Teaming Up

The rest of the week and half the next one was hell for the kids. Professor Stein made sure of that with blindfolded karate lessons, life threatening scrabble matches, a scoring dive competition from a ten-meter platform, a horrible three-hour math test, tag games using Demon Weapons, wrestling battles in the mud and even having to ride a full-powered mechanical bull for as much as you could.

It was so ridiculous that Stein students were beginning to think that their dear professor was throwing them stupid challenges rather than the serious battlefield training he had made them think before.

But all of that didn't matter now as today was the last day of sect. Today Professor Stein would apply the final test and, following the spreading rumors from the past days, today they would probably be told they were to form part of the grand scale plan to attack Arachnophobia .

"All right kids, are you ready for your acres?" Stein asked as his students stood in a row in front of him and fully clothed in their Physical Education uniform. They were all out at the running track.

"Professor, what do you mean with acres?" asked one girl from one of the groups.

"Acre is an acronym just like sect that means "Advanced Chain Resonance Examination". This is your final evaluation that will testify if you're adept to continue in the EAT class or if you are going down to the NOT, if you remember correctly."

All present gulped. Frank Stein took that as a cue to start explaining how this last test was going to work. The kids listened to him paying as much attention as their brains could muster, but in the end they discovered that this super frightening exam was not much different than a relay race combined with an obstacle course. Except that in this one you were allowed to use Demon Weapons capable of massive destruction as batons.

The mad meister gave the kids some time to arrange a plan and patiently waited in the beginning line of the race. Stein was content with himself with his final idea, indeed. He marveled at his homemade course and took a cigarette to congratulate himself.

The circuit was divided in three different sections so there was one per meister.

The first part was about a 200-meter steeplechase with obstacles between 3 and 10 meters followed by the second part that consisted in a static high rope course, which in turn leaded to the final part that was a 20 meters long climbing wall that ended in a full flat 150-meter race with a giant hole – that came from nowhere – covering the last 50 meters to the finish line.

He turned his sight back to his students to find them looking at him readyly. He then clapped his hands and said "Seems like you're all set now. There are some straps for the people who will be carrying long weapons along theirs. After you finish with that go get in your positions."

His students nodded and went away.

… (15 minutes later) …

The laughing sun was looking quite pleased as he sent his heat rays in the running track. It was a perfect day for Shibusen sports it seemed.

"Remember the rules," said Stein as the first kids to race stood on their track. "You can use your abilities and Demon Weapons as you please, but you aren't allowed to attack other competitors or skip a complete circuit. Are we clear?"

He received a small chorus of "yeah's" of approval. "Good. Ready, set," all kids got on racing position as Professor Stein savored the moment.

"Go."

Ox sprinted as fast as his legs would carry him. He felt a sudden whoosh of air pass him followed by a trail of dust. That only meant Black Star was far ahead of the other competitors… and Death knew who else was already ahead of the genius.

'Those thought doesn't help at all!' he reprimanded himself and gripped Harvar's handle tighter while he readied himslef against the first obstacle.

He was about to collide when he cleanly jumped the thing and landed on the other side without losing his momentum or his hold on the spear.

Even if Ox wasn't as bulky-looking as Kirikou or Black Star that didn't mean the bald boy wasn't on shape. Quite the contrary as his speed running was one of the very best on the school. Not for nothing he took the name 'Lighting King'. Black Star was out of reach already, but while he jumped the different obstacles without breaking a sweat, he started gaining ground until he finally proceeded to get in second place at a safe distance from the others.

He jumped another 5-meter obstacle and managed to soak his tennis with the small puddle of water under it. "Gahh… so much for a clean race it seems…" Ox muttered while frowning.

"It's okay. You've done a nice work, Ox-kun. There's only one more left." said Harvar as he reflected his face from the tip of his spear form.

And right he was as the only thing separating Ox from a very expectant-looking Kim with a Jacqueline in rocket/broom form ready on hand who yelled "Run, Ox, run!" was the final 10-meter obstacle.

"How are you supposed to cross that? I don't think jumping will be enough…" said the Demon Weapon eyeing the mighty thing.

"Don't worry, I got a plan." said Ox reassuring his friend. When he was close enough, the bald boy bent his body while trusting Harvar to the ground like a pole and kicked the ground hard.

The wind and gravity threatened to rip off his glasses as Ox flew over the obstacle while taking Harvar with him, but for some reason his trusty glasses stood on their place until the boy safely landed on the other side in front of his female partners.

"He-hello my fair lady, did you see my-?"

"No time for that," hurriedly said Kim as she interrupted Ox and took the Spear from his hands. There was a small electric shock on her hand when she grabbed the spear so abruptly, but she shrugged it off. "Maka is already off, but is not too far. Nice speed, though. See ya'!"

She firmly secured Harvar on her back with a strap and kicked off the ground. She went to the first alpine tower in less than five seconds, managing to ignore the rope Jacob's ladder were Maka still struggled at and didn't waste time putting the security equipment but the pulley on her and just attached herself to the upper wire. She set Jackie on her normal lantern form attached with another strap on her hips and immediately took off.

Thanks to the experience she had flying with Jackie she wasn't afraid or unfamiliar to the 45-meter height or the high speed in which she went from alpine tower to the other. Besides, if she were to fall, she would just use Jackie and land safely on the ground so Kim threw herself full at the challenge. Only wasting precious seconds landing, disconnecting and quickly attaching herself to the next.

It was a funny thought, but Stein and the other teachers that went to see the test thought of the pink-haired girl as a monkey doing pirouettes so naturally in the air without stopping.

Even when there was one moment all thought the girl was about to fall as she put too much of her weight in one side, Kim just used Jackie to throw a small set of flames that left her balanced once again never loosing her momentum.

The girls was going so fast that just as Maka was in the middle of the circuit, Kim was already using Jackie again to land in front of a smirking Kirikou.

"I *gasp* recuperated the advantage Black Star gave Maka and *cough* gave you so-some heads up seconds. Don't. frigging. waste. them, Kirikou." said the girl panting as she handed Jackie to the Pot meister.

"Never," he replied taking the lantern on his gauntleted hands and ran away.

As Kirikou went his way, Kim finally allowed herself to collapse on her knees and gasp for air. She looked up at a stoic Kid and thumbed her hand down. "Surpass that, daddy's boy."

The young reaper just lifted an eyebrow.

Meanwhile, Kirikou put Jackie over his shoulder and started climbing the slippery wall. He fell two times, having to begin climbing again and, when he was about to fell for the third time, opted with using the Pots to break holes in the wall and grapple at it. He started climbing like a mad being cautious about letting Jackie slip off his shoulder until he reached the top. Figuring it wasn't that much of a fall he jumped.

Kirikou ended up rolling in his side on the floor as he landed. He got up, ignored his sore shoulder, and started running as fast as his legs would carry him. He was alone and unperturbed halfway in the race when he heard Jackie speak.

"Kirikou… I don't want to sound like I don't trust you, but do you have an idea about how to cross that hole?"

Kirikou smirked. "I was thinking on using your rocket-thingy power for that,"

"… You know only Kim can achieve that ability, right?"

"WHAT!?" exclaimed the boy as he put the lantern – and thus Jackie's reflected face – near his eyes. "How come nobody told me that before?"

"Oi, if I was you, I would be looking at the track instead of your weapon. You wouldn't want to be surpassed without noticing, right?" said a voice besides Kirikou.

The African-American snorted. "Yeah, yeah, but I don't worry about that. I had a good head start. There's no way…" he shut up immediately.

'Oh, shi— NO WAY!' he thought as he looked up at the image of Death the Kid on his flying scateboard "Beelzebub" with Soul strapped on his back just like Kim had Harvar and the Thompson sisters on hand. All of Kid's Demon Weapons were reflected on their surfaces and were mocking Kirikou. Liz chuckling, Patty blowing raspberries and Soul flipping the bird.

"Is that so?" asked Kid. "If you say so… well, have to go." and so, Shinigami-sama's son accelerated to fly over the giant hole, leaving Kirikou to face the cloud of dust he left behind.

"*cough, cough* You little cheat!"

"Kirikou, there's no time to waste, look!" yelped Jacqueline, making Kirikou stop dead on his tracks at the border of the hole.

"Aw… C'mon… how am I supposed to cross that?" he lamented to what the Demon Pots answered with sparks and embers being thrown around his hands.

"Maybe you could jump it over with enough speed?" offered Jacqueline in a sardonic tone. As Kirikou put the lantern in front of his face and was about to tell her she wasn't helping with those comments, he saw one of the poles that held the poster that signaled the end line. Suddenly he got a crazy, crazy idea.

The Pot meister smiled viciously. "Actually… that's not a bad idea…" he even felt his little weapons agree at his plan. They somehow ended up understanding his ideas before he could voice them. He suspected it might be from his Soul Connection, but that wasn't the matter at hand now.

"You know I was being sarcastic, right Kirikou?" said Jackie in a thin voice. "Kirikou?"

He didn't care Kid was already crossing the finish line, no; he was going to finish this race in whichever way he could. "Hold your breath, girl that I'm all fired up."

"Are you crazy!" yelled Jackie, but was ignored as the meister took his distance from the hole and readied himself to run.

"Huzzah!" yelled Kirikou as he jumped.

He lasted three meters in the air as he started falling, but he took Jackie and swung the chain from the lantern and threw it the moment his body was engulfed by the hole.

The lantern's base connected with the pole, did two turns and managed to get stuck on it. It was followed by the scream of Kirikou as he was immediately rocketed out of the hole and thrown directly at the pole head-first, crossing the line while doing so.

PAWM!

"Ouch," said Harvar while the other two meisters just looked at the African-American slowly slide from the pole.

Acre was officially over and the kids gathered around the professor while he gave a speech.

He had finished declaring that no one was going to be sent to the NOT, and that he only used that little lie as an excuse to motivate them to do their best. However, no one was arguing his little mischief as he was talking about the Arachnophobia mission much to their interest.

"… and that's why only the ones that showed in these days to be the best will be chosen to take part in the battle," explained Stein. "And that group is Maka's. Their unique fighting talents are unmatchable. While their Chain Resonance might not be the strongest, their skills in battle individually or in a team are very well honed and crucial for the mission. Congratulations."

The other teams started clapping and cheering at Maka and company… all but one.

"Well, that was obvious," mumbled Kirikou with a sigh of resignation while dusting the stains of dirt that were on his shirt with the Demon Pots still encasing his hands.

"I agree," said Ox with a frown shared with Harvar in human form behind him. Kim and her partner didn't comment as they were equally disappointed to say something.

Why they felt like that? They thought. Nobody was send to the NOT class, and their ultimate goal was to not be kicked out of Professor Stein's class and become good teammates learning how to trust in each other, not to be the best of the class or spank that Spider Witch's butt. Heck! They even scored second place on the acre-thingy… so why there was a pang of pain in their chest for not being selected?

Maka's team went behind the professor. Their faces showed different signs of emotion with the news. Maka was happy and smiling at her success while Soul smirked with his fanged teeth as if trying to show off, Kid stood with a serious attitude with Patty trapping Liz in a bone-crusher hush while squeaking, and finally were Tsubaki with a warm and relieved smile and Black Star boasting something about his superiority.

After the clapping died down some students started making their ways out, Stein cleared his throat to get their attention. He wasn't finished, after all. "Normally that would be it as Maka's team would be enough help in the mission, but there was also another team that showed their own capacities and made me change my mind about taking only one team with me,"

"Said group might not have the same experience or talent in combat as Maka's team, but it was capable of an impressive team work that strengthens their abilities and covers their weakness, and not to mention they have the strongest and harmonious Chain Resonance I've seen in a long time."

There was silence as all kept to themselves wondering about who the professor was talking about. Even Black Star stopped his ignored rambling to pay attention.

"And that team is," Stein took a pause to add a dramatic effect and for his children to get expectant and finally added "Kirikou's."

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater, their characters or locations; they're the properties of Atsushi Ohkubo. I just took them without permission for entertaining purposes.

Hallo, reader!

I hope you are enjoying this double update. I'll add a proper author note in the next one, so… moving on!