2 The Man with Strange Powers
Five years later
"Echo, wake up! Time for school!" shouted Rasputin, "Today is the day that we find out if you have the potential for PanzerZone!"
"Okay!" responded Rasputin from the stairs, "Maybe I'm a genius..." he grumbled to himself, "Probably not though."
"Come on Echo! Before your chocolate pancakes get cold!" Rasputin urged, smiling, "You know, not every kid gets healthy from chocolate. Most get sick..."
"Yeah yeah, I know." Echo growled as he took a seat in the wooden chairs of his benefactor who'd saved him from his fate of death.
Five years ago
Echo had been lying on the streets, beaten black and blue. A three-year-old, on the streets, wasn't going to stay alive long in that condition.
Rasputin, who'd just come back from schooling in the Vanilla Hopper School of Chocolate, caught little Echo sleeping on the pavement. Rasputin took pity on Echo, taking him to the orphanage on the other side of the city.
However, the orphanage hadn't allowed Echo to join, as they hadn't enough room for him. Rasputin, outraged that they'd refuse as such, took Echo to his house and enrolled Echo into the most prestigious prep school for gaming.
Thus we are here in the present, with Echo eating his benefactor's pancakes. The strange thing was, Rasputin's pancakes, instead of giving someone type-50 diabetes from the sugar, gave them powerful energy, as well as nourish them for the day. Echo never needed to eat lunch or dinner due to Rasputin's strange powers.
"As long as you pass to a certain extent Echo, I'll make you the best gamer ever!" Rasputin said once, "Although I'm not a gamer, I do know some things. Like a hobby!"
Echo never took these things to heart, as video games had long since become used only for professional use. Gaming had become the profession everyone wanted. Due to the enrollment rates, 70 percent of all people never became gamers.
"Alright Echo, time to go!" Rasputin said, shooing Echo out the door.
"Okay. I'm going. Later!" Echo grabbed his bag, sprinting off to school.
"Echo, as long as you get a perfect score, you know I'll teach you." Rasputin spoke, melancholy filling his eyes, "If you get a better score, then I'll do more than I promised. You won't disappoint me, will you? Rachel?"
As Echo arrived at the school, the bells rung, showing that Echo was just a smidgen later than he should've been. Echo scanned in, sprinting to the exam room.
"Alright, Echo's not here, but we will start now." the teacher (Mr. Snow) started to say, before being interrupted by Echo entering.
"Ah, you're here. Go to your seat. I'll pass you the test, and the rest of you may start." Mr. Snow said as he grabbed Echo's test.
Mr. Snow slowly walked over to Echo, and whispered into his ear, "I'm sorry, but you were late for one, and also... Your benefactor said that I'm to give you the maximum test meant for college student finals. If you get any more than a 90, then you will be admitted into college at age 10. If not, you still can go through middle school, but, if you so happen to either perfect or surpass this, your benefactor will help you."
"Okay." Echo shivered, "I am so screwed... So what? I'll try my best!" He resolved himself to do good on the test.
Echo closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before he opened the test booklet.
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1. In PanzerZone, what is the maximum damage roll for a tank destroyer?
2. In any game, what is the best surefire way to defeat a boss? Name ten other ways.
3. In an FPS, what is an essential trait for a gamer? What is least important?
4. If a bullet is unable to ricochet, and you have to destroy a target within 5 seconds, what is the fastest way if the gun can shoot 5 m/s and you are 30 meters away from the goal? If you can only move 13 meters in 2 seconds, then how? If you were unable to move?
5. What is the most indispensable part of any gamer, and why?
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"These are final questions?" Echo mumbled, "More like little kid problems!"
Echo answered the first three in a few seconds, before arriving at the fourth. "Hmm, well the first part you could say you could move infinitely fast. The second part, you can say that you move for 4 seconds and shoot on the 5th, and for the third problem, it is impossible unless you can use terminal velocity."
After answering the fourth question, Echo sat on the final issue. After deliberating a bit, he responded decisively, rolling up the paper and handing it into Mr. Snow.
The class snickered, as they'd already been done for a long time. Mr. Snow looked at them, shaking his head and sighing.
"If one were to take a test others are incapable of in his class, then fundamentally, he'd be slower, so why are you all laughing?" Mr. Snow spoke, quietly looking at the reaction of the class.
"So what? I, Roland, swear to God, if Echo gets a better grade than me, I'll not only shave my head, but I also will be his slave for five years."
"I'll take your word for it, Roland!" Echo said, "If I get a worse grade I'll do the same."
"Keep your word Echo! I'll be seeing your shaved head for a while!" Roland smirked, causing another round of laughter, "It's as good as done!"
"Alright class, the robot is done grading, I will release the results after they have been sent to central command. It'll be about - Now."
'BEEP!'
'One discrepancy found, and central command has revised it.'
'Leaderboard updated.'
Echo looked at his watch, holding his breath. "Please!"
"Leaderboard open!" The class shouted in unison.
'1. Roland
2. Sammy
3. Flint
4. Sakura
5. Shauna'
"Hah!" Roland yelled, "You aren't even on the top Echo! Time to shave your head!" He reached for a pair of scissors on the teacher's desk.
"Heh, not on the leaderboard indeed." Snorted Echo, "More like so good that I wasn't ranked in the class."
"What're you smug about Echo! I just won our bet!" Roland sneered, turning around to face Echo. He'd caught a glimpse of Echo's board, and he became cold. His eyes bulged out, and his face flushed red. He started breathing heavily, running up to Echo and looking at Echo's leaderboard again.
"HOLY FUCK! YOU WEREN'T KIDDING???!!!" Screamed Roland, "You took the college test and got a maximum plus score!"
"You are on the top of the world? LITERALLY?!" Roland cried as he started to turn blue, "I give up! I'll shave my head for the honor of being in a class with you!"
He took the scissors, but before he'd opened them, he passed out. His head hit the desk, concussing him. Roland suddenly started spazzing out, arms and legs flailing about the room.
"CALL 911! A student is having a seizure!" Mr. Snow screeched into a phone he'd picked up from the desk.
"What is your address sir?" the operator asked, "From the signals, Prestige Prep? We are sending an ambulance as we speak. It'll be soon! Hold him down, and have all students clear the room."
"Students, clear the room of desks, and get out, Echo, make sure no one misbehaves!" Mr. Snow called out.
"Sir!" the students cried, clearing the room before quickly leaving the room.
2 hours later
"Good job Echo." Rasputin said, "But never tell anyone of this again. However, for getting past college, I'll give you a Vr headset, as well as teach you how to play PanzerZone." In a few years, you will be able to try and make it to the top. Follow me; we are leaving. Grab your stuff too."
"Okay." Echo said, obediently running home to pack his stuff.
"Never speak of me, after ten years, you will be good enough, but you will hide and never show your true strength unless necessary. Should you do otherwise, until you become the top, you will be punished harshly. Now let's go."
