More fluff. But, you need to know the characters before the next chapter.
After the morning classes, Storm and his teammates met up with Crystal's team for lunch. It was chicken sandwiches, a personal favorite of Storm's.
"So, how are classes going for everybody?" Crystal asked. Rain, Azura, and Cirocco collectively groaned in response.
"Come on, it can't be that bad; you're in history class," Storm said. "I wish I had history class that early."
"Listen to yourself. History is boring," Azura said. "It's just a bunch of stuff that happened decades ago. How could anyone find history fascinating?"
"It's like a really good story, that actually happened," Crystal said.
"My sentiments exactly," Storm added.
"Whatever. I'm still not going to enjoy history class with that boring professor," Cirocco interjected.
"Speak for yourselves. I got a date," Rusti said.
"Tell me that you're kidding," Azura said.
"Nope. History chick. We're going to go 'study' at a coffee shop tonight."
"I weep for everyone involved," Feather said. They all laughed.
"I didn't know you had it in you, Feather," Crystal said.
"So, combat class is next," Ember said. "Is anyone looking forward to that?"
"Yeah. I'm going to be able to show off my manliness to the entire school," Rusti said.
"Please don't," Rain said.
"I think it may be enjoyable," Feather said.
"Why?" Crystal asked.
"For it will allow me to show off my equality to humans."
"Sure, you can do that. What kind of fighter are you, anyway?" Cirocco asked.
"You can find out soon enough."
Feather slashed her blades as one, knocking Cirocco to the ground. He groaned while the fighting instructor called the match. "Better luck next time, I suppose," Feather said.
Cirocco grunted frustratedly, and walked out of the fighting area.
The combat instructor, a tall woman with purple hair and light green armor, made a note on her scroll. "And that makes your fifth consecutive match that you've won. Please rest and allow someone else to win."
"Okay," Feather said, returning to being the shy girl she usually was.
Combat class was going just fine if you were Feather. If you weren't Feather, you were seated in chairs overlooking the fighting area, making sure that a stray Dust round didn't hit one of the observers.
"Does anyone else want to fight a match?" the combat instructor asked.
"I think I'll give it a shot," Storm said.
"I guess it's something to do," Ember said.
As they walked into the fighting area, Feather left.
Ember's combat gear was a black combat vest with a red shirt under it, and black pants with boots.
"May the best… student win," Storm said, pausing to figure out what noun to use. Storm put his hand out for Ember to shake.
"Yes, she will," Ember replied. She pulled out her weapon, a long staff with a red Dust crystal resting on the more ornate end.
Storm pulled his hand back at refusal of the handshake. He pulled out Excelsior and Typhoon in their melee forms. Both students were ready for battle.
"Let the match begin," the instructor said.
Ember sent a fireball at Storm, which he blocked with his shield. Storm turned his sword into its rifle form, and began firing at Ember. Ember managed to avoid the shots, and send another fireball at Storm. The fireball caught Storm off his guard, and he was fortunate to block it in time. The warm air around the fire, though, blasted him right in the face.
Storm shifted his rifle back into sword form, and charged towards Ember. Almost in response to this, Ember's staff shortened towards the end with the crystal on it, and the several other crystals came out of it, turning it into a whip like weapon, with fire Dust making up the rope part. Ember's whip slashed against Storm's shield, and knocked it out of his hand. It was then that Storm had an idea. When she whipped her weapon back at Storm again, Storm cut the chain of Dust with his sword, severing the over half the dust crystals from the rest of the whip.
Ember turned her whip back into a staff, but it wasn't going to be enough to fight Storm. He slashed his sword at Ember, and she just barely blocked with her staff. She probably wasn't used to physical fighting, so this fight would be easy. That is, unless Ember didn't blast Storm at point-black range with a burst of fire. Storm rushed towards his shield, when Ember turned her staff back into a whip, and somehow reattached it to the severed crystals on the floor. Storm was stopped in his pursuit of his shield by Ember's whip wrapping around his ankle, and pulling him backwards.
Storm was going to cut the whip off his ankle, when the combat instructor called the match. "Victory for Ember Fall," the instructor said. "I have come to expect that from your family, though.
Finding victory, Ember unwrapped her whip from around Storm's ankle, and turned her weapon back into a staff. Neither of them said anything to the other, but Storm was not happy about losing. Then a computerized bell rang. "That's the end of class, students," the combat instructor said. "I expect you to remember the lesson today for as long as you live: there is a difference between confidence and overconfidence. It is your job to recognize this difference."
The students wandered out of combat class, and started walking to their next classes. Storm and Ember were on the same course to their next class, and Storm found it a good time to ask Ember something.
"What did the instructor mean when she said that she expected you to win because of your family?" Storm asked Ember, realizing that may have been a bit long.
"Family's always been good fighters. Don't want to talk to you about it," Ember replied.
That's when Storm drew parallels between Feather and Ember, but they were probably just a coincidence.
Hooray, another chapter's over. Any questions?
