-A school in London, 1986-
Not every location in the school is constantly crowded with students. Those quiet places are often the favorite spots for bullies to attack their victims. In one of those locations, a boy can be seen being ganged up and beaten up by five others in the school.
The bullies didn't notice that there is also another boy in the vicinity, clearly younger than them. He looks more interested in reading his book than watching the beating. His back against the wall fully relaxed, seemingly without a care for the bullied victim.
"Alright that's enough" the boy said after the beating has gone long enough.
He stopped his reading and closed his book with an annoyed expression. The five bullies stopped their harassment to look at the one who interrupt their fun.
"Who? Oh, you're that Isaac."
Isaac Balthasar is a famous delinquent in this school. Always in a fight or two every other month. Even though the boy is from the primary school part, the rumor is that he always comes out on top winning those fights even against older students.
"He is already badly hurt. And five against one doesn't seem fair. Leave"
Isaac was here earlier, but he didn't stop the bullying right away. He only intervenes if things started to get out of hand. The bullied boy is already bruised and battered.
"Or what? You came here alone yourself. That's a mistake." the bullies also often hear rumors about Isaac. Though they usually dismiss them since it is bizarre to think that an elementary school student could beat a high schooler. They thought that Isaac got help all those times.
"Oh, I see⦠So that's what they told you."
The older students who Isaac has beat previously didn't disclose the story as it is. It was embarrassing for them to be beaten by a boy younger than them. The boy beat them, one against many.
"Sigh... another detention then. No big deal" Isaac dropped his book to the ground and slowly walk toward the five of them.
The famous delinquent fearlessly jumps at them. The bully closest to him got surprised and stood still for a moment. The momentary lapse is enough window for Isaac to plant his foot against the bully's face in mid-jump. The bully reacted too late to block Isaac's assault.
When Isaac's foot connected to the bully's mouth and lower jaw he stomped it down, hard, making another jump mid-air by using the bully's face as a stepping platform. The bully's brain rattled from the sudden impact on his skull, and he fall down unconscious.
Isaac continues bolting mid-air into another bully. His knee in front aimed straight at the solar plexus. The impact took all the air and the bully got knocked out, unconscious.
The rest of the bully was shocked at this. The younger boy was vicious. Clearly at a physical and numerical disadvantage, the younger boy tried to bring down the opposition's number as quickly as possible.
Isaac's initial assault already took down two of them. A single jump sequence that only took less than three seconds.
"Leave" the famous delinquent repeated.
"Damn it! Together! He's alone!" the other bullies got annoyed with his nonchalant attitude
"You guys don't want to leave? Fine. I won't ask again. In fact, I won't let you even if you beg me after this."
Isaac already met this type of bully before. The only way is by force. Showing them that there is always someone stronger. That this bullying can also happen to them. Hopefully, they'll give more thoughts to their action.
"Don't get cocky. You only took us by surprise."
Isaac moved forward without care. The remaining three bullies didn't react, still wary of him. Isaac continued walking and finally placed himself at the center, encircled by the three bullies.
"Took you by surprise? Here I am. Try to surprise me then."
"Damn it! Get him!"
One of the bullies winds up a hook punch. Another one throws a frontal kick. The bullies who shouted, remain stood and waited, ready to react and help. Seeing this, Isaac moved and enters the melee range of the punching bully. A missed punch might affect the stance and posture a little, but a missed kick needs more recovery time because they need to reset their footing and stance.
Isaac's hand snaked from under the hook punch. It is positioned in a way that it absorbs the punch momentum and transfers the force into his own attack. A knuckle straight to the temple. The hit connects and another instant KO as the bully falls down.
The one that throws the front kick missed. The momentum of his kick brought him forward. This makes his head slightly inclined forward. Perfect for an uppercut, which Isaac immediately took advantage of. He turned around and slightly ducked.
"Watch out!"
The other bully reacted and took action. He throws a vicious soccer kick aimed at Isaac's head. Isaac noticed the incoming attack forego his uppercut's wind up. He instead continued ducking and fully diving, choosing another spot to attack.
Isaac chooses to attack the bully's footing instead. A momentary weak spot since he still hasn't completed his stance after a missed front kick. And now after he tried to move backward, afraid of an incoming uppercut, his footing is getting more compromised.
A hard swipe to the side of the foot trips the bully down. Now the other bully's soccer kick fully missed Isaac and instead continued its trajectory into his tumbling friend's head.
Crack!
Another instant knockout. Isaac slightly winced from the sickening sound. A vicious soccer kick to the head. The kid needs immediate medical attention.
Isaac moved fast and continued to knock out the last bully quickly. Now all the five bullies lying on the ground unconscious
'legilimens'
Instead of the cursory, wide area legilimency that Isaac has been doing all this time to the people around him, he applied a legilimency arts of his own. It is fully combined with his sensing ability that he got from the time spent in the void. After his consciousness entered their minds, his magical tendrils start to reach out from their brain and do a full body scan. The brain is connected to every part of the body hence the full body scan spell he created needs some kind of access to the target's brain.
'brackium emendo'
With all the books he has read regarding chemistry and biology, he can mold his mana and conjure it into nutrition and mineral needed by human bodies and use it to speed up the healing process. The school even has several medical books for high school students aiming to continue their studies in medical college. Those books helped to advance his understanding of healing magic.
He heals all their internal injury. He didn't heal the external injury since it will be visible to the eyes.
"C'mon bro let's go" Isaac said to the bullied student.
"I think I need help" the battered boy said. Struggled and was unable to stand
Isaac didn't heal the bullied boy because he's still conscious. He will notice if there is a sudden change in the body. Another reason is that his injury means more compared to the bullies' injuries.
Injuries mean little for the bullies. But for the bullied ones, they're scars that will remind them to keep getting better. That there are people out there that will put you down for their own gain.
Besides, Isaac already stopped before he got a serious injury.
"You should've at least fought back" Isaac said to him while helping him walk to the school's infirmary
"They would hit me then."
"They will still hit you regardless"
Isaac then left the boy at the infirmary to get first aid for his bruises.
School bullies are everywhere. With, Isaac now powerful legilimency, the school premise is always under his monitor. He didn't stop each and every bullying act. He will only intervene if the bullying is going to cause serious injury or if the bullies have vicious thoughts of permanently maiming their victim. He will also make sure to prevent suicidal thoughts caused by those bullying.
The school staff is actually not that fed up with Isaac's behavior. The boy is a genius in his studies with perfect marks on all his tests. The bullied victims also always vouched for him, so the school staff know that the boy has a tendency to help those who get bullied in school.
Isaac was thankful that the problem didn't get bigger, like a young master scenario in xianxia stories. The parents of the bullies understand the situation, they didn't seek trouble with Isaac. Well even if they did, Isaac still has his Pseudo Reality to manipulate them out of it.
Regardless, the school can't let Isaac get away scot-free and so they give him a detention. The staff just hoped that Isaac would rather notify them of the situation rather than took it into his own hands.
.
.
"This is the second time I've been called this month" The orphanage matron said in exasperation to a boy beside her. They walked out of the school's teaching office. The matron is Isaac's guardian, she has been called to the school for Isaac's most recent brawl.
"Beating up 5 children. You weren't like this before, Isaac" The matron remembered the old days when Isaac is still a little kid. He's always quiet and obedient. Looking at him now, she wondered what went wrong.
"Do you honestly believe I'm the one who beat those high schoolers?" the boy asked back.
"..." she looked back at him. Her face saying 'You've been doing this all year and this is your excuse?'
"Alright alright it was me, I'm sorry"
"Sigh... no you're not." This has been the boy's routine for a while now. Always getting in a fight.
"Can you at least do it discreetly?" she said to Isaac.
"Hey, they're fine anyway. And matron, why are you teaching bad stuff to children now?" the boy asked. Harming others discreetly where the staff wouldn't notice, isn't that what those bullies do?
"Fine, you're grounded for one week."
"Now that's better" the boy nodded in understanding.
the matron smiled hearing his response. This is what she likes from the boy. Actions have consequences and the boy understood that fighting will get you in trouble even if you're in the right.
"Not that it matters to you" though this will change nothing. This has happened too many times. She knows that he would get back into another brawl after this anyway.
"It matters to me"
"It was a mistake to allow you to join the martial arts club" maybe if he isn't capable of going against the upperclassmen, he will not try to go find trouble with them. That or maybe the comic books placed in the orphanage that he always read are what changed him. Trying to help others even though he will get into trouble himself.
"Do you really think so?" the boy asked
No. Isaac is a good kid and the matron is proud of him. It's just that this will make it harder for him to find family since they won't adopt a troublemaker child.
"No, but you're still getting grounded after this."
"You're the best. I'm off to the club now."
The matron sighed looking at the boy going to his martial arts club. It feels like it was just yesterday when she found him inside a basket outside the orphanage door.
