《Battle Royale across the Universe: The Species Tournament》Ch. 11 Making Assumptions is Bad for the Body
Advertisement
A loud cracking sound was heard inside the gym. The solid wooden knife in the 12 year old’s hand was crushed into pieces.
While Timofey went to a stand to replace it, some of those around him showed looks of apprehension. However, Ryan wasn’t one of them, and he even took this opportunity to lecture the pixie further.
“You can’t even hold a knife properly and you want to spar with your instructor? Boy, I need to correct the adults. I don’t have time for…”
“Then, you can start with me,” Timofey interjected. Out of all the practice knives on display, he chose the one which looked sharpest.
“Did you not hear what I said? You’re a kid. When the second round starts, just find a rock and hide underneath it.”
Some of the adults were getting tired of his attitude, but Ryan was too far gone to notice. When he turned towards Rachel, the girl was watching him with furrowed brows.
“Rae, why did you allow these kids to join us? I understand why you’re protecting Finn, but those two are disposable.”
‘Disposable?’ Timofey almost fell into a trance. ‘His own people are disposable?’
For a while now, the pixie was somewhat remorseful for his species' attacks on the others. A few times, he even considered apologizing to Alric on their behalf.
However, in what world were children something to be abandoned? What would this man think of the countless sacrifices he and his peers had made for their young ones?
When Timofey arrived in front of him, Ryan paused for just a moment. A few years ago, the boy’s tilted head and expressionless face might have triggered an alarm bell. However, the man’s fighting days were far into the past as were his senses.
“Let us begin.”
“Fine,” the instructor snorted. “We’re having a spar! Anders, pair up with the other kid, and let’s get started.”
When he turned back towards Timofey, the boy still had no stance, no defense, nothing.
“Now?”
“Yes, come at me. Show me what you’ve…”
In the middle of Ryan's sentence, the pixie’s heel smashed into his face. With the grace of an Olympic gymnast, the boy did a back flip and landed a few feet away.
“This a knife fight!” the instructor shouted while trying to stop the smoke which flowed out of his nose.
Before he could wipe away the water which gathered inside his eyes, Timofey approached with inhuman speed and stabbed the wooden blade into his crotch. The man bent while screeching, and the boy punched his neck. Ryan rolled on the floor wailing before the pixie stomped on his head.
Advertisement
“This is a fight,” Timofey growled while slamming the man’s skull repeatedly into the ground. A few moments later, Anders’ giant hands managed to pull him off, but not before enough smoke had poured out of Ryan that his unconscious face could no longer be seen.
“Somebody, call an ambulance!” his partner shouted.
“They might not come,” said Rachel. “Grab the first aid kit from the lobby. We’ll drive him ourselves.”
While Anders and the bodybuilding instructor carried Ryan to the car, everyone else scurried off leaving Alric to deal with his brother. However, after finding themselves alone, neither boy knew what to say. Eventually, Alric opened his mouth only for Timofey to raise a hand in front of it.
“Don’t,” said the pixie while shaking his head. “If anybody asks, you can find me at my computer.”
The youth wasn't sure what to do anyway, so he let his partner leave. What would happen now? How would the others react? He didn’t know.
‘I’m in way over my head,’ he mumbled while sitting on the floor.
Ever since he was little, Alric was confident in his brain. He was just five when his father lost his accounting job and started a new career in drinking. His mother took on more responsibilities, and the babysitter cared only for his one year old brother.
Alric was alone. In the years which followed, he learned how to eat when his father was asleep, and how to bathe himself without making a sound. There was no one to help or cheer him through school, yet he was always first in his class.
The boy learned to think for himself and to live on his own. Loneliness made him strong. It made him smart.
‘It made me arrogant,’ he realized now.
But then, at 17, the teen failed at the one sport he thought he’d be invincible at. His girlfriend dumped him, and his grades were about to drop.
Subconsciously, Alric saw the demon’s invitation as a chance to prove he hadn’t lost his touch. Like a gambler doubling down after taking a hit, he bet all his chips and lost everything.
‘No.’ The teen slapped his cheeks and shook the thoughts away. ‘It’s not over.’ He picked up the knife and resumed his training.
The remaining classes were most likely cancelled, so Alric was left on his own. Only several hours later did someone finally check up on him.
“I brought food,” said Rachel after knocking on the opened door.
“How’s Ryan?”
“In intensive care. You don’t have to worry about him anymore.”
Alric walked out of the pool of sweat he had created and used a towel to dry himself off.
Advertisement
“If Tim goes, I’ll have to follow.”
“No need,” Rachel reassured him. “I’ve already made my stance known to the others. The bodybuilder and Muay Thai teams have chosen to leave, and Ryan will not be returning.”
“I’m sorry,” the youth bowed his head on his partner’s behalf.
“Don’t be silly. I’m the one who called you here.” Rachel handed him a chicken salad bowl while she organized her thoughts.
‘Why is it always salad?’ the teen winced. For such a large establishment, the food was surprisingly bland.
“Alric, although I’m not mad, you do need to keep an eye on him.”
“I know.” The problem was: What could he do if something like that were to happen again?
“You need to be ready.”
“I know.” 'But, how?'
“I’m not talking about the pixie having another outburst.” Rachel waited for him to lift his eyes. “For now, improve your strength and keep watch. However, when that demon announces the final round, I expect you to be prepared and capable of taking Timofey out.”
…………………………………………………………..
According to Amon Grigori’s rules, both partners needed to keep each other alive until the final round. Alric knew he had to find a countermeasure for the pixie until then. Unfortunately, not only was Timofey some sort of a genius, but his combat skills easily matched his peers.
To help clear his mind, Alric asked Rachel for a spar. Normally, it would’ve been a great idea if only the girl knew how to hold back.
“Faster,” she encouraged while poking his solar plexus and liver. “Keep your mind empty and move based on instinct.”
‘Easy for you to say.’ This thought was enough of a distraction for Alric to get hit several more times. After slicing and poking what he felt were every vital point on his body, Rachel slammed into him, swept his legs, and sent the teen flying on his back.
“Pause.” Alric lifted a hand while gasping for air.
“Never get too comfortable. Once you get used to your opponent’s flow, you should assume she will change it.”
After his lungs had somewhat recovered, the youth grabbed Rachel’s hand and pulled himself up.
“Why did you gather all of these people when you’re like a female Yoda?” Alric was referring to her knowledge, but all she could hear was short and green. The girl’s smile became a bit unhinged, and she proceeded to punish his body.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the next day’s knife lesson was led by Rachel. This didn’t sit well with her, but there was no other choice.
All of her life, the girl looked down on teachers. Instead of practicing their art and testing its limits, most of them lived through the next generation.
When she won a tournament, they bragged about it online as if it was their win. When she grew in rank, they expected thanks. Her sweat, her work: Those felt secondary in importance.
“Anders, don’t take unnecessary risks just because you’re bigger. Hannah, great stance!” As she corrected her students in rapid fire succession, Rachel wondered if she would become like her mentors, just another teacher who preached and did not do.
‘Focus,’ she scolded herself. This was not the time for inner monologues. Ryan was gone, and she needed to step up.
The loss of their muay thai instructor was also cumbersome. Thankfully, by combining full contact karate taught by Anders with the boxing skills promoted by a certain Miss. Emma, this hole in their training was covered.
In the days which followed, they managed to re-establish a routine. Her class would start at two in the afternoon and end at four. Alric would always ask her to help for an hour or two afterwards, but after taking on an unfamiliar role, Rachel was tired.
The boy was nonetheless relentless. The girl tried to refuse numerous times, but in the end, she would always give in.
“How about we take a break?” she suggested after a week of almost nonstop training. “Rest is also important.”
“Not if I want to catch up to Tim. I’m not a prodigy like you, so I have to make up for it with work.” By now, Rachel knew the youth’s intentions were pure, but his wording was horrendous.
“I’m not some prodigy,” she said a bit louder than planned. “I’ve trained my ass off since I was 10, two to three times a day for years on end.”
While she huffed and puffed, Alric carefully considered her words. Still, after some deliberation, he shook his head.
“Not possible.” Be it hand to hand, weapons, or even take-downs, the girl could do it all. “You can’t learn so many fighting styles without some serious talent. Not in a mere five or six years.”
It took Rachel a few moments to understand his words, but once she did, the woman felt conflicted. ‘Should I slap his stupid face or feel sorry for him?’
“Alric, you do realize I’m not your age, don’t you?”
Advertisement
The Chimera's Dungeon
Reborn in a fantasy world as a Dungeon Core. This story follows the protagonist as finds himself thrown into a new word. A world filled with magic and monsters. Now, normally, this would fill our protagonist with a lot of excitement and, admittedly, a little bit of fear - if it weren't for that fact that he is one of the monsters. A dungeon core, harbingers of death and fortune. And so, his current circumstances instead fill him with a lot of fear and maybe just a little bit of excitement. Join the adventure to watch that fear fade away as he realises just how limitless the power at his ‘fingertips’ is. The power of creation and destruction. Of life and death. Additional Tag(s): OP Main Character - The MC is definitely stronger than other Dungeons of the same age, however, he is by no means the strongest in the world. Yet.
8 231Gura Gura no mi Cultivator
Bored with his life, an otaku who isnt fullfilled with his current life dies to the great Truck-kun. But that isnt the end , he transmigrated into a xianxia world with the power of a devil fruit.. And not just any devil fruit, its the fruit of the strongest man in the world in one piece. Ps. I just started being a writer, so if you have any reiviews, comments, or cirtiques then go for it. Ill take anything to improve my writing skills.
8 501Acolyte: The Emerald Gates
A boy who does not belong. A wizard who would show him the world. Aljana is the City of Heaven, an oasis in an impassible desert ruled by an emperor who despises magic and the nonhuman races. The orphaned Callum has lived on the streets of this city for as long as he can remember, under the thumb of a woman who controls the city's urchins like a cruel master of puppets. He has always dreamed of escaping the repressive Aljana and becoming more than a child of inconvenience. Willow is a man of secrets and plots, with a name known by few and spoken by none. He seeks the truth of this world, for knowledge that is forbidden is the key to powers untold. These two will enter a contract that binds them together, a destiny that will unseal a legacy that traces itself back one hundred thousand years, to the bedchamber of a dying king and his Starlight Queen.
8 154The Designated: Out of Control
It happened quicker than anyone would have imagined. Multiple hurricanes were one thing. People had dealt with that in the past. But, like kids playing dominoes, one thing crashed into another. Areas affected by hurricanes needed resources all along the Gulf and East Coasts drew rescuers and resources away from other parts of the country. When wildfires lit up the Pacific coast and mid-west, those areas were already understaffed. Driven by hurricanes in the Pacific basin, uncontrolled wildfires burned through towns, destroying everything in their paths. Across the Pacific, Asia didn't escape. From the Philippines, across China, into Indochina, and Bangladesh and India. Typhoons and cyclones pounded the coasts and far inland. Widespread flooding forced millions from their homes and across international borders. Mexico was hit hard and thousands died in mudslides as Katia slammed into their East Coast. The refugees fled north and west. Rumours started that hundreds of thousands were headed for the US border. Instead of running out of steam in the southern US, several hurricanes tore up the eastern seaboard, devastating cities and renewing their strength before veering east across the Atlantic. Maria and Ophelia veered east and slammed into Europe, reaching as far as the Netherlands and Russia before finally dissipating. After that, too many weather stations were offline to provide any form of co-ordinated information or warnings. Wildfires in Portugal burned ahead of the storms, fanned by hurricane winds. They sparked wildfires leapfrogging across Europe, beyond any one country's ability to cope. Already uneasy from multiple terrorist attacks over the summer, anti-refugee groups seized the opportunity to stage protests across Europe. Some turned violent as they clashed with police forces. Several governments declared martial law to quell the rioting and enforce evacuations along the path of the storms. Rumour and speculation overwhelmed facts. Unrest spilled over into widespread violence. Then sickness broke out in the displaced populations. Within a matter of a dozen weeks, tens of millions died. In the coming winter months hundreds more would follow. The Designated Project was activated.
8 58Dauntless: Origins
Snow white hair, blue eyes, pale. Devil, monster, mutt, failure.This story follows one Tyr Faeron, crown prince, heir primus and mass murderer. A wrathful, angry, and lost young man that has made it his goal to hunt down the men that killed his mother - and he is on the cusp of finishing the promise he'd made before her cairn stones so many years ago. On the surface he is duplicitous, whimsical, and base of cunning - but within the depths beyond the many masks he wears, something is waiting. Waiting for an end, the end he'd come to long for, whether it be to himself or any possible threats in his vicinity. After that long labor of vengeance is completed... Nobody knows, not even him - an arrogant and otherwise solitary individual with nothing in the way of friends - only the brothers of the blackguard who follow him through life as he pursues this mission. He was born a prince, but he'd be called a disappointment - failing to manifest the great power that he was born to before being summarily discarded by his father, a 250 year old 'primus'. That word again... Men who can shatter mountains and level cities, that's what he was supposed to be. Some call them demi-gods, all Tyr sees is a poor excuse for a parent. Time had made him bitter, cruel, and arguably psychotic - seeing only enemies wherever he looks. They'd come for him, too, one day - to wipe the slate clean and make room for another - and it's his conviction to ensure that he dies while taking as many of those rats with him. This is a story about finding acceptance, growth, and understanding - from the point of view of a cold and brutal individual who wears many masks. Of someone who was born to be the greatest emperor the eastern continent has ever seen - but he failed in that. Strong, yes, but only in the context of a man - Tyr's magic is weak. His convictions are weak. He has been made a beast of instinct by loss and a constant confronting of his own impotency in the face of his father. A mythos that stretches across planes, of magic, a pantheon of cruel gods. Of someone who's dedicated his entire mind to the art of killing a man, and none to living a normal childhood or coming to understand friendship, empathy, or compassion. The first five years of his life a mystery, a hole none have ever been willing to fill, leaving him warped and twisted. His formative years gone and what must've been most of his humanity along with it. Now 17, he is on the cusp of leaving the city he'd never been permitted to leave for what might be the first time in his life. Always searching, though he won't know what for, for some time. An episodic that follows experience and symbolism rather than a never ending series of battles - where the conflict lay in constantly searching for wholeness in lieu of great villains or heroes. This is where it all started, the origin, the tale told a million times - and yet it hadn't been, 'reality' is tricky like that. The greatest lie ever told by the tongue that speaks is that any of this was real at all.
8 248Loving Everly Gray (✔️)
Highest rank on Wattpad:#7 in Quaterbacks #1 in goodgirl #4 in highschoolromance#9 in romance#1 in romcom Everly Gray, a seventeen years old teenager whose life is a mess since she was born, her parents gave her up for adoption, but at age six she found a new home, a new perfect home and living a good life, her adopted parents adores her and provides her with the world she dream of, but the scars and inner demon inside her has taken over her and she thinks that this is all a dream, that one day her adopted parents will leave her the same way, her parents did. She is afraid of attachment and depending on others. Elliot Walker, a seventeen years old moody and angry playboy, who is not only rich, but also handsome, makes everyone kiss the ground wherever he walks, when he bump into the silent nerd of the school and accidentally took her secret notebook, he can't help, but is curious about her. His curiosity made him do things, that he swore he would never do in his entire life, that is falling in love, but will she let him in? Or chase him out?Find out by adding this book to your reading lists.
8 105