The next morning Team VNGR woke up and prepared to head to their first class.
Giallo tapped his foot impatiently as he waited outside the bathroom.
"Seriously, how long does one guy need?"
"Shut up," Rock shouted, "I'll be out in a minute."
"That's what you said ten minutes ago."
Rock threw the bathroom door open and walked out in his boxers. He pulled out his uniform and started getting dressed.
"I don't know what you're riding me for. We've still got half an hour before class starts."
"I don't want to be late on my first day."
In another part of the room, Nigel looked at himself in the mirror. Everything looked normal. He hadn't remembered the last time he had to wear a suit. He looked over at Lucia. His suit hung loose and wrinkled off of him. He had given up trying to fix his tie and let it hang loose around his neck.
Nigel sighed and fixed Lucia's clothes. "Come on, don't you know how to wear a suit?"
"I never had the need."
Lucia suppressed a laugh as he watched Nigel fix his tie. Nigel grinned when he finished making his teammate presentable.
"There, all done."
"Thank you," Lucia said.
Giallo went to the door. "Let's get going."
Rock rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, keep your shirt on."
The four of them went to their first class. They were among the last ones to arrive, as the room was already filled with students. Nigel listened to the room buzzing with conversation and felt his stomach sink.
"Something wrong?" Lucia asked.
Nigel rapidly shook his head. "No, I just remembered I forgot something in the room. I'll be right back."
Nigel ran back down the hall. The other went inside the classroom and took their seats. Once the bell rang their teacher began the lesson.
Their teacher was a round old man wearing a red suit. His white hair and mustache gave off the air of a wizened old man.
"Hello, and welcome to your first day at Beacon Academy. My name is Professor Port, and I will be teaching basic combat tactics." He looked around the room and saw a few empty seats. "Hmm, it seems that there are a few of you missing. How unfortunate. It isn't wise to get into the habit of missing class."
He began his lecture, very little of which had anything to do with the class. Often he would spiral off into a tangent about some battle he was involved in or the exploits of teams that used to attend Beacon. After nearly an hour of talking the professor remembered that he was supposed to be teaching a lesson.
He walked over to a cage covered in a tarp. The cage rattled when he got near and the students heard growling.
"Now then, there is no better teacher than experience. I would like one of you to volunteer for a practical assessment.
He pulled the tarp off and revealed a Beowulf. It bit into the iron bars of the cage and swiped at the air with its claws.
Port laughed at the enraged monster. "It seems it's just as excited to fight. Do I have any volunteers?"
Giallo raised his hand. Port nodded with approval and beckoned him to the floor. Giallo didn't bother changing out of his uniform before fighting.
Port turned towards the class. "Now, who can tell me the most effective strategy of fighting a Beowulf?"
A female student raised their hand. "Avoiding their claws. They have a long reach, but are less dangerous when you get close."
"Very good, Miss Chana. A Beowulf's swiping claws are quite dangerous, but if they aren't able to rotate their arms fully then their effectiveness is greatly diminished." he turned toward Giallo. "Mr Fiamma, are you ready to begin?"
Giallo nodded. Port opened the cage and the Grimm lumbered out. It stood up on its hind legs and swiped at Giallo with its massive claws. Giallo stepped aside and the Grimm's claw slammed into the ground. The Grimm lumbered forward and attacked again. Its nails grazed Giallo's stomach, causing him to wince in pain. The Grimm stood up on its hind legs and slashed at Giallo. The white claws sped toward his neck. Giallo dashed under the Grimm's attack and punched it hard in the stomach. There was a sound like a gun going off and the Grimm was sent flying into a far off wall. The impact left a crater, and the Grimm left a trail of black blood as it slid down to the floor.
Giallo sighed. He had ruined his uniform. Not only was his shirt covered in claw marks, but his sleeve was destroyed by that punch. Giallo went back to his seat without a word.
Professor Port clapped. "Well done Mr. Fiamma." At that moment the bell rang, signaling the end of class.
"I'm afraid that's all the time we have today. I look forward to seeing you all again tomorrow."
the students filed out of the classroom.
"Wonder where Nigel went?" Giallo asked.
"Who cares?" Rock replied. "I don't know if you've noticed, but that kid is out of his mind."
"All the more reason we should be worried about him."
XxX
Nigel walked back down the hallway. The bell ringing told him that class had started. He sighed and stopped walking. The last thing he wanted to do was be the last one in the room. He turned the corner and sat down in a stairwell. He put his head down in his arms.
"What am I doing?" he asked himself.
"Well right now you're in the running for world's biggest asshole," his friend replied.
"Why won't you leave me alone?" he pleaded.
The voice laughed. "Because you'd have no one to talk to without me."
"Go away. I need to think."
"Alright, I'll leave for now, but you know where to find me."
Nigel sighed. He wanted to change his life, but he was making the same mistakes as before. How was he any different from how he used to be?
He looked to his side and saw someone sitting next to him. It was a girl. Her long, messy green hair looked like his own, but she had brilliantly green eyes, like gems. Nigel squirmed. The girl had a vacant expression, but he felt like she was looking right through him.
"You have sad eyes," she said.
Nigel went red and looked away from her. "I get that a lot."
the girl leaned in close. "Why are you here, little lamb?"
Nigel's face broke out in a sweat. "It was too loud in the classroom. I don't like noise."
"So you prefer solitude. I understand, I too prefer silence."
Nigel looked down at his hands. He couldn't remember the last time he talked to a girl. It didn't help that she was so pretty.
The girl smiled. "Thank you. You're quite handsome yourself."
Nigel's mind raced with questions. Who was this girl? Why was she talking to him? Was he hallucinating again? Did he smell bad? Was his hair messed up? Does she think he's weird? What are her hopes and dreams? He tried to speak, but no words came out.
The girl started laughing. "You are interesting. I've never met someone like you before."
"There you are, Lala. I've been looking all over for you," a new voice said.
Nigel looked up and saw a new girl standing at the bottom of the stairs. She was just as pretty as Lala, had a completely different look. Her shoulder length hair was white near the top of her head, but was pink near the ends. She wore a black peaked cap on her head emblazoned with a symbol that looked like a gear. Then there were her eyes. They were completely white, like she was blind. The intense glare she gave Lala dispelled those notions, however. Nigel felt needles all over him, and he wasn't even the target.
Lala smiled and waved. "Hello, Yasmin. Have you come to retrieve me?"
The girl called Yasmin grabbed Lala by the hand. "What have I told you about running off?"
Lala gestured towards Nigel "I was just talking to this boy."
Yasmin's eyes went to Nigel. She lingered on him for several seconds before looking back at Lala. "You're supposed to be in class. I told you to stick with me,"
"I wasn't gone that long."
Yasmin sighed. "That's not the point. I was worried about you."
Lala frowned. She wrapped Yasmin up in a tight hug. "I know. I'm sorry. Let us return to class."
The two girls left the stairwell.
Lala waved goodbye. "I hope we see each other again, Nigel."
Nigel waved them off. "Me too." After they left he paused and thought about what she said. "Wait, did I ever tell her my name?"
He leaned back and stared at the ceiling. His mind was filled with that girl. Something about her felt familiar. It reminded him of his friend.
"No way," his friend interjected, "That girl is nuts."
"She was nice," Nigel said.
"Of course you think so, you're as crazy as she is."
"I'm not crazy."
"Boy, if you're not crazy then how am I talking to you?"
The bell rang before he could answer that question. Nigel stood up and stretched out. He exited the stairwell and went to rejoin his team. He found them walking down the hall and slipped into the group. Rock turned and saw him walking alongside them.
"Where were you?" he asked.
"I was hiding in the stairwell," Nigel replied.
Rock shook his head. "I shouldn't have asked."
"Don't make a habit of skipping out," Giallo said.
Nigel sighed. "Sorry, won't do it again."
True to his word, Nigel stuck around through the rest of the day. He didn't see that girl he met again, but he didn't mind. There would be another chance to see her again. Besides, at the end of the day was the one class he had actually been looking forward to.
The students went into the locker room and changed into their combat attire. Once they had finished they made their way to the amphitheater. Standing on the stage was the headmaster's assistant. She had a stern look as she addressed the students.
"Welcome to sparring practice. I am Glynda Goodwitch and I will be supervising your matches. It is absolutely vital that you get used to combat. Your career as a huntsman will be fraught with it. How you learn and apply your knowledge in battle will mean the difference between life and death."
she held up her scroll and a screen descended from the ceiling. A series of pictures flashed by, images of every student in the room.
"If you are selected, then you will come to the stage and fight your selected opponent. We will operate under tournament rules: the fight will continue until one fighter loses consciousness or reaches an unsafe aura level."
she pressed a button on her scroll and randomly selected two combatants. The room was thick with anticipation. Every student wanted to be the first to show everyone their skills.
"Our first match will be Blake Belladonna versus Nigel Arniano."
Nigel swallowed loudly. He looked over at his opponent. It was a girl with long black hair and amber eyes. She had an aloof air about herself. His eyes were drawn to the bow on her head. He felt it clashed with her image, but he also thought it was kind of cute.
Nigel and Blake faced each other on the stage. Nigel found it difficult to look directly at Blake. He took a stance, but couldn't keep his hands from shaking. He tried to smile but it came out like a panicked grimace. Blake raised an eyebrow at him.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
Glynda sighed and called for the match to begin. Blake drew her swords and dashed towards Nigel. She swung her long blade at his neck. His hand flashed out and grabbed her wrist as he kicked a foot out from under her. Blake fell onto her back and gazed wide eyed as a fist sped toward her face. It stopped short of hitting her. The force of the punch was enough to blow her hair back. Nigel pulled his fist back and returned to his stance.
Blake jumped up and ran at her opponent. She thrust her sword at Nigel and was brushed aside. As she spun her large rectangular blade approached even faster than the last attack. Nigel simply blocked the attack with his forearm. His foot slammed into Blake's upper thigh with a loud smack. Blake gasped. She was caught off guard by how heavy the the kick was. The monitor showed her aura trickling down after taking that attack.
Rock could only stare wide eyed. "That's just basic karate, but it's like, really good."
"A regular kick did that much damage?" Giallo observed.
"It seems there's more to him than meets the eye," Lucia said, smiling.
While Blake was reeling with pain, Nigel struck her on the chin with the heel of his hand. She lost her balance and fell to her knees. Nigel's foot flashed toward her head, but again his attack stopped short.
"What's his deal?" Rock asked. "That would have been a knock out blow."
"Maybe he's being a gentleman," Lucia said.
Blake scrambled to her feet. She ground her teeth in frustration.
"What is your problem? Are you making fun of me?"
"I agree," Glynda said. "You have had ample opportunities to end the fight. Why won't you?"
Nigel scratched at the back of his head. "Nothing like that. It's just that, you know, you're really pretty and I'd feel bad if I messed up your face."
There were a few seconds of total silence. Nigel's expression shifted into one of sheer horror as he realized what he just said. The theater filled with laughter. Nigel's face turned red as he covered it with his hands.
Blake ground her teeth in anger. She dashed forward and swung her swords high and low at Nigel. Nigel blocked one blade with his arm and the other with his leg. His eyes went to the one blade, and he saw what looked like the barrel of a gun pointed right at him. He fell back right before the gun fired directly into his face. Scrambling to his feet, he waited for Blake to attack again. Blake was more than happy to oblige, swinging her swords rapidly. Nigel blocked and parried all of the strikes that came at him, but made no move to attack. He simply waited for the right moment.
Blake swung her both of her swords simultaneously. Nigel thrust his hand through the gap in her arms, but instead of a fist he had his thumb pressed against his middle finger. With a snap of his fingers, he unleashed a sound like a flash-bang. Several students winced in pain and covered their ears. He didn't know it, but he had dealt Blake a critical strike. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she fell face first into the ground.
Once her ears stopped ringing Glynda called the match. "This fight is over. The winner is Nigel Arniano. Aura can protect you from damage, but not from pain. And although his methods were unorthodox, using words to throw off your opponent is a viable strategy in true combat. However, in a true battle showing mercy to an enemy may cost you your life."
"Sorry," Nigel said. He jumped off the stage and went back to the locker room. When he rejoined his teammates they nudged and prodded him.
"That was just mean," Rock said, shaking his head.
"I wasn't doing it on purpose. Sometimes I just say things without thinking," Nigel said.
All around them other students were looking at Nigel and laughing to themselves. Nigel sighed. He hated this place. He wondered why he even came here.
Glynda cleared her throat and called for the next match. "Now then, our next match will be Rock versus Lie Ren."
Rock started smiling. "Cool. It's my time to shine."
"Good luck," Nigel said.
Rock went up to the stage. Ren stood on the opposite end. Rock tried to get an idea of what the boy was like. His face was expressionless, and he didn't so much as twitch as he stood before him. It was like staring at a body of water; still, undisturbed.
Rock sighed, people like this tended to be difficult to get along with.
"Lemme ask you something. What kind of girl do you like?"
Ren's eyebrow raised. "I'm sorry?"
"I just wanna shoot the shit with you. So, what's your type? You strike me as an ass man. Me, I like girls with nice legs."
Ren answered without having to think about it. "Her physical appearance doesn't matter. As long as she's an upstanding person with a kind heart , that is all that I need."
a soft "aww" came from the audience.
Rock sighed and shook his head. "Yeah, like I thought, you're boring. I don't think we can be friends. Might as well get this over with."
He slowly walked up to Ren and stuck his hand out with a smile. Ren looked down at Rock's outstretched hand and back up at Rock. Hesitantly, he went for the handshake. At that moment, Rock's fist flew up towards Ren's face. Ren caught the punch in his hand. He let go, and in the next instant slammed into Rock's chest with both hands. The blow sent him flying across the stage and greatly depleted his aura.
Rock hopped back up like it was nothing. "You're pretty sharp."
Rock rushed at Ren. He swung with a right hook but missed by a mile. Ren hit Rock on the side on of the head with the back of his fist. He followed that up with a kick square in the center of his face. Rock stumbled, but didn't fall.
Ren frowned. He swung his fist again, this time landing square in Rock's face. At the same time, Rock countered with a punch to Ren's jaw. While his opponent was reeling, Rock grabbed Ren's neck with both hands and sent a knee up into his chest. Rock went for the finisher, but slumped over as bile spilled from his mouth. Ren had buried his fist in Rock's stomach. A pale pink light engulfed Ren's fist and a wave of energy passed through Rock's body. The back of Rock's shirt was destroyed as a gust of wind blew across the stage. Rock fell to the ground, his aura depleted.
"The winner is Lie Ren," Glynda announced. "Rock has a sturdy body, but proper application of aura can overcome the hardest defenses."
Rock slowly rose to his feet and clutched at his chest. "Man, that hurt. You're pretty good."
Ren sighed as his hands throbbed. He didn't know what Rock was made of, but it was like punching steel. If the fight had gone on any longer, he didn't know if he could have won.
Rock tore off what remained of his shirt and went to rejoin his team. He took a seat and put his feet up. His stomach ached and he winced in pain. He looked down and saw a large purplish bruise.
Giallo whistled. "That kid packs a punch. A little more and he would have gone right through you."
"Are you okay?" Nigel asked.
"I'll be fine," Rock said. "I've been hit harder than that. Definitely keeping an eye on that Ren kid."
Lucia could barely contain himself. "There are so many wonderful people here. I can't wait to try them out for myself."
The four hunters relaxed and watched the remaining fights.
XxX
After classes ended most of the students went back to their dorms. Team VNGR decided to head to the gym for more training. Giallo went to a weight bench and grabbed two fifty pound weights. He tucked them under his arms and went toward the exit.
"What are those for?" Lucia asked.
"I need them for my training," Giallo replied. "Actually, I need another person for this. Wanna come with me?"
Lucia shrugged. "I've got nothing better to do."
the two of them went down the hall and into the school's swimming pool. It was massive, like the ones used for sporting events. It was also deep enough for Giallo to use. He pulled out some rope and tied the weights together. He used another rope to tie the weights to his ankles. He took a deep breath and dropped the weights into the deepest end of the pool.
Once he sunk to the bottom he began his routine. He punched, ducked, dodged, and punched again. He repeated this process for several minutes. The water dragged on his fists, his heart was pounding hard enough to burst, and his muscles screamed in agony.
Underwater shadowboxing was a training method devised by an old follower of the Lord of Light. The goal was to increase one's stamina and speed. Giallo had first started this routine when he was eight years old. Since then he'd been able to keep this up for seven minutes. Once he had reached his limit, he summoned his aura and swam back up to the surface. He clung to the edge of the pool and exhaled. He panted, out of breath as Lucia looked down at him.
"That's quite the training method. How often do you do this?"
Giallo wiped the pool water out of his eyes. "Anywhere I can."
"This is quite dangerous. What if something were to go wrong?"
"Then the Lord has chosen to call me home. Besides, I never do this alone. I used to do this with someone else."
"Really? You don't seem like one to have many friends."
Giallo shook his head. "You're right about that. It was my... never mind." His voice trailed off. He took another deep breath and fell back into the pool.
XxX
Nigel had his own corner of the gym set aside for training. He had set up a wooden post wrapped in a thick rope. It was used to strengthen his hands. The first time he had used this he wound up with three broken fingers and completely lost the skin on his knuckles. He punched the post, and felt the stinging pain run through his hands. Perfect. As long as he focused on that he didn't need to think about anything else. He punched at the post over, and over, and over, until his hands started bleeding. He smiled. The pain meant that he was seeing results.
This was the very first lesson he was given when he decided to learn karate. Three hundred punches a day, every single day. He never failed to complete them. Even when his hands were broken, or his fingers were shredded. No matter how injured he was in body or mind, he always made sure this was done.
Rock looked at Nigel training. Blood flew every which way, staining the ground and the post. He was certain that this wasn't sanitary. This boy was going to be his partner for the next four years, but he didn't know the first thing about him. Before that, how would he even talk to him? He looked at this boy, his hands covered in blood, his face wracked with pain, and the biggest smile on his face. He lived in a totally different world from him.
But, they were partners, and he intended to get to know the boy.
He walked up to Nigel, careful to avoid getting any blood on him. "So, do this often?"
Nigel kept punching the rope. "Every day since I was a kid. It helps to clear my head."
rock winced as he saw Nigel's fist slam into the post. "Doesn't that hurt?"
"Like you wouldn't believe, but it's not so bad. You get used it after a while. I've done this for hours before."
Rock recalled the first time he had seen Nigel's hands. The scars and callouses were clearly the result of this training. Could this even be called training? It seemed more like self-harm.
"That explains why your hands are so messed up. You've got such a soft face, though."
Nigel blushed. "Thanks, I think. What about you, what do you do for training?"
Rock shrugged. "I don't really train. I just go out and fight people. If I win, cool. If not, then I learned something."
Nigel stopped punching and sat down. He reached into his bag and pulled out a rag and a bottle of disinfectant. Soaking the rag in alcohol, he took a deep breath and wrapped it around his hands. His jaw tightened, but he didn't make a sound. Rock went pale. The pain must be unimaginable, but Nigel didn't show any reaction.
Rock had a feeling getting closer to Nigel would be harder than he thought.