Chapter 10: Testing, Te-... or Not?

«Uh- uhm» Prudence started. I was walking casually towards the tribune, trying to hide the pain I was experiencing. People watching action-series and films were really missing all the bad parts about action... Seriously! My face was mildly swelling up, and I was pretty sure my ribs were messed up. I looked back at Ron. He was pretty much going through the same process as me. He had some soars from my stars. He noticed me looking at me, and made an arrogant expression. I smirked. I took a couple of steps upwards, along the tribune, and saw that Prudence only had managed to rise to her feet, still paralyzed. Was it so hard for her just to show us her skills? We'd all done it...

Ryler got up, yawned, and started stretching some limbs. Apparently, he was all ready to fight. Prudence started walking down towards the floor, almost crying. Tina was smiling. Prudence reached the floor, and Ryler switched his "necklace" on. One could actually feel the tension. Was it going to be a battle at all? Could Prudence fight at all?

Suddenly, Prudence pulled a small, wooden stick out of her pocket. It was very dark, probably made of some dense type of wood. It started glowing a faint green, and it started growing. The stick was now at least two meters long, and Prudence took a stance with it. Ryler and Dr. Cuillere seemed really confused by this power. Was I missing something? Prudence tried to smile, but she was apparently still nervous. "Leech Seed!" she shouted, and summoned several seeds which were thrown at Ryler, and grew quickly into vines that entangled him. The plants all took root, and a concentrated, green beam connected Ryler and Prudence. She jumped, and pointed her stick at him. It glowed green again, and grew rapidly, hitting Ryler in the face with it's tip. Ryler fell backwards, and the roots now only bound his feet. He rubbed his forehead, and bit his teeth together tightly. "Gaah, that even hurt" Ryler said. Suddenly, he started looking around. She was gone... Prudence had vanished?

Everyone looked utterly confused. After what I'd seen so far, it seemed Prudence's powers were based on plants and nature. How could she vanish in this way? Suddenly Pyrowl, still sitting in the corner of the Arenasium, leapt up, now standing, and barked at the ceiling. Ryler looked up, and his confident smirk made its way to his face again. "How much longer were you thinking you could hide up there?" Ryler asked. I looked up again, and I spotted her. The stick Prudence had enlongated and hit Ryler with, was now elegantly formed as an umbrella, with large leaves serving as the 'cloth'. Prudence was simply hovering in the air with the help of an umbrella!

I turned to Ron again. "How can she do that?" I asked. Ron chuckled. "I can't blame you, haven't really known her for long..." he started. "It's pretty easy, actually. Prudence is light as a f***ing feather. I'm not even exaggerating! I could probably lift her with one arm" Ron said, still staring at Prudence hovering.

Gretchen snorted, and wiped her mouth. "To bwe exwact, she weighs abwout 7.8 kiwogwams, which in pounds is-..." Gretchen started, interrupting our conversation as usual. Before she could finish, Prudence degenerated her umbrella into a staff again, and fell directly towards Ryler. Ryler simply cocked his arm in a straight angle again, obviously using the same move as before, the so-called 'Hammer Arm'.

Just when he was about to hit, Ryler turned his head, and opened for Prudence's kick. She hit him on his right cheek, and he fell to the ground. "Pviwoll, mbo!" Ryler said, his swollen cheek disabling his speech. Surprisingly (not), Gretchen was the only one who understood what he was trying to say. "Wun!" she shouted, and started running out of the Arenasium. Ron pushed me up on my feet, me still being confused. Then I started smelling the smoke, and it all became obvious. Pyrowl had gotten excited by Prudence's hovering, and apparently lit one of the walls on fire.

I ran after the others, and safely exited the big room. Only Pyrowl and Ryler stood stood inside, while Dr. Cuillere sealed the door with a transparent wall, similar to the one he had stopped my fight with.

After McHvalner appeared and stopped the fire with a not-so-impressive move called 'Water Sport', the rebuilding of the Arenasium would only take a couple of days. "It's happened before" Ryler explained shortly, while petting Pyrowl gently on the head. We were all gathered in Dr. Cuillere's office, or rather class-room. Dr. Cuillere entered, wiping sweat off his forehead. "Great, you're all here" he said, tiredly. He sat behind his desk, and straightened his glasses.

"I'm pretty sure I have gathered enough information on all of you, even though the last test was cut short" he started saying. "But now that I know your skills, powers and most importantly how you use them..." he continued before clearing his throat. "You are compatible, and can now form a team" he finished. I lost my breath. I'd been here for less than 48 hours, and already I was going to serve my duty...

Most of us seemed happy, anyway. We did get along alright, mostly. And besides, I had nothing to be afraid of. With powerhouses like Tina and Zootri, and brilliants such as Prudence, what could go wrong?

Ryler rose from his seat, and let down Pyrowl from his shoulder. "Oh, and before I forget" he said, loud and clear. "You need to find a team name. If you want a better name than 'Team-08', of course" he finished, before exiting the room, followed by Pyrowl and Dr. Cuillere. We looked at each other.

2 hours with silence. That was incredible, even for Zootri. That was how our team reacted to big decisions. Not a good sign. Zootri exhaled slowly. "No ideas? Really?" he asked. Everyone always payed attention when Zootri talked. I guess that's what happens when you never really talk...

"OK, I'll tell you our name then. The key is our personalities. Firstly, Gretchen is the symbol of birth and early childhood. She spews everything up, like a baby, and only complains and eats... like a baby" he started. Gretchen was speechless. Everyone was speechless. Except for Ron, he was laughing. Zootri looked at Ron, and he too became quiet. "Then there's Ron. He swears all the time, and wants everything for himself, just like a little boy. Therefore, he represents the rest of the childhood" Zootri said. I choked my own laughter. "Now the teenage-stage of life. That one is for Prudence. Her courage is yet to be seen, and she acts like she thinks everyone wants to. She cries easily, and doesn't know when to start... like a teenage girl filled with hormones" he continued. Prudence was obviously disappointed, wanting to be the adult-stage. "Early adulthood is for you, Jacob" he said, and looked at me... I think. Couldn't see through his hair covering his eyes. "You are a mere victim of all the other personalities, and are trying the best you can to handle them in a mature way. Still, you can and will have fun" he explained. I was honored, really. "Then there's being old, that's me. I don't talk, I don't show feelings and I simply ignore the rest of society" he said. Talk about self-criticism. "And then there's Tina, which is death, needless to say" he finished.

Zootri had talked. And the impact was genius. But no, he wasn't finished. "So, we all together represent the cycle of life. Therefore, we are called Team Cycle!" he said, to everyone's acceptance. A brilliant name, with a brilliant meaning.

Jacob's Profile nr. 9

Name: Prudence Gardner

Gender: Female

Age: 17, I think

Species: Uhm... no idea

Abilities: She can somewhat control the power of plants and nature, and she's light as a feather

Note:

She thinks she's the adult among us... We know otherwise, though. She's bright, though, and really nice