes constantly changed colors.
This was the first time someone had accepted him for who he was. He made friends who treated him like real people and loved to spar just as much as he did. Even though he was low-level, Gene noticed that Erie wasn't afraid to stand up for himself, and from what he'd heard around the school, Erie had no problem fighting students ranked higher than him. Jake had some strange abilities, but he also helped train Gene and even started teaching him how to use the water ability.
The group was split since the higher grade level approached them in the center hall. They didn't speak as much, and Jake seemed to be distracted during the training sessions they were having.
Gene didn't know what was happening with Erie, but knew why Jake acted differently. After the whole incident, Jake's ability seemed to be acting strangely. He also started to speak more lately.
When Gene heard a familiar voice and saw a familiar person on the training grounds, he could hear someone yelling and a loud clang one after another. He saw that it was Alex. A lady was walking away from him, and he seemed upset.
Usually, when Gene sees Alex, he ignores him and goes about his day. Alex always seemed to have a lot on his mind and was too busy to talk. But this time, he looked like he was venting—hurling a core pebble and smashing the targets as they popped up mid-air.
"He can't catch up to me!" Alex yelled, hurling another core pebble at the target.
When he hit the target, it seemed to crumble into pieces and sparks lit up around it.
"How can he even hold his own against that fusion earlier? This makes no sense!"
He threw a core pebble, and sparks flew around it, crumbling the metal again.
"I have to fight him! I have to. I must show him I am stronger, and he will not catch up!"
He threw his last pebble, and as it hit the target, it sounded like fireworks crackling. The metal caught on fire when he hit the target and crumbled into pieces. The sound lasted for a quick second.
"Is this guy a fusion user?" Gene began to wonder. "If so, he seems like a strong one. What ability even is that?"
Just then, Alex screamed and stormed off toward the school. The bell rang, signaling that it was 5 p.m. for afternoon combat training. That's when Erie and Lilly began making their way back as well.
"Erie! Hey Erie!" Gene yelled across the field, waving his arms to catch his attention.
"We will meet tonight at the combat arena for our little spar, okay?" Erie said calmly. Lilly smiled and then walked her way while Erie approached Gene.
The two walked towards the combat arena together.
"Hey, are you okay, man?" Gene asked. "I heard what happened in the hall today. There was this huge fight, and you were in it."
"Yeah, I saw Alex was in trouble. A few people had gotten up on him, and I just stepped in to help out," Erie said, rubbing the back of his head.
"Whoa, bro, you stepped in to help that guy?" Gene looked confused. "Well, I'm happy you are okay; I think you should leave that guy alone, though. I know you grew up with him, but I don't think he's the best to be around."
Erie placed his hand on Gene's shoulder. He watched his hair turn from black to blue, and his eyes turn from blue to black. The whole time, Erie had other things to worry about. He saw that his old friend was in trouble and stepped in to help.
"Look. Alex and I are very close, but we have a weird friendship. I'll talk to him to find out what's happening with him, okay?"
When they reached the combat arena, they saw Jake standing in front, waiting for the combat class to start.
Jake looked at Erie and tilted his head. "Hey, Erie," Jake said.
Gene stood beside Jake while Erie stood on his other side.
"Are you feeling any better, Jake?" Gene asked. You seemed upset earlier, so I decided to give you some space.
"Yes, I am," Jake said silently. "I hate bugs. They irritate me."
"uh... Okay." Gene didn't know how to respond to his answer.
Jake quietly spoke to Erie. "I heard what happened today in the hall, Erie." Jake paused, and he turned to Erie. "Erie, next time, kick his arce." He placed his fist in front of Erie. "You need to train more."
Jake's eyes glow slightly green, and Erie notices a ghostly appearance of Jake flashing in four places around the arena all at once. Jake takes a deep breath, and the other Jake settles and disappears again.
Erie was unsure if anyone else noticed, but he looked around and finally tried to analyze Jake.
"Analyzing."
"Race: Human."
"Jake ???"
"Ability: ???"
"Health: 200 of 100."
Erie waved off the message and reassured Jake, "Don't worry, guys, I'll be doing plenty of training soon."
Although Gene was satisfied with Erie's response as he felt like Erie was being himself, Jake noticed that Erie seemed to be holding something back, almost like he was suppressing energy.
As the other students entered the combat arena, they saw Erie and Jake and began whispering. When Erie and Jake looked back, the students stopped talking and turned their heads to look the other way.
As more students filled the area, the whispers spread: weirdos, creepy monster, green-eyed freak, orange-haired freak, yellow boy.
All of it was aimed at Erie and Jake. It felt like the entire first and second-year classes knew precisely what had gone down in the school hall.
Erie shook his head and glanced at Jake, confused. He hadn't even fought—so why were they coming after him too?
After hearing the insults, Erie looked at Jake. His stare seemed blank. The instructor was a man demonstrating basic moves, and Jake seemed not to be paying attention to him.
Erie leaned into Gene and finally asked him. "What happened with Jake for people to call him names like that?"
Gene didn't hear Erie; his focus was too fixed on the combat lesson. Erie then thought about Lilly. He would ask Lilly if he knew anything that happened to Jake or if she even noticed Jake.
At the end of the combat classes, the instructor yelled loudly in the middle of the arena. A giant screen lit the middle of the stage, and a list of names organized in categories was displayed.
"Look for your names! Tomorrow, we will start combat classes! You will go to your assigned classrooms!" the instructor explained.
The list was divided into several categories, each depending on your abilities; if you had elemental abilities, fusion abilities, transformations, enhancements, or even special abilities, the list included "Other."
That is when Erie noticed his and Gene's names were in the category 'Other.'
"If your name is in the 'other' category, you don't fit the bracket, or your ability is too unique to categorize. You can choose any class you wish to enter." He paused, looked around, and flicked the screen. "We all recommend that the 'other' category student enter the combat training class, which is my class!"
The available classes appeared on their watches and were registered for an extensive list of numbers. And a message popped up on his watch screen. "If you have not chosen an ability yet, you will find basic ability books, CDs, and flyers in the library in the ability section!"
Erie ignored the message and began scrolling down the list of classes. "I wonder what class would be best for me? I want to join the sparring class!" he thought as he looked at the extensive list on his watch.