Chapter 24

The kids returned to the school. The damage done by the monster at the end of the last school year has already been repaired and forgotten. Children greeted their peers, learned whose class they were going to be in and to see what classes they shared with their friends.

Yet some things never changed.

Josh and his crew walked the halls with great confidence and a cocky strut. "Whoa, Josh grew half an inch over the summer! Look at him!" the kids whispered.

He smirked to the comment, it was true, and his mother was stating all his school clothing would have to be donated since he no longer fit in them. But that wasn't what made him smile. He would now stand taller above his peers, especially Drax. "That kid is going to pay for making us look bad!" he announced to his friends. "We're going to wait right here and see what he thinks about this new and stronger looking me!"

As the four boys gathered around his locker and waited, unaware that the hallway has falling into strange silence.

"Can you move?"

Josh grinned as he heard the voice of the strange loner kid. He turned and was prepared to stare down into the eyes of Drax, yet as he turned. His eyes refused to look down. They stared straight ahead, he didn't stare into the kid's face, but his chin. Slowly, his eyes peered up. Drax stood taller over him, staring down the four. "I want to get to my locker please. Move it or lose it."

The four parted without hesitation. Despite the half inch Josh grew. Drax gained well over four! He didn't even look the same, he appeared to be fourteen years old! "Whoa, how did you get so tall!" Ethan demanded.

"Puberty."

"But… I didn't even grow that much over the summer, how could you?"

Drax had no answer for them, he just shrugged his shoulders to it all. "I don't know." With his things gathered, he closed his locker and headed to class. The moment he left, the halls fell into whispers once more. The girls in particular were giggling now at the sight of him.

"He's so tall!"

"I think he got cuter"

"He looks mature."

"He could nearly pass as a teacher!"

"He's not that tall or mature"

Josh sneered to it all.

#

Gym

One of the few classes Drax excelled at. Yet this time around, he found his coach really getting at him. He was slower than last year, and was just lagging behind the other students. "What's wrong Drax? You got taller but didn't get faster?"

Drax was panting up a storm, after a few laps around the gym he needed a break. "Sorry couch… I'm wearing my training clothes."

He forgot to take them off before gym, it didn't help that he increased the weight of them. His clothing went from fifty pounds to one hundred! He made certain he could move in them, and yet when it came to running it took its toll. "Training clothes? What training clothes?"

Drax approached him and showed the skintight shirt and pants he wore under the school uniform. "This, is weighted… sir." He explained.

"Go change out of that this instant!"

"But sir…"

"Now Drax!"

The kids snickered as he went to the locker room. He changed out and took the gear off. Yet the moment he did, he felt the weight of the world lifted off his shoulders. When he returned, everyone was well rested as the teacher called for more laps. Back and forth from one wall to the other. The whistle blew.

Before most of the kid could even get to the center of the gym. Drax was on the other side and back again! Even the teacher froze as he stood there, he appeared rather embarrassed to his own speed. "Sorry…" he said meekly.

"Go put your gear back on."

#

By the end of the day, he was the talk of the school. His classmates were clamoring over him, some of the more mature third year students were now eyeing him oddly. Yet the four bullies refused to let it stand. He just cleared the parking lot when Drax turned sharply, taking his stance as he faced down the four who froze in their track. "Wait, how did you…"

"Doesn't matter, you lost your element of surprises. Now, ask yourselves, is it worth it?"

Josh glared at him. "How can you be so tall? How can you be so popular with everyone right now! This isn't fair!" he protested.

Drax snorted to his comments, he stood down before giving a half smirk to Josh. "It isn't fair huh? It's not fair that you treat everyone like crap and get away with it? It isn't fair that you know for a fact there are kids here who don't have two parents who would drop everything to come to the school because of some bullshit you're pulling?" He stood tall before he stared down Josh. "It isn't fair that this isn't how you planned everything, to become the talk of the school because you grew a little taller? Grow up."

Josh refused to let it go, in the moment, he pulled back his arm and went for the strike. Drax caught the fist, from there he began to put the pressure on it, bringing the kid down to his knees in pain. "Listen good. I am not falling for this anymore. I don't give a damn now if you call your parents into this, so be it. Be the coward you always have been, or you can do this. When I let you go, you stand on your own two feet damn it. And decide for yourself how you will want to be remembered around here. Right now, I doubt there's one person here who would give a rat's ass about you. Even your little posse. Make a choice." He let the hand go, from there, Drax turned and walked away.

For once, he was surprised he wasn't followed by the bullies. Did he finally reach them? Who knew, but as he headed back home, he walked a little taller. Drax was proud of himself. However, being taller does have its draw back.

His stomach roared. "Damn it." He muttered.

There was still that little part of him that wanted to find his dad, and see if he would want to go hunting later…

#

Another meeting was called at the association. Drax and everyone went, it was for the M Class only.

As the meeting occurred, Drax went to the gym and decided to get a good workout in. Still wearing his weighted clothes he lifted weights and was doing a few exercises. Yet, he began to feel he was being watched. From the corner of this eye, he saw him Cherion was back with his crew. They were snickering and pointing at him as he was doing some side steps and basic warm up. Suddenly, he found Cherion standing before him, and doing the same thing with a smirk on his face. "What?" Drax demanded.

"Can't I workout here too?" teased the hero.

"Fine, just stay out of my way."

There was something going on, as he moved on to the weights, he found Cherion doing the same. He used the same weights and began to copy everything Drax was doing. The other heroes who were in the gym began to take notice. It has become a competition. "I am not looking to start something here. I just want to work out!" Drax protested.

Cherion however only smirked. "What? Afraid of a little competition? Can't the son of Biting Snake Fist Snek keep up with a B class hero like myself?"

"That's enough!"

Drax froze as he heard the voice of Tank Top Master. "The kid is looking to get stronger, he doesn't need someone like you egging him on or disrupting his focus"

"It's all in good fun, come on now. One challenge, you and me!" Cherion said.

Drax wasn't in the mood, however he agreed, one challenge and he can get out of his face as he worked out. "What is it?"

Cherion smirked. "Bicep curls! You and me will do the same weights, and I'll go easy in you. Ten pounds!"

With a sigh, Drax agreed.

Tank top Master officiated as they were both given ten pound weights. It goes until the other cannot lift them anymore. At the same time, they started, the crowd gathered and called out each rep.

#

"73…. 74….75…"

His arms couldn't take it. Drax dropped his weights.

The crowd awed in disappointment, they were rooting for him to win. Yet Cherion won and was bragging about his victory to the others. Tank Top Master came over and patted Drax on the shoulder. "You did well kid."

"Thanks, now I got to stop before my arms fall off… Can you help me get this shirt off?"

As odd of a request it was, Drax peeled off his weighted shirt, when Tank Top Master lifted it up over his head, he froze. "HOLD IT!" he called.

Cherion paused. "What? I won!" he protested.

However Tank Top Master shook his head. "Drax did… he lifted more than you!" he tossed the shirt to Cherion. When he caught it, he felt the weight. "He wasn't lifting ten pounds, he was lifting twenty five!"

Suddenly the other heroes came to investigate his clothing. They couldn't believe a kid was wearing weights like that to work out in! "This doesn't change a thing! I WON!" Cherion protested.

"You were lifted ten pounds as he was lifting twenty five… that isn't fair. If anything, this contest has no winner. I would award it to the kid more than anything."

Cherion glared at Drax, he tossed his shirt back at him and stormed off. Tank Top Master however appeared rather impressed. "I could always use fresh blood in my crew. If you want to harness your true strength, wear a tank top!" he said.

He laughed. "Nah, thanks anyway, besides. I take up after my dad."

"Hey Drax!"

Tank Top Master froze as he saw Snek slither in. "We're ready to go home, how about you?"

He stood up off the bench. "Yeah, I think I'm good here. Let's go dad, later and thanks for officiating." Drax said with a grin.

Tank Top Master however was at a loss for words.