Saito blinked. One inch in front of Saito's nose, was the fist of Master Ryu. Not a second later and Saito was flying through the air. BANG. The noise of Saito's head slamming into the mat echoed throughout the school. For a short moment, everything was still. Then, "OUCH!" rang through the room.
Had this been a younger class, kids would have been snickering at Saito's misfortune. Probably happy to see him being far outclassed. Luckily, this was the advanced class for high-ranking students only. Not that no one didn't like seeing Saito have his own medicine stuffed down his throat. Most students had stopped what they were doing to watch when they heard Saito's voice. Master Ryu did not seem to be opposed to the idea."Up," he commanded. "Let everyone learn from your mistake."
Saito got up as fast as he could despite his pain. After all, no one dared disobey Master Ryu. "Yes, sir!" Saito spoke loudly. His face betraying no emotions. Inside however, he was terrified. "What lesson will he 'demonstrate' on me now?" Saito's thoughts were answered a moment later as Master Ryu spoke, "Saito do you understand what you did wrong?" Saito replied immediately, "I wasn't focused sir." Saito had infact been very focused, on his homework. But Saito understood what Master Ryu meant. "He was able to sneak up on me." Saito thought. Saito said this a moment later.
"Correct," Master Ryu replied, "you are a sixth-year student of this school." Everyone knew what Master Ryu meant. Saito had been going to this school since he was nine. The only people who can sneak up on him are Master Ryu, and Grandmaster Pahng. Normally Saito would be able to detect Master Ryu. "Your concentration slipped." Master Ryu continued. Master Ryu turned and locked eyes with Saito, "As punishment, you will spar me."
By this point, everyone had stopped what they were doing to watch the display. Saito was well known for being Master Ryu's best sixth-year student. To top it of, Saito's skill in martial arts was great to be an instructor here. Anyone who sparred him lost badly. Rumors say that he toys with all his opponents.
"Yes, sir!" Saito projected. Knowing full well he had little chance of beating Master Ryu. Saito slipped into a sparring stance. Master Ryu did the same. The onlookers stepped back warily, as most had accidentally been accidentally before. Right before Saito was about to attack one brave student spoke up. "Sir? Can you do this in the Arena?"
Normally Master Ryu would be angry at the student for speaking out of turn, but the student had a great idea. The Arena was the outside sparring grounds usually reserved for important tournament matches or spars between masters. "Saito is certainly skilled enough to make this interesting," thought Master Ryu. "Very well, we shall head to the Arena for out match. Class, follow." Master Ryu commanded.
Grandmaster Pahng was a very important man. As such, he was normally very busy and had no time to waste on students below ninth-year. Even with ninth-years, Grandmaster Pahng rarely did anything with them. Only three students regularly saw him. Those students were all twelfth-years who could use their qi at will.
Then there was Saito. A sixth-year student who seemed keen to break this pattern. Prodigus in every class he was allowed to take. Surpassing students in their tenth-year. Grandmaster Pahng had never spoken to Saito, only observed him from afar. Grandmaster Pahng's former student Ryu had informed him of Saito's extraordinary skill. Saito had joined a year early due to tragic circumstances. Saito had truly caught Grandmaster Pahng's attention in his third year. Saito had managed to use a small bit of qi in a competition and had knocked down an Oak tree.
Grandmaster Pahng instantly became aware of the crowd of students approaching. Including young Saito. "Perhaps it would be best to observe from afar." Grandmaster Pahng mused to himself. The crowd approached more until they stopped at the Arena directly below the tree he was in. Grandmaster Pahng looked closer and saw his former student Ryu in a sparring stance with Saito mirroring him.
"Begin!" A sixth-year yelled. Saito immediately moved to Ryu. Feinting with a left roundhouse to the head. His right leg moving for a back kick. Ryu was a master for a reason, and shifted his balance enough for the kick to miss its target by centimeters. Ryu used this opportunity to deliver a kick chain on Saito's exposed torso. A side kick knocked Saito of balance. A roundhouse to the chest to make Saito drop his guard.
When Saito felt his guard drop he knew what was coming. A spinning hook kick to his temple to knock him out. It was Mater Ryu's favorite kick. Done so many times that the form was always flawless and dead accurate. Getting hit by that would give Saito a massive headache when he woke up at the infirmary. Saito was no idiot. Nor was he naive enough to believe Master Ryu would let him recover. Saito still had one chance. Master Ryu would be vulnerable for a brief second to spin and gain the spinning kick's signature power. Saito had to get this right.
Time slowed down. Master Ryu's leg almost in position to hie. His leg extended to Saito's right and closing in fast as Master Ryu spun. "NOW!" Saito screamed in his head. Saito shifted his weight forward and springing his back leg in front of him. The kick slammed into Master Ryu's chest just as he was regaining his balance from the spin. Master Ryu was forced back. His kick missing Saito by a hair's breath.
Something was wrong. Saito's kick had far more power behind it than it should. Saito didn't seem to notice. He followed through immediately with a roundhouse to the head. It directly hit Master Ryu and sent him flying. Saito finished up with a tornado kick to the chest followed by his own spinning hook. The hook made contact and knocked the ex-Navy Seal out cold.
Saito was suddenly aware of the power he had just done, and how he moved faster than ever before. As was everyone around him. The class stood shocked by what they had witnessed. Before anyone could speak, Grandmaster Pahng shouted out. "Sixth-year student Saito Hiraga. Come with me."
BOOM! A shock wave slammed everything back. Smoke clouding the severely damaged classroom. The blackboard knocked off its hinges. The once white walls covered in soot. Bits and pieces of the walls were flung around by the sheer force of the confined explosion.
Miraclely, not a single student was hurt by the blast. They were slightly dazed at most, recovering after a few seconds. Kirche von Anhalt Zerbst wasted no time to harass her family rival. "This is what I feared!" Kirche shouted at the source of explosion. A small flat-chested girl with long pink hair and clothes shredded by the plast. Aside from some out of place hair and ragged clothes, the girl looked perfectly fine.
The girl was prepared for Kirche's comment, as they verbally fought everyday. "It looks like I screwed up a little bit." The girl commented, causing Kirche to scream, "What!"
As other people regained awareness, they joined in too. "What part of this is little?" Questioned a chubby blond haired boy. Another blond haired boy named Guiche stood up. "Your successes rate to date has been zero." Guiche mocked the girl. "Louise the Zero!" Kirche screams the girls nickname.
Louise didn't seem to care. She just finished wiping soot of her face with her white handkerchief. Ignoring the insults like they were nothing new. Inside though, the nickname cut deep. Drowned in the shadow of her siblings. Crumbling under the mountain of expectations from her legendary mother and Duke father. None of it showed.
The Professor was not as lucky as the students. She was knocked to the floor by the blast. Soft whimpers could be heard as she twitched in her dazed state. The Professor knew this was not going to be an easy year.
Louise closed the door of Headmaster Osmond's office. Luckily Louise was not going to be punished for the explosion. As she walked down the spiral staircase to her room, Louise wondered how many times she had been in this situation. Every spell she cast exploded in her face no matter what Louise did. "It's so unfair." She silently protested.
If the situation couldn't get any worse, Louise heard Kirche shout out to her. "Hey, how was it?" Louise looked down to Kirche. Kirche was with her friends Tabitha and Montmorency. "Another trip to detention? Or are you finally expelled?" Kirche teased her. "Just kidding!" She said, as if that would change anything. Kirche laughs with Montmorency while Tabitha stands there silently.
Louise walks past them. But as she does, Louise murmurs, "I'm not being punished." Both Kirche and Montmorency look back at her. Kirche even asked her, "Why not?" Louise supplied the same answer that the Headmaster told her. Blaming the teacher for not listening to the other students harsh insults. Kirche and Montmorency stared at her blankly for a second before barking out in harsh laughter.
As Louise walks down further she tries defending herself, "I just wasn't doing my best today." Montmorency takes this as an opportunity to insult her further. "You're always having a bad day! You can't even get a real byname, Louise the Zero."
Louise's cool facade of not caring crumbles as she screams at them. "Shut up!" Kirche takes it even further. "Tomorrow will be a sight! What kind of familiar will you be summoning up?" Kirche smiles, hook and sinker. As Kirche expected, Louise explodes at her. "As far as summoning spells… I'm confident in Summoning Servant, if nothing else!"
Kirche and Montmorency looked shocked at her confidence, so Louise continues. "Just you watch! I'll conjure up a familiar so divine, beautiful, and powerful, that it will be better than everything any of you can cook up!" Louice walks down back to her room. Kirche and Montmorency look at each other blankly for a second before shrugging. "Hey, what do you think Tabitha?" Kirche asks. The only reply is, "I don't know." A lot coming from the usually silent Tabitha.
The students all gather outside for the summoning ritual. The Professor calms the class down easily. "Finally, today is the day of summoning. This is the first test since you advance to the second year, and the sacred first day where you meet your familiars, with whom you will spend your lives as nobles." Professor Colbert says way too enthusiastically. Professor Colbert was a balding man in his fifties. He wears thin glasses, and wields a staff fit for a fire mage.
The words had a bad effect on Louise. She remembered her words from the night before. Louise gripped her wand tightly, would she really be able to even summon a familiar? Like a dog catching the scent of its prey, Kirche moved towards Louise. "I'm looking forward to seeing the amazing familiar you summon." Kirche mocks. This time, Louise doesn't take the bait. "Leave me alone." Louise says in a flat tone.
Student after student went up and summoned a familiar. Tabitha a rare dragon. Kirche a salamander. Guiche even getting a mole. As everyone else found themselves a familiar, Louise grew more and more nervous. After no one else stepped up to try, Professor Colbert tried to wrap things up. "Now, was that everyone?" Kirche stopped him there, "No, we still have Miss Vallière to go." She smiles slowly.
Louise prepares herself to perform the ritual. But it wasn't easy with everyone impatiently watching her. "If only Kirche hadn't drawn all the attention on me." Louise thought to herself. It got worse as they started talking. "Louise the Zero." "What will she summon?" "There's no way she can summon anything! We'll just have another explosion, nothing else!" The last one sounded a bit like Kirche to Louise.
Louise ignored them all. Kirche probably said something else too. But Louise didn't hear it. Her hand trembling, she took in a shaky breath. Silently pleading for just this one spell to work. Louise sucked in another breath and began chanting the spell she had spent all night worrying over.
"My servant, that exists somewhere in this Universe! My divine, beautiful and powerful familiar! I wish and assert from the bottom of my heart… Answer my guidance!"
AN:
Hey loyal readers,
I'm sorry the second half of this chapter is pretty much only what actually happened. I didn't want to change anything important before Saito comes. Oh and yes, Saito will come. This isn't a fic where the author trolls everyone with a Saito scene and then makes something else Louise's familiar. Anyways, please comment and try not to flame. I'll publish the next chapter when I have time.
-OlympianChaos