(A/n: Please enjoy)

Chapter 5: Purebloods And Training

Ike and Gregory leave the classroom along with the rest of their classmates once the bell rings, but not to their next class.

Mr. Thorn teaches a subject called Elements. Ike and Gregory weren't aware that vampires could use magic, their teacher told them that only certain vampires had that ability and they were called Purebloods. Whom they were he did not name, however quite a lot of them attended this academy and some were in this very class. Mr. Thorn then explained to them how they first acquired such powers, both parents must be vampires. He himself revealed that he was a Pureblood which was no surprise to the humans, but Gregory got the strangest feeling that the man kept something else about himself a secret - something he perhaps didn't want anyone to know.

"I'm gonna show you guys an example here in this classroom," Mr. Thorn declared. He pointed to a black-haired student sitting on Ike's right. "Firkle, wanna help me out?"

With a small sigh, Firkle Smith took out an eraser from under his desk. The second Ike blinked, the window an empty seat away from him suddenly shattered. He cowered on top of his desk, protecting his cranium with his arms from the falling glass shards. But the tiny sharp pieces never hit him. He didn't feel anything. Slowly, he moved an arm to peek at the window, jolting up in his chair. It looked perfectly fine, it was as if the window hadn't been broken just a mere second ago.

"Thanks," Mr. Thorn said sarcastically. If he had of reacted just a millisecond late, that poor boy would've gotten hurt. Firkle shrugged, then crossed his arms as he leaned back against his chair. "When Firkle threw his eraser at the window, I used my ability called 'Time Suppression' to stop it and then mend it back together. It's one of the few abilities that I have that lets me control time."

Ike couldn't take his eyes away from the wide transparent glass, very interested in the Purebloods' extraordinary prowess. As a child, he'd always fantasized about using magic himself, the result of the idea came from watching and reading all of the Harry Potter movies and books he had at home. But as he grew older, the fascination started to diminish. He might've lived in South Park where a lot of inexplicable phenomena transpired, but a human obtaining supernatural powers never occurred. He was pretty sure beings except humans could use them anyway.

"Ahem!" His teacher clearing his throat brought him out of his musing. "So, basically in this class, I will teach the Purebloods while the others will study about them and the different types of attributes through the textbook."

Ike frowned as those who weren't Purebloods groaned dejectedly. He was actually looking forward to learning how to use magic in this class, not learn about them from a book. But he should've expected this, he felt silly for even thinking he could use magic.

Gregory, however, did not appear bothered like the others as he calmly raised his hand. "Mr. Thorn, I have a question." The class quieted down after his statement.

Mr. Thorn gave him a knowing look. "If you wanna know if it's possible for humans to learn to possess magic, then the answer is no. In fact, it's highly impossible."

Gregory glared at him, looking a bit offended. "That was not what I was going to ask," he said, not letting his annoyance be heard in his voice. He didn't care in the faintest about learning, let alone using magic, not all humans needed to rely on such mythical bull crap to become strong. As an experienced assassin, he only needed his trusty cutlass and nothing else. "I wanted to know if it was okay for me to train with the Purebloods. Since there aren't any actual assassination missions for me to do here, and I refuse to become inept with my cutlass, I was hoping that sparring with vampires would sharpen my skills."

Mr. Thorn eyed him in slightly stunned silence for some moments, pondering Gregory's proposition. It's not a bad one, but it was risky. The gleam in the teen's apricot-colored eyes showed that he was willing to take such a risk, he wouldn't be an assassin if he wasn't. "Alright, Gregory, you've got yourself a deal. But..." He paused to give him a serious frown, both males looking each other straight in the eyes. "If you get killed, you've only yourself to blame. Got it?"

Smirking, Gregory nodded, also prepared for potential injuries, and even death. He's greatly aware that training with vampires was going to be very dangerous, but he's not afraid. His assassins pride won't allow him to be.

Mr. Thorn returned the grin. To think he would meet a strong-willed human who was a teenager no less, guess not all mortals were spineless wastes of flesh. "So, any more questions? Ike?"

Said preteen nearly jumped out of his seat at the mention of his name. His question had already been answered so he had nothing else to ask, he shook his head, face contorting in grimace at the thought of researching the elements through the textbook. It was going to be extremely boring.

Mr. Thorn shortened his lips into a small smile. He knew that the boy was upset, but there wasn't anything he could do to make his learning experience enjoyable...Or was there? "Ike, come with me for a second." He walked out of the classroom. Ike blinked dubiously before getting up and following him. Once he's out, Mr. Thorn closed the door, and they stood in front of it. The man appeared thoughtful, Ike glancing around the empty hallway while he waited for him to say something. "Is there something you wanna improve? Like your physical or mental strength?"

The young noirette turned his attention to his instructor, thinking deeply. Was there some personal aspects he wanted to strengthen? He never really took it into consideration, he saw no point changing himself in his hometown. But since he won't be able to use magic, it made sense to think about alternatives, just in case while he's in this academy. "Umm, what if I wanna gain some muscles? How will I go about doing that?" He felt confident of his mentality, but not in his physique. He knew a day would come where he would regret not participating often in Gym back at his previous high school. Attaining a bit of brawn-no, just toughening up his build overall would do him justice.

"Good choice. I know just the student to help you get some muscles on those twig arms." Ike pouted at Mr. Thorn's comment, his arms were not that skinny. "Wait until the second period bell rings, this class lasts an hour longer than the other first classes."

Ike raised an eyebrow. "But earlier you said that you wanted to spend the rest of your minutes with-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Mr. Thorn hurriedly interrupted, a faint blush coloring his cheeks. "I kinda forgot and only remembered my schedule just now." Ike gave him an 'Are you serious?' look. Mr. Thorn chuckled with a shrug, then they went back into the classroom.

Out in the hallway, Mr. Thorn tells his students that they're going out to the courtyard as he closes his classroom door. With the extra hour they have left, he is going to have Ike and Gregory train with a Pureblood while he taught the other Purebloods. The rest of the vampires were going to spectate.

As the class follow their teacher to their 'training ground', Ike spots Stan, Tweek, Gary, and Pip leaving their classroom. He sees Craig also with his two boyfriends right beside him, both him and Stan's eyes meeting before they continue on their way. Ike quirks a curious eyebrow at the brief interaction between the two, wondering what that was about.

They reach the courtyard in no less than two minutes, the place has a tranquil atmosphere. A gravel stone fountain is several steps away from the breezeway, fresh water is flowing out of two female angels' vases, and two benches are on either side of the fountain. If it wasn't for the cloudy sky that's looking to produce rain, Ike would've thought the fountain was beautiful instead of spooky. Covering all sides of the smooth grass field are rose bushes.

Mr. Thorn escorts his students over to a spacious area behind the fountain. "Before we get started, I'm gonna appoint training partners for Ike and Gregory. Do not complain when I pick you." He beckons for the two aforementioned boys to step forward, Ike stands on his left and Gregory on his right. "For Gregory, I want Eric Cartman to be his partner." A fat teen groans, earning a warning glare from his teacher, He steps forward giving Gregory an unfriendly sneer from his chocolate brown eyes. Gregory holds back a sigh, hoping his teacher knows what he's doing,'1 and that this obese oaf can be worth his sparring partner. "Firkle Smith, you're gonna train Ike."

Ike becomes nervous, why does it have to be the creepy guy who sits next to him? Firkle comes forward, the faint glint in his violet right eye showing some sort of amusement greatly puzzling him. Does he...plan on bullying him? Both the thought and look increases Ike's anxiety, but he trusts Mr. Thorn. He knows the man won't let him be seriously hurt...he hopes.

"The rest of the Purebloods follow me further away from these four, I'll put up a barrier so no one gets hit in the crossfire. The others will watch and take notes or whatever, or you can just go to your next class." Mr. Thorn walks away with twelve students in tow, leaving only Ike, Gregory, Cartman, Firkle, and six more vampires to themselves.

"C'mon, let's get started," Firkle says distancing himself from Ike. Ike is so not ready.

Gregory looks to his partner. Taking the hint with an annoyed grunt, Cartman creates some space between them. The six vampires observe the duo pair from by the fountain, very curious as to how the two humans will fare against Purebloods. Gregory unsheathes his cutlass, and waits for his companion to prepare himself in turn. But the overweight vampire just stands there, stuffing his hands into his pants pockets. "Where's your weapon?" Gregory asks, not liking the fact that Cartman is being uncooperative right out of the gate. He isn't happy about this either, but he has no right to be picky.

"I don't have one nor do I need one," Cartman answers lazily. Without a seconds hesitation, Gregory charges at him. He catches Cartman off guard, but he quickly dodges his abrupt attack. He lands a foot away from the platinum-haired blonde, his eyes narrowed with his hands clenched inside his pockets. "Asshole, warn me next time."

"Oh, I thought you were ready. My apologies." Gregory's sardonic remark causes Cartman's glare to harden, with a growl he rushes at him. Gregory is mildly impressed by the large teen's speed, blocking his fist with his cutlass.

Ike watches the two, stupefied. Gregory is really something to be able to keep up with a vampire, even more so a Pureblood. He worries about his own training now, what if he doesn't do good? Will he really become strong through the tutelage of a Pureblood? Or will he just get humiliated?

"Eyes over here, dude."

Hesitantly, Ike turns to Firkle with a frown. Firkle can't help but sigh at his partner's nervousness, but he can't blame him. "Look, don't be so uptight, alright? I won't be too hard on you, we'll go at your pace first. Just keep in mind that we're on a time limit."

Ike feels himself smiling timidly at his reassuring tone, seems picking on him wasn't his intention after all. Closing his eyes, he takes a deep breath then exhales. He opens his eyes, he's still a little nervous, however a trace of determination can be detected in his cinnamon brown irises. He nods his head signaling he is ready to begin. Firkle gives him a small smile for his newfound courage, he turns around and ambles towards a rose bush, gently plucking out a flower. Walking over to Ike, he holds the delicate plant carefully in between his index finger and thumb.

The young teen looks at the flower in confusion. Upon closer inspection, its petals are a pale purple and its stamen is white. "What's with the flower?" He asks.

"This is an Ashen Purple Rose," Firkle says. "Even though there's nothing unique about it, they're extremely valuable, however rare to come across." Ike's bewilderment grows after obtaining what he believes is useless information to him, he just wants to know how it's going to help with his training. Firkle then clears his throat, his cheeks tinging a vague red. "Sorry, I always come out here just to look at these and relax. I got distracted for a moment there," he says sheepishly.

Ike stifles a laugh at his embarrassment. Firkle shoots him a glare, instantly shutting him up. He raises his hands to show he meant no harm. "S-sorry, I wasn't laughing at you, just I didn't peg you to be the talkative type. Especially about flowers."

Firkle's blush darkens. "I want you to try holding this for one minute. Don't let it drop from your hand in that time frame." He shoves the rose at Ike.

"Why?" Ike asks before taking it. Once it's in his grasp, his hand immediately plunges to the ground, his whole body following suit. Sitting on his knees with a pained and disoriented groan, Ike looks at his hand to see his fingers notably struggling to keep the heavy flower from slipping out of his palm. Since when does a small rose weigh over hundreds of pounds?! "D-dude, w-what the-"

"I amplified its mass to make it weigh like you're holding two oversized rocks," Firkle explains, his blush fading as the amused gleam reappears in his purple eye. Ike looks up at him through squinted vision. "You don't wanna look like a weakling in front of our classmates for not being able to pick up a harmless flower, do you? You'd be the laughingstock of the entire academy."

So, he was planning to tease him, he just wanted to lower his guard first. That actually pisses Ike off. "L-like hell that'll happen!" He tries to pick up the flower, but his hand doesn't budge an inch. He continues the process multiple times, only to keep getting the same failed result. Ike lets out an irritated breath, panting. To add more fuel to his fire, it starts to rain. It starts off as a light drizzle before speeding up. Firkle remains standing over him, having not said one word during his strife.

The force of Cartman's punch sends Gregory skidding backwards, the rain almost makes him slip. Noticing this, Cartman takes this opportunity to kick him down to the soaked grass. He coughs as he lands harshly on the ground on his back, Cartman's shoe pinning him down. "Exactly where your cocky ass should be, right underneath my foot."

Gregory glares at the laughing brunette, seizing this chance to switch their positions. He kicks Cartman's other foot causing him to lose his balance, and Gregory quickly moves out of the way of his descent, rising onto his feet. Cartman catches himself before he face-plants into the damp grass, baring his fangs and turning his head to the side, but a pointed shiny tip halts him in place. "Exactly where your cocky ass should be, face to face with my blade."

Back with Ike and Firkle, Ike hasn't moved from his spot on the ground, his wet hair hanging over his eyes. Firkle has his gaze up to the darkened sky, finding it more interesting than his motionless partner. Neither say anything as minutes pass, the sounds of the rain, Cartman's rage-induced cries, and the commotion from Mr. Thorn's group are the only things they hear.

"Are you gonna give up?" Firkle asks, his eye still looking up at the clouds.

Ike doesn't answer. Curling his free hand into a fist, he punches the ground. No, he is not giving up nor does he want to, but does he even have a choice at this point? He is way too weak to lift up this hefty flower, and he can't let it leave his grasp or he fails. Not once in his life has he been in such a predicament, his brain always got him out of tricky situations...however not this one. This is about physical strength so his brain can't help him even if he tried thinking of ways out. He strikes the sod again and again, continuing to do so without any regards to his aching hand. He deserves to feel pain for his failure. He deserves to fail for being weak.

"The strongest always triumphs."

A cold, soft palm ceases his constant abuse to the earth, but he doesn't look at the individual who stopped him. He grits his teeth, now conscious of the stinging pain. "Ike, you need to calm down. I know it's frustrating-"

"No, you don't!" Ike shouts snapping his head upwards, his eyes appearing glossy behind the dark fringes of his hair. "You're a fucking vampire so how can you possibly know how I feel?!" He yanks his hand from under Firkle's. "You're just a bully..." He can hear mumbling erupting from the students who are watching them amid the rainfall.

Firkle pushes his wet bang back, opening his eye that was once hidden. "Look at me." The order was gentle. Ike sniffles before doing as told, shocked when he sees Firkle's other eye - it's gold but unlike the pupil in his other eye, which is also thin, this one is as slim as a needle.

"Why are you-"

Firkle shakes his head. "I'll tell you one day. When I know I can trust you." Ike looks disappointed but doesn't argue, waiting for the real reason Firkle wanted his attention. "A person with a strong heart can accomplish anything, a person with a strong mind can overcome the toughest obstacles, and a person with a strong will can succeed in anything they devote themselves to."

Ike stares at Firkle in silence. Blinking, Ike looks down to the rose in his clenched hand, then back at Firkle. He nods and Ike looks at the rose again, he closes his eyes. He replays what Firkle just told him like a mantra inside his head, those were the encouraging words he needed to hear. With the much-needed push, he carefully tries to raise his hand. He keeps steady for half a minute, on the verge of calling it quits until he feels slight movement from his hand. A second later, he no longer feels the prickly, saturated grass.

"N-no way, am I..." Before he becomes too overjoyed, Ike focuses his all on lifting the rose up entirely. Once he feels certain that it's held far from the ground, he slowly opens his eyes. To his surprise, he'd successfully picked up the flower. "I did it...I really did it!" Seeing Firkle's small smile again, Ike can't contain the unfathomable urge to tackle him into a hug. Both boys stiffen, Ike quickly composing himself to speak. "Thanks, Firkle, for not giving up on me," he says softly near the vampire's ear, making him blush a little. Ike pulls back scratching the back of his head, his cheeks colored a faint red as well. "Also sorry for calling you a bully." He laughs awkwardly.

"It's okay, I was being kinda mean," Firkle admits. "And you didn't have to thank me. You're the one who didn't give up, I was just your background support." Ike smiles at that.

A split second later, the bell rings. Ike and Firkle stand up, Firkle pushing the bang of his hair back down over his golden eye. Sweeping his wet hair back, Ike then looks at his right hand then grimaces, his knuckles are red and a bit bloody. "Oh yeah, what about the rose?" He asks holding it up and still feeling proud in himself for overcoming such an arduous assignment. It feels light as a feather now.

"You can keep it, think of it as a medal for completing your first task." Heat returns within Ike's cheeks for some reason.

"That was our bell," Mr. Thorn says walking past them with his group of students. "You all better hurry to your next class if you don't wanna be late."

"I need to take Ike to the infirmary, he hurt his hand," Firkle tells him. Mr. Thorn gives him the okay with a nod. Gregory and Cartman spare each other a glare, one smug and the other full of hatred before looking away from the other and walking into the building.

Ike groans at the realization of attending his next classes in drenched clothes. He then notices Firkle looking up at the sky. "Firkle, you comin'?"

The teen appears to not have heard him. Some seconds later, Firkle lowers his head and walks over to Ike. He utters an apology as he walks past him, Ike giving him a confused look but not questioning it as he trails after him into the academy. Once inside, the duo head to the infirmary to patch up Ike's bleeding hand.

Ike suddenly sneezes, he rubs his nose with a sniffle. "Damn it, don't tell me I'm getting sick," he grumbles.

"Let's hurry." They reach the nurses office close to a minute later much to Ike's relief. He also makes a mental note of where the infirmary is located so he doesn't have to ask for directions or have someone accompany him. Firkle knocks on the white door, it opens almost instantly to reveal an old man with dark brown hair (one part colored grey) and dark grey eyes behind tan-rimmed glasses. He opens the door wider to let them in, he was about to ask what brought them here but didn't need to when he sees Ike's injured knuckles. He carefully takes the boy's hand into his own with a frown of his lips.

"Young man, how did this happen, and why are the both of you dripping wet?"

Ike sweatdrops as he tries to come up with an excuse, telling him that their teacher had them training out in the rain and him punching the ground in frustration doesn't seem like something the male nurse would approve of.

"Mr. Thorn had us train the humans out in the courtyard," Firkle replies flatly. Ike feels like face-palming at his straightforwardness, but the old man lets out a hearty laugh.

"I see, that explains it. Well, my name is Dr. Kero, and I'm the only nurse here. What's your name?" He leads Ike over to a stool for him to sit on so he can get started on his hand. Firkle sits down on one of the beds, disregarding Dr. Kero scolding him for moistening the sheets.

"My name is Ike Broflovski." The young teen sits down on the stool, and Dr. Kero immediately gets to work on his wound. Ike tries his damnedest not to curse or cry out at the overbearing pain. He held on for thirty seconds, Dr. Kero congratulating him on his persistence as he wraps the gauze around his knuckles down to his wrist.

Ike thanks him, and both him and Firkle take their leave. But before they head out of the door, Dr. Kero stops them. "I don't mean to be rude or pry into your business, but that rose...are you two a couple?"

The boys blush a deep red. "No!" They answer simultaneously. Ike stuffs the flower into his pants pocket as they leave.

"I was only joking." Dr. Kero chuckles as he puts the ointment and bandages back into the cabinet.

(A/n: Yes, I made up the rose lol I hope you enjoyed)