IIIIIIII Kal IIIIIIII
No one ever enjoys battling with Jack during class. For one thing, he never needs a weapon. If he can't beat you by sheer strength, he renders you paralyzed with his skill in pressure points. He is as strong as he is agile, and it's earned him top of the class.
Kal may be as strong as Jack, but he isn't as swift, or as tall. So when it's time to spar, and Codatorta assigns Jack as his partner, Kal's on edge. It's only been three minutes, and sweat trickles down his brow. He's panting, and he's pretty sure there's a nasty bruise forming on the side of his jaw. Apparently Codatorta is allowing rough housing.
I don't have the range that Jack does, and he's way too fast- almost like a machine. I have to find an opening before he wears me out.
He'd seen it before in this class. Jack would use his agility and quickness to tire his opponents. It was a simple tactic, but it had worked on Jack's last three partners, one of them being Spencer.
Kal curses under his breath. If he falters once, he's out, and he still needs to pay Jack back for that shoulder bump in the hallway.
Shoes slide on gravel, and lightning quick, Jack lunges.
Kal takes a step back to dodge Jack's hand. His left foot loses its friction against the ground. He falls backwards, hitting the gravel with a thud. Instinctively, he rolls away. His hands dig into the gravel, and he flings it at Jack.
Cheers come up from the sidelines, and Kal smiles as Jack staggers. It's an opportunity, and Kal takes full advantage by slamming his fist into Jack's face.
But Jack isn't easily defeated. He grabs on to Kal's wrist, and when he lifts his face back up, blood trickles down from a cut on his cheekbone. Not only that, but he's smiling.
It's a trap.
Kal's eyes widen, but it's too late. Jack yanks him forward, takes a step out of the way, turns, and brings his free hand down on where Kal's kidneys are. He cries out as pain erupts in his back.
"Jack, you're the winner." The coach says as he walks by. "Go get cleaned up, the both of you."
Kal curses again. His stomach hurts, and he's nauseous, and his muscles throb. But losing is the worst feeling, and it settles into his gut like a rock. He rolls over on his back and squeezes his eyes shut. The sun beats down on him, and he tastes salt and blood on his lips. Every now and then, Codatorta lets them rough house, but today, Kal doesn't feel the same satisfaction with his previous spars.
The back of his eyelids go dark, and when he opens his eyes, Jack stands over him. Jack extends his hand, and after a moment, Kal takes it.
"You didn't do bad," Jack offers.
Kal grunts, though he's surprised that he's talking to him. He stands and brushes off the dirt on his suit. "You're quicker than I am. I don't know how you do it."
Kal's steps are heavy as they head to the locker room. It's a hot and cloudless day, though the humidity clings to them like tree sap.
"You dodged most of my attacks though," Jack replies. "Your stamina's better than the other guys I've sparred with."
Kal doesn't reply. He replays the fight in his mind, noting that jack is ambidextrous and doesn't favor either side. He can anticipate every move and never stands still. His stamina out matches mine. He's like he had decades of experience under his belt.
Kal glances at Jack out of the corner of his eye. What is he, 6'4? Kal asks, "How do you move so fast?"
Jack opens the door and says, "Years of practice. And dancing."
"You dance?" Kal blinks in surprise. "Oh." Kal's mind wanders to Scarlet. Can she dance? Kal's eyes widen at the thought. The annual fall dance is coming up. Crap.
It's much cooler in the room, and Kal goes to his locker. "Uh…Maybe you could teach me some moves," Kal suggests. Jack stands on the other side, and Kal hears his lock click open. Other specialists talk by their lockers, fresh from the showers.
"You serious?" Jack's voice echoes. "It's for a chick, right?"
"Of course it's for a chick," Kal replies. He takes off his suit, and he rolls his eyes as he struggles to peel it off of his sweaty skin. Why does such an advanced magical school require their uniforms to be bodysuits? It's not even practical for going to the bathroom.
He shoves his suit off of him, stuffs it into the side of his duffle bag, and heads to the showers. Jack walks around the corner, and Kal stops to let him by. He is ridiculously ripped for a seventeen year old, and Kal can't help but think about his own abs. I really need to work out more. But how would I ever train enough to be that fast?
Jack's voice echoes off the tiled floor. "You okay?"
Kal doesn't answer. Instead, he asks, "Where did you learn to fight like that?"
Jack rubs the back of his neck. "The planet I come from specializes in warfare."
Kal shakes his head. "That sounds rough, man. I have a planet like that in my solar system. Bellater, or something." His dad talks about them all the time.
Jack raises his eyebrows and replies, "That's where I'm from- Bellatore."
"Huh, small galaxy." Kal scratches his head. "You're the second person in a week I've met that comes from the same system." Not that it wasn't unheard of, of course, but it was still odd.
"Oh yeah? Who was the other one?"
"Uh, a girl I ran into at the park. She's from Illusa." The door to the locker room opens, and a few more specialists walk in.
Jack raises his eyebrows, whistles, and shakes his head. "You're lucky she didn't blow your head off, man. Illusa breeds witches. There's only one I know in Magix, and she's the most dangerous of them all."
There's a pause, and Kal's eyes widen. It doesn't make sense. Illusa and Bellatore have an alliance, but how does that explain why Jack and Scarlet know each other? It's suspicious, and heat floods Kal's chest. It would be ridiculous to be jealous or angry. But rationalizing it doesn't make the heat go away, and he can't let Jack know about Scarlet.
So Kal laughs and replies, "Huh, I must be lucky then."
"Hey!" Spencer claps Kal on the back. "Guess who I just decimated? Riven! And he's pissed." He grins, gazes into the air, and adds, "This truly is a glorious day."
Kal congratulates him and turns back, but Jack's already gone.