A/N: Well, here's chapter 1. This chapter was finished yesterday, but I had to wait for my beta to get back to me.
I do not own Infinite Stratos or any of its characters. I only own my own original characters and the plot. Infinite Stratos belongs to Izuru Yumizuru. I am not making any profits by writing this story. It is purely for fun.
The I.S. Academy
My name is Justin Steach. I am 15 years old.
I am going through the worst the day of my life.
Let me explain.
For most of my life, I'd been homeschooled. This year, though, I wanted to go to public school. It would be a lot easier than having my dad teach me when he got back from work each night, since he'd be tired and ready to relax. That managed to persuade him to enroll me in public school.
On my first day of school, I got lost trying to find my English class room. Hey! I'd never been in a school before! Sue me! Completely confused, I was just wondering around the halls. Maybe I'd find a teacher to ask, or at that very least, a fellow student. Then, I had heard voices that seemed to be coming from a nearby room. I tried to enter, to ask where the English class was, but to my surprise, it was locked. Is that something schools normally do? Lock the students in? Not wanting to interrupt the conversation the voices were having by knocking, I tried the double doors nearby. Maybe I could sneak in quietly.
When I opened one of the doors, a sliver of light fell upon an object that immediately caught my attention—an IS. Glancing around the room, I noticed that there weren't actually any people talking in here. Odd. I could have sworn I heard voices. Anyway, this IS really captured my attention. They'd always fascinated me! And then, there, I had the opportunity to examine one up close and personal! I wanted to touch it. So I did.
Worst decision of my life.
I hadn't been expecting anything to happen, so the voice I heard really surprised me.
[Pilot Recognition... Complete]
Startled, I looked around the room trying to find who spoke when I heard it again.
[Registration Complete... Activation Sequence Starting].
The next thing I knew, there was a flash of light, and I was in the I.S.. By now, I was freaking out. Then a loudspeaker came on, and said, "Will the next candidate please enter the gym."
Without my input, the I.S. I was in — I recognized it as an Uchigane, the Japanese mass-produced model — entered the gym. Once inside, I saw another I.S. being piloted by someone I assumed was a teacher. I was about to ask for help when the loudspeaker said, "START!"
Suddenly the teacher rushed at me with a katana. Panicking, I hurled myself to the right, narrowly avoiding the slash that would have bisected me from my right shoulder to left hip.
Clambering to my feet, I searched for anything I could use as a weapon. Why they wouldn't equip an I.S. with a weapon I don't know. Finding nothing, I dodged another slash. Still unable to find a weapon, I dodged yet another attack and lunged at the opposing unit.
What I hadn't realized was that the wall was behind us. When I could make out what was around me again, I noticed we had crashed into the wall. Boy, that hurt and I didn't even hit the wall! As I was checking on the teacher to make sure she was okay, I heard a horn go off and the loudspeaker say, "Test over. Congratulations, you pass!"
Not even a minute later, several teachers entered the gym. I wonder if these were the voices I heard before I discovered the I.S.. They began helping the person I fought out of her I.S. when one approached me. Since they couldn't see my face, they must have assumed I was a girl.
"Well, congratulations on passing. We'll send a letter to the I.S.A. and if you're lucky, you'll be accepted. Now, can you please tell us … your … name- ?" the teacher trailed off upon getting a good look at me.
"Hey, Paul, c'mere. Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" the same teacher asked.
"Yeah, Anne, I'm seeing it and I'm not believing it. Hey, kid, you are a boy, right." Paul asked.
"Yes sir." I replied nervously.
"Anne, go get the principle." Paul ordered.
"Got it." Anne replied.
While waiting for the principle to arrive, Paul helped me out of the I.S. but didn't ask any more questions. I was too nervous to ask any. It wasn't five minutes later, though it felt like much longer, when the principle arrived. He looked directly at me for a few minutes, unnerving me, then started talking to Paul, Anne, and the pilot I defeated before leaving again. They led me out of the gym and into the teacher's lounge and told to wait for the principle. About an hour later, which also felt like it took forever, the principle walked in. He informed me that he had called my father and the governor and told me to wait for my father to arrive. Now I was getting scared. I could understand calling my father, but calling the governor!
It only took Dad half an hour to get to the school. After he was lead to the lounge, he asked what was going on. I nervously explained everything that had happened. To say he was surprised would be an understatement. Soon afterwards, one of the teachers came in. She told us we could leave and that the governor would meet us at the Brigadier General's office tomorrow to talk to me.
The next morning, Dad and I went to the Brigadier General's office. There, we met the governor. He proceeded to ask me what had happened yesterday. I explained as best as I could. After I was finished, he told us that he had already watched the security footage of me piloting the I.S. and that my story fit with the video. Before he dismissed us, the governor told us that he was going to tell the president, as this incident was to big for him to handle. We were told that Dad would be called when new information became available.
The entire meeting was nerve-wracking!
That night, Dad told me that we would be leaving for Washington D.C. to meet the president in two days.
Two days later, we woke up bright and early when Secret Service knocked on our door. After dressing quickly, we were ushered into a black car. Three hours later, we arrived at the Dallas-Fort Worth airport and boarded a private jet to D.C. Two and a half hours after that, we touched down in Washington-Dulles airport and were pushed into another black car. It only took us an hour and half to drive to the White House. We were quickly taken to the Oval Office where we met the President.
After exchanging greetings, we got down to business. I thought the President would ask me what happened, but instead told us that he had watched the video and listened to my "interview" with the governor. He proceeded to ask me if there was anything else I would like to add. After thinking for several minutes, I nervously told him that, after having several days to think about it, the voice may have been in my head, thus why no one else heard it, and that I might have subconsciously wanted to enter the gym and pilot the I.S..
After I was finished, the President told us that he had two options. Somehow, knowledge that I could pilot an I.S. had been leaked. Russia was offering twenty million Euros for me, and China was offering to cancel half of the debt America owed them to get me. That was option number one.
The second option was to send me to the I.S. Academy.
Neither choice sounded all that great.
He left the choice to Dad and I. Dad , being the awesome father that he is, told me that since it was my future, he would offer advice, but that he would leave the choice to me. Several nerve wracking minutes later, I made my choice.
"I'll go to the I.S.A. It's better than being sold and probably experimented on." I decided.
Even though I said that, I wasn't quite sure I had made the right choice. Maybe be experimented on would be better than being surrounded by girls.
"Good choice, son. I'll call the Academy and inform them that you will be attending." The President dismissed us.
On our way out, a secretary stopped us and informed us that a hotel room had been booked for us. We thanked her and got back into the same black car that brought us to the White House. When we arrived at the hotel, a bellboy showed us to our room.
Room, though, might be an understatement. It was a grand suite that looked fit for a king!
The following morning, Secret Service woke us again and told us that I would be taking a private jet to Tokyo. The ensuing flight took nearly thirteen very boring hours to land at the Narita airport. It's a good thing I learned how to speak Japanese and read some kanji, because I didn't see anyone who could help me.
xxxxx
After passing through customs, I found the shuttle that would take me to the monorail station leading to the island the I.S.A. was located on. One uneventful bus ride later, and I was at the station. A surprisingly fast train ride after that took me to the island. I was looking around the station when I noticed someone I hadn't seen in several years.
"Mom?! What are you doing here?" I ask, thoroughly stunned.
She looks just like I remember. Brown hair down to her shoulders and warm brown eyes.
"I'm here to escort you to your class so you don't get lost." She replies, confirming that it is, in fact, my mother. I hope she was joking about the getting lost part. I'm not that bad.
"Not here at the station! Here at the Academy!" I respond, exasperated.
"I'm one of the teachers here, Justin." Mom replies, like its common sense.
"Okay, but why didn't you tell me or Dad? We haven't heard from you in years."
"I'm sorry. I've been so busy with work and the twins that I must've forgotten."
"Forgot?! How do you forget to talk to your husband and only son?" I ask, stunned by her statement.
"I suppose there is no excuse, is there?" she asks rhetorically.
At least she looks a little repentant. I think.
"Nope."
"Is Michelle and Alice doing okay? Do they still hate me?" I ask hesitantly.
My younger sisters fully bought into the whole 'We are women and since we can pilot I.S. and you men can't, you must obey us' idea. Since I refused to obey them, unless the instructions were from Mom or Dad, my sisters started to hate me. When Mom left for the second Mondo Grosso, she took the twins with her. We didn't separate on good terms. We've rarely seen each other since.
I don't understand how that whole 'We are women and better than you men because we can pilot I.S.' idea came about. It doesn't make much sense. I mean, only like 100,000 women can actually pilot an I.S.. Even less will actually get the chance.
"Yes, they're doing fine. Sadly, they do still hate you. I've been trying to get them to stop, but they won't." Mom answers.
"So, are you homeschooling them? I heard that the I.S. Academy doesn't accept anyone under fifteen years old." I try changing the subject. I'd rather not talk about how my younger sisters hate me.
"No, the high-school side of the Academy won't accept anyone under fifteen, but the middle-school side will."
"Huh, I didn't know there was a middle-school portion to the I.S.A." I'm honestly surprised.
While everyone knows and talks about the high-school portion of the Academy, I've never heard anyone mention the middle school portion. It must be pretty secretive. As we've been talking, Mom's been walking me toward my classroom.
"The island, while small, has enough room for a small middle-school. There are only a few hundred students compared to the high-school, though. The middle-school is highly selective and will only select the best. As the students are still young, there aren't very many who can pass the entrance exams. Also, anyone selected for the middle-school will automatically graduate into the high-school. Michelle and Alice will be attending the high-school next year." Mom explains.
I suppose I'll meet them, then, if I can survive my first year here.
xxxxx
"Well, here we are, Class 1-1. Wait out here until you're told to enter." Mom orders once we stopped in front of a classroom.
A minute later, my name is called, so, taking that as my queue, I open the door to the classroom, walk in, and introduce myself.
"Hello. I'm Justin Steach, it's nice to meet you. Please take care of me." I finish up with what I hope is a passable bow.
I tried to copy the different anime I had watched. Judging by the smiles on the girl's faces, I assume I did all right. At that moment, it hits me that I'm the only male student in a school filled with girls. I hope no one noticed that my smile became even more awkward at that thought.
"Steach-san, you can sit here." A young woman with green hair says, gesturing toward an empty desk in the middle of the first row.
"Okay, … " I trail off, not knowing the woman's name.
"Oh! Sorry! I'm Maya Yamada, your Assistant Homeroom Teacher," the now-named Yamada-sensei answers.
"Okay then, Yamada-sensei. Are you the Homeroom Teacher, Mom?" I ask.
"No, I'm just substituting for your Homeroom Teacher until she arrives. And please call me Steach-san while at the Academy." Mom responds.
Several of my classmates started murmuring to themselves and each other when it was confirmed that I was Steach-san's son. Many sounded surprised and I heard someone say that they didn't know Mom had a son. I don't understand what's so surprising about it. I even heard someone say, "I wonder if that has anything to do with him being the only male in the world to be able to pilot an I.S." to girl in front of her.
While this was going on, another woman walks in. She was rather tall and had black hair that reached down to her hips and sharp, brown eyes.
"Oh! You're back! Does that mean the meeting is over already?" Yamada-sensei asks her.
"That's right Yamada-san. I'm sorry for making you two welcome my class for me." the woman answers.
"Thank you, Amanda-san. I'll take over now," she tells Mom.
I recognize her as Chifuyu Orimura. She confirmed this as soon as Mom left.
"Alright class. I'm your Homeroom Teacher, Chifuyu Orimura. It's my job to train you well enough to stand on your own feet in one year." Orimura-sensei starts. She seems rather strict.
This was quickly followed by most of my classmates squealing and saying things like: "Onee-sama!", "It's really Chifuyu-sama!", and "She was the one who inspired me to come to this school from Kyushu. I'd die for you!" The last one kinda disturbed me. That comment might be a little over-the-top.
Being in the front row, I heard Orimura-sensei sigh and say to herself, "I'm amazed how many nut-jobs come to this school every year. Do they put all the loonies in my class on purpose?" I have to agree. So far, all my classmates seem to really put the fan in fanatic.
"That's enough!" Orimura-sensei yells. "Your syllabus for the next six months begins with memorizing all data concerning the I.S. After that, practical training, where you'll have two weeks to master the basic maneuvers. So, have you got that? Even if you don't, say, "Yes, Ma'am.""
We all respond with a "Yes, Ma'am!"
xxxxx
"Now, as I'm sure all of you are already aware, I.S. actually stands for Infinite Stratos. It's a multi-form suit originally developed in Japan. When it was first conceived ten years ago, it was originally designed to be used on outer space. However, those plans are currently on hold. Due to the Alaska Treaty, the I.S. is also prohibited from being used by the military. Therefore, it is used solely for competitions and sporting events. And our I.S. Academy is the only education institute in the world established with the objective of training I.S. pilots." Yamada-sensei says, starting the lesson.
By now, the nervous energy I had was wearing off, and I was beginning to fall asleep since I had been awake for nearly twenty-four hours.
"Students from all around the world come to this school, where young people from a multitude of countries get to live, work, and study side-by-side every day, as they hone and perfect their piloting skills. So, starting today, lets all study hard over the next three years!" Yamada-sensei finishes.
xxxxx
During the first break, while I was fighting valiantly to stay awake, I heard several girls talking about me. When I looked towards the hallway, where the voices were coming from, I saw several dozen first-year students. They were gawking at me like I was some kinda zoo animal.
As I try to ignore them, one of my classmates walks up to me. She was rather pretty. She was tall, had brown hair in a ponytail that reached her waist, and blue eyes.
"Are you okay?" she asks me.
It was nice to know that someone here was concerned about me. Maybe the next three years won't be quite as bad as I thought they would be.
"I'm fine. Just tired." I yawn on queue. "I haven't slept in nearly twenty-four hours. By the way, who are you? I missed the class introductions." I answer. I was trying to be a little funny but I think it came out rather sarcastically.
"That's no good," she lets out a huff, like she was disappointed in me. Whether it was from not sleeping or being sarcastic, I don't know.
"I'm Houki Shinonono."
"Shinonono? Are you, perhaps, related to Tabane Shinonono?" I ask.
"Uhh … yeah." Houki responds.
"She's my older sister." She sounds kinda upset about that. I wonder why?
Right then, the bell signaling that class was starting again rang.
xxxxx
Yamada-sensei started the lesson again, this time talking about the different parts of an I.S.. I tried to stay awake— Really! I did!— but lost the battle and started nodding off. Somehow, I dozed through the entire lesson undetected. I was woken up when Yamada-sensei started calling my name.
"What?!" I bolt upright, Yamada-sensei having accidentally startled me.
"Do you have any questions, Steach-san?" she asks politely.
Somehow, my small cat-nap has still gone undetected, even though Yamada-sensei was practically in my face.
"Uhh, no, ma'am." I answer.
"Well, if you do have any questions, just ask me, okay. I am your teacher after all." Yamada-sensei responds cheerfully.
"Um, well … " I trail off while raising my hand.
"Yes? Don't be shy," she encourages with a smile.
"I don't understand any of this." I respond desperately, still trying to cover up the fact that I had slept through the entire lesson.
"What?" Yamanda-sensei exclaims. She looks kind of worried.
"Not any of it? Is there anyone else here who doesn't understand what we've covered so far?" she asks the entire class.
No one responds. I'm kind of hurt that no one will stand up for me.
"Steach-san, did you read the reference manual before school started?" Orimura-sensei asks.
"Umm … which one was that?" I ask in response.
This would probably be a good time to mention that I hadn't been given anything for school. Not even a uniform. I was currently wearing jeans, a t-shirt, and a blue, long-sleeved collared shirt buttoned all the way up with only the top button not buttoned. It was un-tucked though.
"It was the one that said 'Required Reading' on it," she responds sarcastically.
"Never seen it. It was probably in the group of things I failed to receive." I answer honestly.
Orimura-sensei looks like she wants to hit me with her clipboard but decides to look annoyed instead.
"I'll get you a new copy then. And I expect you to have the whole thing memorized within a week," she tells me.
"Okay!" I chirp with fake cheerfulness. "That's totally possible! I memorize entire phonebooks in a week for fun!" I respond. The sarcasm is practically dripping off the words.
One thing about me you should probably know is that I get really sarcastic when I'm tired.
"Oh, good. Then this should be easy for you." Orimura-sensei says. It seems my sarcasm backfired on me.
"Yes ma'am." I respond helplessly.
"Well, then. Let's continue with class. Please turn to page 12 in your text books." Yamada-sensei restarts the lesson nervously.
xxxxx
During another break, a beautiful blonde walks up to my desk.
"May I have a moment?" she asks politely. I notice she has a British accent.
"Huh..." I look at her sleepily.
"What sort of response is that? You should be honored that I bothered speaking to you in the first place. Don't you think you should behave in a more appropriate manner?" she responds haughtily, looking offended.
"Hey, I don't even know who you are. Shouldn't you introduce yourself first?" I ask, annoyed.
She slams her hands down on my desk. "Huh!? You don't know who I am!? I'm Cecilia Alcott, England's Representative Contender, the one who scored highest in the entrance exam!" she exclaims, looking even more offended.
"I've got a question." I respond with fake politeness.
"Well, it's the responsibility of nobles to answer queries from the lower classes. Do go ahead."
How can she be this arrogant? I think.
"What's a representative candidate?" I ask, confused. "I've never heard of 'em before."
This causes several of my classmates to fall over their desks. Cecilia looks horrified and is stuttering.
"This is unbelievable!" she finally responds, putting a finger in my face. I'm tempted to bite at it, but decide that it would be inappropriate.
"I can only hope every American man is not this utterly devoid of knowledge. I mean, it's nothing more than commonsense, honestly," she responds dramatically.
"So... you don't know?" I throw out.
She gives me a very arrogant look while crossing her arms.
"They are the chosen elites, selected by their countries to represent them as I.S. pilots. Surely, you should be able to deduce that from the name alone."
"That makes sense, I suppose." I reply, cupping my chin in one hand.
"That's right! I am one of the elite! It's a true miracle and your good fortune to get to be in the same homeroom with some like me. Oh! What an incredibly lucky boy you are! Did that get through that thick skull of yours, hm?" she finishes, still being dramatic.
I wonder if she went to drama class at her previous school?
"Yep! I'm really lucky then!" I respond with more sarcasm.
"Wait. Are you making fun of me now?" she asks.
"You're the one who said I was lucky, blondie." I deflect the blame back to her.
"First of all, I would like to know how you managed to enter this school with no knowledge about anything. I heard that you're the only male who can control an I.S., but you've been such a terrible disappointment," she says, changing the subject.
It seems she either didn't hear my blondie comment or chose to ignore it.
"Sorry to disappoint you, ojou-sama." I mutter to myself.
"Hmph. Well, in any case, since I'm so remarkable, I can still find it in my heart to be considerate towards people such as yourself. So if you do have questions, I wouldn't mind answering them for you if you would plead with tears in your eyes. After all, I did defeat an instructor during the entrance exam, which means that I'm an elite amongst the elite."
Man! How arrogant can this girl be?
"How magnanimous of you!" is my sarcastic reply.
"By the way, I also defeated an instructor." I deadpan.
"What!?" Cecilia exclaims.
"Well, it was kind of by technicality since I knocked her into a wall." I explain.
"B-but, I-I've been told I was the only one." Cecilia whines.
"Sucks. I don't really care."
This girl is really getting on my nerves.
"Wait! Are you telling me you also defeated the instructor?" she asks.
"Isn't that what I just said? Calm down." I respond as she gets in my face.
"Calm! How can I be calm with this insult!" she replies hotly.
The bell rings, signaling the end of the break.
"We will be continuing this conversation later. Do you understand?" she tells me as she walks back to her desk.
I suppose beauty is only skin deep with her, huh. Her personality was rather ugly. I think to myself.
xxxxx
Finally! School's over! I think to myself as the bell rings.
I stay behind for a few minutes so I could ask Orimura-sensei a question privately.
"Orimura-sensei? You wouldn't happen to know which room I'm staying in would you?"
"That's right, you just arrived this morning." Orimura-sensei says to herself as she walks to the podium at the front of the classroom.
"Here. This is your room number and key," she says, holding a small envelope out to me.
I grab it, and take a look. It is indeed my room number and key.
"Thank you, Orimura-sensei." I tell her.
"You're welcome." was her curt reply.
I was excited to get to my room so I could get some sleep. That excitement was only dampened slightly by the crowd of girls following me. After what felt like an eternity, I had somehow managed to lose my followers—stalkers— and get to my room, room number 1025.
xxxxx
As I stood in front of my room, I debated whether I should knock or not. Coming to the conclusion that I wouldn't be put in a room with a girl, I unlocked the door and walked in.
I was amazed at how nice the room was. A kitchenette was in the small entry hallway and in the main portion of the room there were two comfortable looking beds with two desks across from them on the opposite wall. Each desk had a PC and TV. On the same wall the beds were on, there was a door, which was closed, that I assumed led to the bathroom. There was even a balcony!
"Is someone out there?" I hear a voice call from behind the closed door.
I immediately started panicking. The idiots in charge really did put me in a room with a girl. I started looking around for somewhere I could hide.
"Oh hey, you must by my roommate. I've been looking forward to your company this year," the voice says.
Before I could hide, the door opens and a girl wrapped in a towel walks out. I promptly did the smart thing and closed my eyes.
"Sorry for meeting you like this, but I just got out of the shower. My name is Houki Shinonono." Houki introduces herself.
I heard her gasp, and I assumed she was going to scream.
"J-J-Justin?!" Houki asks.
"My eyes are closed and covered. I can't see a thing. Please don't hit me." I whimper out the last part.
"What are you doing in here?!" She yells at me.
"This is my room!" I yell back.
"And please tell me when it is safe to look." I quickly add.
For the next few minutes, I hear clothes rustling. As mush as I want to look, my survival instincts are screaming that if I do, I'll be dead before I can leave the room.
"You can look now." Houki tells me.
She sounds upset, not that I can blame her, I'm rather upset myself.
"Thanks." I respond as I open my eyes.
Houki is wearing what looks like a kendo uniform, and her hair is down. I notice that it reaches her knees when not in a ponytail. She looks prettier with her hair down.
"So, now, it turns out that you're my roommate." she begins coldly while putting her hair up in a ponytail. Aww, I liked it down.
I wonder where the concerned girl from earlier is.
"Yep." I agree.
"Just what are you up to?" she asks.
"Wha-" is my elegant response.
"I asked you, what are you-" she starts.
"I heard you. I'm not up to anything. This is the room I was given. I'm just as upset as you are." I cut Houki off.
"Don't you know that mixing genders past age seven is just wrong! You requested this room didn't you? You asked them to put us in here together." Houki accuses.
"Houki, this time yesterday, I was in Washington D.C. watching ESPN with my Dad. I haven't had the chance to request a room." I tell her calmly.
I'm too tired to be very upset right now and those beds look really soft.
"I suppose." Houki concedes.
"If we're going to be sharing the same room, we'll need to set some ground rules. First, I'll use the shower between 7-8 PM, and you can use it from 8-9."
"Whaat? What if I want to use it before then?" I ask her.
"Are you asking me not to shower after my club activities?" Houki seems to be getting annoyed again.
"Club activities? What club activities?" I ask.
"Yes. I'm in the Kendo club. While there are showers in the locker rooms, I don't really feel relaxed unless I shower in my own room," she responds.
"Point taken. I don't have club activities, though, so why don't I just make sure not to be using the shower at that time." I say, trying to compromise.
"Fine!" Houki reluctantly agrees.
"Can we go over the other rules tomorrow, please? I would like to shower and go to sleep." I ask.
"Very well." Houki sighs.
"Thank You. Feel free to keep calling me Justin. As long as I can call you Houki, at least."
"Okay."
After quickly showering, I head to bed. While I was in the shower, Houki claimed the bed closest to the balcony. That left the one by the bathroom as mine. I was asleep before my head hit the pillow, and I didn't wake up until Houki woke me up at seven the next morning.
xxxxx
"Two weeks from today, you will be asked to choose your representative for the class tournament. A class representative not only competes in the tournament, but also attends student council meetings and committee meetings. Essentially, it's your class leader, okay. I will now take nominations. Any suggestions?" Orimura-sensei explains as the school day comes to a close.
"I'd like to nominate Steach." one girl says.
"So, is there anyone else? If not, he'll be elected without a vote." Orimura-sensei asks.
"Hey! I don't want to be class representative!" I exclaim.
Before Orimura-sensei can respond, Cecilia stands up.
"I do not approve of this! This type of selection is utterly unacceptable!" she says.
Yes! Keep going. You can be class rep! Go Cecilia! I mentally cheer.
"It would be shameful to have a boy as a class representative." Despite this I keep mentally cheering her on.
"You can't possibly expect that I, Cecilia Alcott, should have to deal with that humiliation for an entire year. In the first place, just living in a country with such an underdeveloped level of culture is unbearably painful to someone like myself! Let alone having such an uncivilized brute form the Colonies leading us. Oh, the agony!" and she was being dramatic again.
Now, I was upset. It was one thing to insult your host country and another thing to insult me.
"Oh. I didn't know England had much going for it." I started my rant. "You're so proud, yet you no longer have anything to be proud about. You became too weak to hold on to your colonies or even win World War 1 or WW2. Even at its height, your glorious empire couldn't defeat us, Americans, when we fought for our independence! Are you, perhaps, still upset about that?"
Somewhere in the rant, I had switched to English. I didn't realize it until I heard some of the girls wondering what I had said.
"I can't believe you would have the audacity to insult my country!" Cecilia says, ignoring the fact that she was asking for it after insulting Japan and then me.
"This calls for a duel!" she exclaims.
"Challenge accepted. You can obviously talk the talk, but can you walk the walk?" I know it sounds lame, but it was the best I could think of at the time.
"Fine, but if you lose to me on purpose, I promise to make you my servant. No! I shall make you my slave!" Cecilia rants as she walks up to me.
"Fine. How much handicap will there be?" I taunt.
"Are you asking me for a favor already?" Obviously, she thinks I want her to go easy on me.
"Not for me, idiot! For you!" I yell.
At this, everyone else burst out laughing. They began talking about how I couldn't hope to defeat a woman between bouts of laughter.
"As a matter of fact, I should be the one wondering about giving you a handicap. American boys are so humorous, aren't they?" Cecilia laughs.
"Hey, if you're nice, a real lady might still give you that handicap you know," the student behind me whispers to me.
"Screw that! I don't need a handicap." I tell her.
"That looks like that's settled then. The competition will be staged in Arena Three, which, I believe, is available Monday. Steach, Alcott, I expect you to come fully prepared for combat." Orimura-sensei says, finalizing the duel.
xxxxx
"What were you thinking?! Do you want to get humiliated?!" Houki yells at me once we're back in our room.
It seems the concerned girl is back. Yay!
"No! I admit, I may have overreacted a little, but it doesn't matter now. I'd rather be humiliated than be called a coward." I respond.
"So, what do you know about her?" Houki asks.
"Not much aside from the fact that she's pretty strong. I plan to spend the time between now and Sunday gathering as much information as I can, though. Knowledge is power, after all." Houki seems rather impressed that I have a plan.
"It's not much, but I guess it will do," she says.
"Oh! Hey, after the duel, do you think you could teach me kendo? I've wanted to learn it for several years now." I ask Houki.
"Huh? Oh, yeah. I guess I could. Be prepared though, I'm not going to go easy!" Houki responds.
"Fine by me." I accept.
xxxxx
During the days leading up to the duel, I gather as much information as I can. Finally, on Monday, I find myself in a side-room of one of the hangars of Arena Three with Houki.
"So what did you find out?" Houki asks.
"What I've been told is that Cecilia has a personal I.S. called the 'Blue Tears' and that it is a long-range/sniper-type I.S." I tell her.
"Hm. Okay, I have the same information." Houki responds.
"Steach, come here. You need to get suited up and into your I.S." Orimura-sensei call me into the hangar.
Upon entering, I found something that surprised me a lot!
A/N: I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Like I said, this one is a lot longer than the prologue. Does anyone have any ideas for the name of Justin's I.S.? Right now, I'm using Zero but I would like to hear your suggestions. If I get a better name, not that it would be hard, I'll use it instead.
Also, I thought that I'd mention that Laura's personality will change during this story. From what I've seen, if Ichika had tried, he could have helped Laura transition into being a civilian. As it is, that role is left to Charlotte and Laura still has a rather militaristic personality. I want her to have a more caring and sweet side, though still showing that she has been raised in the military for her entire life. The only problem I have is that I'm not sure how to change her personality very convincingly. Any advice would be much appreciated.
The last portion of this chapter hasn't been proofread yet, so I apologize for any mistakes.
Reviews are welcomed. I accept constructive criticism but no flames please. If you think it necessary, you can PM me the fixes you would make but please mention that you will do so in your review.
Edit: 1/6/2015
Several misspelled words were corrected and several major changes were made to make the story read better.
I hope you enjoy v. 1.5.1
Edit: 10/25/2015
Several words had spaces inserted and others changed for better word flow.
Sorry for not updating. I got back from deployment about a month ago and haven't had much motivation to continue writing.
I hope you enjoy v.1.5.2